I remember the day my uncle returned home from war. A big smile was plastered on his face and he embraced us with the warmest of hugs. It was the happiest day I could remember. While my uncle was excited to return home to us, he wasn’t fully back. There were moments when his mind would escape and travel back to the war. Those few moments started to last longer and longer.
I watched my once social uncle transform into someone who was constantly distracted, staying in his room more and more he started to withdraw from us. I knew he loved us deeply but he just wasn’t the same and it was heartbreaking.
At the time, we felt like there wasn’t anything any of us could do but just watch him sink deeper into the abyss. My uncle was like many soldiers who returned home from war. He had PTSD, a mental illness that plagues thousands of brave men and women.
Watching Daniel Webber become Lewis Walcott is a sight to behold. As a young veteran who has had a difficult time re-assimilating into civilian society, Webber is my uncle and the thousands of other soldiers who pay a price for keeping Americans safe.
While Marvel’s The Punisher is a series about an anti-hero seeking revenge against those who killed his family, it’s also a story deeply ingrained in the side effects of war and the mental sacrifices our heroes make. Webber gives one of the most brutally honest portrayals of a PTSD sufferer, that results in humanizing this taboo subject.
The Koalition had an opportunity to speak with Webber about his role, the research that went into his character and how he hopes this show creates a dialogue of understanding.
Check out the interview below.
