Fans of the Netflix Marvel Series of the late 2010s are rejoicing with the recent announcement that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as The Punisher in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. The announcement comes at a critical time for Marvel, as there has been high scrutiny over the post Avengers: Endgame releases not living up to their predecessors. Even Marvel executive Kevin Feige was quoted in Entertainment Weekly saying he believes they need to re-think their release strategy and make "shows that can only be shows." With a very active fanbase of the Netflix series, all eyes are on Marvel to deliver something great with Daredevil: Born Again.
Although in no way is bringing back The Punisher from the Netflix series going to be the messiah Marvel wants, it is a step in the right direction — if the studio utilizes the character correctly. Too often, Marvel has had a very cut and dry morality system built into all of their movies. The Punisher presents a chance for commentary on the nature of justice in and outside the superhero cinematic world they've created.
Jon Bernthal is the Best Punisher Yet
First appearing in Daredevil Season 2, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher exploded in popularity right from the get-go, and rightfully so. The freedom Netflix gave to the production allowed for the depiction of the violence and brutality of the character that fans of the comics grew to recognize as Frank Castle's essential hallmarks. Carrying this over to The Punisher series, the portrayal of the character was developed into a fully realized arc that had a highly emotionally driven core. Showrunner Steve Lightfoot was able to captain a show that humanizes a character who is too often seen as a soulless killing machine. Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/Punisher was able to balance the duality of being a good man, loving husband, and war hero with the bone breaking, gun-wielding vigilantism comic fans have grown to expect. Bernthal's grasp on the character came from a place that he related with. In an interview with GQ the actor says "He’s a f***king tortured, angry father and husband who’s living in this unbelievable world of darkness and loss and torment. Frank Castle resonates with me."
The dedication to the character, which Bernthal already had a reputation for, combined with an episodic format allows for a deeper exploration of the grief that Frank Castle experiences. Bernthal's performance was equal parts heartbreakingly vulnerable and menacing. If tortured is what he said he was going for, he achieved that and then some. Even though The Punisher represents a failure of justice institutions in real life, military members have praised the way Bernthal played The Punisher, citing a realistic portrayal of the character and one that embodies the black and white take on crime that makes his type of fantastical violence appeal to members of the military and police in real life.
Jon Bernthal's Punisher Will Encourage the MCU to Enter a Larger Conversation
Marvel movies as a whole tend to lean into very simple morality cases in terms of the good guys and bad guys. The way "Big Bads" are brought down is very cut and dry with some bigger threats being killed and minor ones being stopped and imprisoned or banished or some other non-fatal ending. The Punisher returning to the MCU will allow for new dialogues to be had that are often missing from Marvel movies. The now Disney owned studio, if they want the fan support, will have to stick to the portrayal of Frank Castle/The Punisher that Bernthal already established, and the comics before him. The Punisher's methods are highly disagreeable to most sane people. Simply killing those who commit crime is what landed him in Daredevil's crosshairs in Season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil series.
When the MCU based an entire movie around a division in how heroes should hero, namely, Captain America: Civil War, the MCU basically took out most of the political aspect of the comic source material in favor of a personal one. With Bernthal's Punisher, they will have to face political, social, and criminological dilemmas if they want to remain faithful to the character and avoid fan outcry. This shouldn't be an issue, but it might become one. Marvel has the talent to bring these elements to the Daredevil: Born Again series without compromising the portrayal of Frank Castle that fans have grown to love. If they really want to shine, they may even take a hard stance on an aspect of the Punisher that has come under some fire.
Marvel Can Take a Stance on the Punisher Logo With Jon Bernthal's Punisher
With The Punisher coming back to the screen, there is a high possibility that controversy comes with it. The Punisher has long been a favorite among cops and military members, many of whom have adopted the signature skull logo of the anti-hero and sometimes display it on their gear or clothing, which is problematic in and of itself. Made even worse, some of those who were doing it were discovered to belong to alt-right groups, some promoting fascist ideologies, such as the protestors in Charlottesville and the Capital rioters in January two years ago. It even led to Marvel Comics replacing the signature logo in upcoming new issues featuring the character, splitting the fanbase as to whether this was the right move.
When the MCU Punisher makes his return to the screen, all eyes will be watching to see if the new logo from the comics carries over. Along with the ability to begin introducing more nuanced takes on justice and crime in the context of superheroes, Marvel has a real opportunity to take a stance on the whole logo controversy. Many fans believe that confirming that Frank is a character who does not resonate with white supremacist groups co-opting the logo is the better move. However Marvel decides to handle the situation, it will be better than their long history of silence on the issue. Jon Bernthal personally made his stance loud and clear when Esquire asked him what he thought of the alt-right, white supremacist groups co-opting the Punisher logo in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement: "F*** them."
As the excitement mounts for the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series, it will be interesting to see other announcements coming from the project. Bringing back The Punisher is ultimately a celebrated move, pending the depiction of the character in the now Disney owned Marvel studios. Until the premiere of the show, fans will have to be satiated with announcements such as the Bernthal reprisal.
Daredevil: Born Again will air sometime in Spring 2024 on Disney+ as part of Marvel's Phase 5. Read up on everything we know about the MCU series so far including the confirmed cast and crew who will be joining Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal as Matt Murdock and Frank Castle.