Exclusive: Marvel Is Rebooting Punisher But Keeping Jon Bernthal
Jon Bernthal is coming back as the Punisher, but in a very specific way.
This article is more than 2 years old
Jon Bernthal has made an indelible impression upon the character of Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher. After appearing in the second season of the Netflix series Daredevil, he went on to headline his own streaming series. Unfortunately, those iterations of the characters have not been picked up yet since the rights reverted back to Disney/Marvel. Fans have been eagerly awaiting any news about what the future might hold for the Punisher and if Bernthal was going to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Well, if you have been hoping he’ll be back, we have some very good news for you today.
According to our trusted inside source – the same one that told us about our now confirmed report regarding Josh Brolin’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Jon Bernthal is coming back as the Punisher. There is a “new Punisher project in the works with the same actor from Netflix.” From what we can tell, it sounds like the character will be integrated into the regular Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it could be possible that this new project does not heavily reference the events we saw in either Daredevil or The Punisher. Even though the same actor will be back, it should likely function as totally accessible for any viewers who are just being introduced to the character as well. In effect, this will be a reboot.
The really interesting part of this scoop is the fact that Jon Bernthal looks to be getting a Punisher-focused project. Many fans have assumed that the character would make his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe but would only appear as a supporting character in another hero’s series or film. The fact that Disney/Marvel is developing a project that solely focuses on the character seems to indicate that they understand how popular the Punisher is and that he can carry his own movie or streaming series. We have to assume that such a violent and controversial character would not fit in on the family-friendly Disney+, so will the Punisher be headed to Hulu instead? Or will it be similar to the Deadpool situation and the Punisher’s solo outings will fall under the 20th Century Studios banner?
Regardless of where the character ends up, this news has to be exciting to fans of Jon Bernthal and his version of Frank Castle. One has to wonder if this new Punisher project will address some of the modern issues surrounding the use of Punisher’s iconic skull logo. Bernthal himself has spoken out about the symbol’s usage during the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol. One has to imagine that Disney is aware of the more problematic issues surrounding the character. Hopefully, this new project will take steps towards addressing some of these criticisms and offer up a compelling reason as to why this character should be headlining their own creative endeavor.
We will keep our eyes and ears peeled for any other significant updates regarding this scoop. But, for now, if you were hoping for more Jon Bernthal as the Punisher, it sounds like the powers-that-be have heard your prayers.
