Watch out, MCU: The Punisher is back. Jon Bernthal is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the gun-toting vigilante for the upcoming Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again.”
After news first broke on March 7 of Bernthal’s return as the character, he posted an image of himself as The Punisher to his Instagram, while also sharing a clip on the official “Real Ones With Jon Bernthal” YouTube channel titled “Frank Castle is back.”
Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, was first introduced in Netflix’s mini universe of street-level Marvel characters. He debuted in Season 2 of “Daredevil” in 2016, then went on to star in his own, self-titled spinoff that ran for two seasons.
“Daredevil: Born Again” will mark the first appearance of Punisher since the spinoff was canceled by Netflix in 2019 after Season 2 debuted. Since then, all of Netflix’s more mature Marvel shows, including “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist” and “The Defenders,” have moved to Disney+. They joined other adult superhero fare, like Fox’s R-rated “Deadpool” films and “Logan,” on the family-friendly Disney streamer.
A gritty, but beloved, character from the Marvel comics, the Punisher has as tragic a backstory as they come. A decorated U.S. soldier, Castle returns from combat only for his family to be brutally murdered. He sets out on a quest for vengeance with a whole lot of guns and ammunition. He first ran afoul of The Man Without Fear in “Daredevil” Season 2, then uncovered a much darker conspiracy behind his family’s murder in “The Punisher.”
Bernthal is the latest star from Netflix’s Marvel shows to join the ever-sprawling mainline MCU. Cox first re-appeared as blind lawyer Matt Murdock, Daredevil’s alter-ego, during a cameo in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021. He then joined as a recurring character in Disney+’s “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” last year, before it was revealed he’d get his own series. Vincent D’Onofrio, who played Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the crime lord Kingpin, in Netflix’s “Daredevil” also jumped to Disney+ in 2021’s “Hawkeye” series. He’s also set to reappear in the upcoming “Echo” series. Other cast members in “Daredevil: Born Again” include Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, Sandrine Holt, and Nikki M. James.
