It’s Not Going To Be Easy”: Jon Bernthal Promises the Punisher Special Will Be Brutal and Dark

Everyone rejoiced when it was confirmed that Jon Bernthal would reprise his iconic role as Frank Castle/The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again, but it still left fans everywhere curious if he was going to show up in any other MCU projects, similar to how Charlie Cox has appeared as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in four MCU projects before Born Again. It was announced not long ago that Bernthal would return after Daredevil: Born Again in a Punisher Spotlight/Special Presentation project, but plot details about the Disney+ series are being kept under wraps at this time. However, Bernthal recently caught up with The Hollywood Reporter at the worldwide premiere of The Accountant 2, and he teased what fans can expect to see when the solo Punisher project hits Disney+ next year:

“It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know. If that’s the Netflix tone, then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”

Not long after news of the project was revealed, Marvel Studios Head of TV and Streaming Brad Winderbaum confirmed that Bernthal would make his feature writing debut on the project and write Frank Castle’s story himself. The project will also be directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who previously worked with Bernthal on We Run This City, the crime thriller spin-off series streaming on Max. The Punisher has yet to appear in Daredevil: Born Again, but previous teasers and trailers have already confirmed his presence in the series, and now that Bernthal is playing in the MCU sandbox, the door is wide open for Marvel characters to appear in his solo Punisher project. The most obvious crossover is more Daredevil/Punisher content, but cameos from Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), Echo (Alaqua Cox), or even Spider-Man (Tom Holland) are impossible to rule out.

How Will the Punisher Fit Into ‘Daredevil: Born Again’?

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Other Marvel Netflix characters such as Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Hensen), and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) have already appeared in Daredevil: Born Again, but Punisher won’t be seen until later in the season. Brad Winderbaum teased Frank Castle’s role in the series in the weeks leading up to Daredevil: Born Again, saying that he’s “a bull in a china shop,” and that Matt will turn to Frank when he needs something done that he isn’t willing to do. Matt and Frank have always had differing philosophies on how to handle criminals, but a villain like Muse may force Matt to make a hard decision in Daredevil: Born Again.

The Punisher Spotlight/Special Presentation project does not yet have an official release date, but it is expected to hit Disney+ in 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and watch Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.

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Daredevil: Born Again

TV-MA

Crime

Action

Superhero

Thriller

Adventure

9.7/10

Release Date March 4, 2025

Showrunner Chris Ord

Directors Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers Chris Ord

Franchise(s) Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Cast

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Charlie Cox

Matt Murdock / Daredevil

Vincent D’Onofrio

Wilson Fisk / Kingpin

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter