After Marvel announced that Jon Bernthal is returning to his role from The Punisher for his own special, the actor, who will also co-write the production, has discussed what fans have to look forward to in Frank Castle’s return. He began playing the Punisher in season two of Netflix’s Daredevil, before receiving his own self-titled spinoff. Though the series received mixed reviews from critics, The Punisher was a hit among fans, and Bernthal’s acting is often singled out as a highlight of the series.
Naturally, the announcement that he would play the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again was met with excitement, which only grew upon the reveal that Frank would again receive his own spinoff. However, there are lingering doubts about whether DIsney would allow the Punisher to be as brutal a character as he’s been in the past. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Bernthal revealed that the Disney+ isn’t pulling its punches. He emphasized that when creating the special, he prioritized making it feel authentic to the character.
Bernthal explained that he “care[s] very deeply about Frank” and is “really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve.” He continued by stating: “We’re giving it our all, and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves.“
When asked about tonal similarities to Netflix’s The Punisher, Bernthal instead went into detail on the new special and how it channels the character’s edgier energy. He stated: “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.“
Despite the initial excitement over Bernthal’s Punisher and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil joining the MCU officially, the underlying question became how Marvel would mesh the bloodier, darker world of its Netflix series with the (mostly) PG-13 fare they usually put out. After the positive reception of Daredevil: Born Again’s continuation of the violent tone of its predecessor, it seems more likely that The Punisher will also return in full force.
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Daredevil: Born Again reunited the cast from Netflix’s Daredevil. However, Punisher is notably absent and his last appearance may have been retconned.
Bernthal is not only acting in the special, but he will also be writing it. Therefore, his assertions that it will tell a story in line with who Frank’s character is hold more weight. Bernthal has a history of safeguarding the Punisher character and rewriting dialogue. Discussing Bernthal in Daredevil: Born Again, Cox told a story about the actor on set:
“[Jon Bernthal] has a couple of really great scenes, potentially iconic moments. They’re an absolute joy to shoot… There was a scene [in Daredevil: Born Again season 1], and he cares so much, he gets so into it, like thinks about it, it’s almost like a pain-body. We had this scene and he called me the night before and he said, ‘Some of these lines don’t make sense for me for where I’m at, I need to mess with these a little bit. Here’s what I’m gonna say, I want to say this.’ He just changed some of his lines, he had kinda written his own thing. So, I had to adapt and relearn my stuff, which I’m totally okay to do as he’s brilliant. And then we get to set and he didn’t say any of those, he just made up a whole new set of lines. And I was like, ‘Okay…!'”
Given Bernthal’s attitude regarding character integrity, the Punisher’s special will likely measure up to his promise to “tell a Frank Castle story.” However, the first season of Daredevil: Born Again is still ongoing, and Frank has yet to appear, meaning that he has been absent from the small screen since 2019. At this stage, it’s hard to say whether The Punisher will click with audiences in the same way in the MCU that the Netflix series did.