Jon Bernthal makes big promise for “visceral” The Punisher special after Daredevil return

The Punisher just returned in Daredevil: Born Again, and when Jon Bernthal’s special hits Disney Plus, expect one thing: blood… and lots of it.

Bernthal as Frank Castle remains one of the MCU’s best casting decisions, and fans have long waited for him to reprise the role after the franchise’s mini-universe on Netflix was axed.

In this week’s episode of Daredevil, The Punisher finally returned, with Matt tracking him down in the wake of White Tiger’s murder. “You’re angry, aren’t ya? I can see it in you it’s all over you… you hate yourself. It’s eating you up because you haven’t done a damn thing about it,” Frank tells him.

We’ll see them together again by the end of the season – but Marvel has other plans for The Punisher.

Jon Bernthal hypes up “no holds barred” The Punisher special on Disney Plus

Netflix

While The Punisher isn’t getting a Season 3, Bernthal will return in a Marvel Special Presentation (coming after the success of Werewolf by Night and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special).

“I feel like it’s opened the door to getting closer to the Frank Castle that I really, really want to portray,” Bernthal told EW.

The actor is heavily involved behind the scenes of the special, writing the script and collaborating with director Reinaldo Marcus Green (We Own This City, King Richard).

“I went through the process. I went in, I pitched, I gave an outline before I even put pen to page, and I felt like I did not want them to just hand it to me,” he explained.

Disney+

“They had read some of my writing, asked to come and do a pitch, so I did. And they’ve held me accountable to every step along the way. I really want to earn this and I really want this to be good. The story that we’ve laid out is, I think, really special.

“It’s the visceral, psychologically complex, unforgiving, no-holds-barred version of Frank where he’s going to turn his back to the audience. And nothing is easy and all violence has a cost, and we’re going to see that cost. I’m grateful that they’re letting me go to the places that I really want to go.”

Whether or not Castle will return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 remains to be seen, but after walking away from the initial Daredevil revival, Bernthal believes the MCU finally has a “vision” of the character that feels right.

“They have an idea of where they want him to go and the world in which they want him to exist. But they’re really giving me agency on how we get him there and making sure that it’s honest and authentic and truthful.”

After Episode 4, find out about Kingpin’s dark Adam secret, when Born Again takes place in the MCU timeline, and check out our ranking of every Marvel TV show. Also, if you want to know what to watch before Born Again, we’ve got you covered – and if you want to read deeper, discover Daredevil’s darkest story that’s too weird for the MCU.