Although he will make his triumphant return in Daredevil: Born Again, that won’t be the last we see of the Punisher in the MCU. This week, Marvel announced that Jon Bernthal will star in his own Special Presentation on Disney+ as the violent and vengeful anti-hero, as first reported by Entertainment Weekly. It will be the third of Marvel’s long-form specials, following Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Bernthal made his debut as Frank Castle in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil, prompting praise for his depiction of the controversial character. He then took the reins in a spinoff dubbed The Punisher, which lasted two seasons. That was the last we saw of Castle until the character was revived for Daredevil: Born Again, which premieres on March 4.
Bernthal will do more than just star in the upcoming special. He’s also writing the with We Own This City director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will direct the special.
Marvel’s TV boss Brad Winderbaum says the idea for the Punisher special originated during the filming of the first season of Daredevil: Born Again.
“It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story,” Winderbaum told EW. “It’s so exciting.”
“Bernthal is a generational actor,” Winderbaum added. “He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.”
Now we’ll wait and see if the rest of Marvel’s Netflix heroes get a second chance.
