“We are stunned and saddened by this week’s senseless act in Las Vegas,”
Netflix and Marvel said in a joint statement. “After careful consideration, Netflix and Marvel have decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for Marvel’s The Punisher to participate in New York Comic Con. Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and those affected by this tragedy.”
“The Punisher” will still be released, although the cancellation of the event suggests Marvel will adopt a new strategy for the rollout. But in a politically charged moment in which mass shootings are getting worse — and the semiautomatic weapons that do much of the damage continue to be legal — entertainment that depicts violence constantly runs the risk of echoing real life too closely.