Before his return as Frank Castle in Marvel Studios‘ Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal says he is determined to preserve the authenticity of The Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has. In the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe. I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me, and I care about that character deeply,” Bernthal said in an interview with Collider.
“I also know that it’s absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right, and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank. I’m gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right.”
Jon Bernthal’s history as The Punisher
Bernthal made his MCU debut in 2016 as the controversial Marvel vigilante in Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix. The actor earned praise from critics and fans of the comics for his portrayal of the PTSD-ridden veteran who clashed with the Man Without Fear over their differences in delivering street justice. Subsequently, The Punisher was spun off into his Netflix series in 2017, which lasted two seasons.
In March 2023, Bernthal was confirmed to reprise The Punisher in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again for Disney+. The actor’s return marks the third character reprisal from the Marvel Netflix era to follow in the footsteps of fellow Daredevil stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. Former Punisher executive producer Dario Scardapane takes over Born Again as showrunner in the wake of the series’ creative overhaul.
All three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, along with the two seasons of The Punisher, are currently streaming on Disney+. Daredevil: Born Again does not have a release date.
