The Punisher is back. Jon Bernthal, who brought the Marvel character to Netflix’s Daredevil series confirmed he’s returning as Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher. The actor will be reprising the role for the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.
Bernthal’s return as The Punisher first was reported March 7th. After the news broke, he posted an image of himself as The Punisher on his Instagram. He also shared a clip on his youtube channel, Real Ones With Jon Bernthal, titled “Frank Castle is back.”
After a few live-action films, Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, was reintroduced in Netflix’s Marvel Universe. He debuted in Daredevil’s second season in 2016. Bernthal went to star on his own Punisher spinoff series for two seasons on Netflix before being cancelled in 2019.
Daredevil: Born Again will mark the first appearance of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher since his Netflix show. Since then, Netflix’s Marvel shows that were more targeted to older adults have moved to Disney+. Those shows include Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders. They join other Marvel property that were targeted for more mature audiences like Fox’s R-rated Deadpool films and Logan.
Who is The Punisher?
Frank Castle is a gritty, beloved character from Marvel comics. He has one of the most tragic backstories. Castle is a decorated U.S. soldier who returns from combat only for his family to be brutally murdered. He becomes a vengeful person with lots of guns and anger. Running as “The Man Without Fear” in Netflix’s Daredevil season 2, Castle uncovers a much darker conspiracy behind his family’s murder in The Punisher series.
Jon Bernthal is the latest star from Netflix’s Marvel Universe to cross-over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He joins Charlie Cox who first re-appeared as blind lawyer Matt Murdock, Daredevil’s alter-ego, during a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He then made a few cameo’s in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law before revealing Cox will get his own Disney+ series.
Vincent D’Onofrio, who played Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. crime lord Kingpin, in Netflix’s Daredevil also joined the MCU and re-appeared in the Hawkeye series. He is reported to make a return in the upcoming Echo series.
There are no further details on how much Jon Bernthal will be involved in Daredevil: Born Again, but it is pretty cool to know he’s coming back as The Punisher. Hopefully, they write a compelling story to where his character can become part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
