Jon Bernthal Returning as The Punisher

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ will see Jon Bernthal back as The Punisher

Frank Castle will return in some capacity for the new Marvel Disney+ series, which will star Charlie Cox as the title hero and Vincent D’Onofrio as villain The Kingpin.

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel's 'The Punisher.'

The last time Jon Bernthal was seen on screens as vigilante Frank Castle –– better known as The Punisher –– it was in 2019, on what would become the second and final season of his titular series.

But now he’s set to return, as The Hollywood Reporter has heard he’ll be playing Castle in the Marvel Disney+ series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’.

Who is the Punisher?

Created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, Frank Castle first debuted in the pages of Marvel Comics’ The Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974.

The character is traditionally depicted as an Italian-American vigilante who employs murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture in his campaign against criminals. Driven by the deaths of his wife and two children, who were killed by the mob for witnessing a killing in New York City's Central Park, the Punisher wages a one-man war on crime.

On the big screen, he’s been played by Dolph Lundgren (in 1989’s ‘The Punisher’), Thomas Jane (in 2004’s ‘The Punisher’) and Ray Stevenson in 2008’s ‘Punisher: War Zone’.

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel's 'The Punisher.'

What’s the history of Jon Bernthal as the Punisher?

Bernthal was originally cast as Castle for ‘Daredevil’s second season on Netflix in 2016 before spinning off to his own series in 2017, which ran for two seasons on the streaming service.

Since Marvel and Disney took back control of their TV characters, Netflix has cancelled its entire Defenders output.

In 2021, Bernthal had this to say about a potential return:

“I think if there’s any let up on that character, you do a disservice to the character, to every iteration of the character, to every comic book that’s come before, and to all of the unbelievable fans of the character,” said the actor. “This character means so much to people in the military. So like I said before, it’s not about whether you do the character; it’s about whether you can do it right, and I’m only interested in doing it right.”

Looks like he thinks they’re doing it right.

What is ‘Daredevil: Born Again’?

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ represents the next step forward for the character on the small screen after Charlie Cox returned as Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who dons a costume and fights crime as Daredevil, for a cameo in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and as a recurring guest star on Disney+ series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’. Vincent D’Onofrio, who played Wilson Fisk AKA Kingpin, returned in ‘Hawkeye’ and will be the main antagonist in ‘Born Again’.

Overseen by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, the show will boast 18 episodes in its first season and starts shooting this month in New York.

Marvel and Disney have yet to confirm any official details, but the show should be on screens next year. We don’t know how many episodes will feature Bernthal, but at least we know he’ll back.