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Not content with making a barnstorming comeback as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal is pushing forward with a standalone Punisher special. This one-off is now greenlit and is imagined to be similar in style to Werewolf by Night.
As a measure of his commitment, Bernthal is both starring in the special and writing it. His interest in this project comes from his dissatisfaction with the scrapped initial version of Daredevil: Born Again, which he felt misrepresented Frank Castle. Word is that once Kevin Feige saw what’d been filmed – which apparently didn’t feature Daredevil in costume until episode 4 – he fired the directors and showrunners and threw the original pitch in the trash.
Bernthal explained to Entertainment Weekly that he was initially asked to be part of the first version but turned it down. He said. “Ultimately, I didn’t see it. I didn’t see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn’t] really make sense to me, and I thought would not appeal to the fans and wouldn’t be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away.”
Matt Murdock and Frank Castle back on my screen together I’ve missed this and The Punisher sm! They delivered another masterpiece of a scene together 🙌🏽🔥😌 #DaredevilBornAgain pic.twitter.com/x6cPqV29kZ
— 𝙶𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎 DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN ERA//💥⏳ 💍 (@giselleb1234) March 19, 2025
After significant changes, including new lead writers and bringing in Dario Scardapane, who had worked on The Punisher, as showrunner, Marvel reached out to Bernthal again. This time, there was more collaboration, giving Bernthal a bigger say in how Frank Castle would be portrayed.
Bernthal said, “They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank’s at physically.” This partnership resulted in the Punisher’s brief appearance in episode four of Daredevil: Born Again.
Bernthal felt that this scene served as an initial test to see if Marvel was open to a darker, more complex version of Frank Castle, steering away from humor. The positive feedback from that appearance helped get the green light for the Punisher special.
This will be a joint effort between Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who has previously worked with Bernthal on King Richard and We Own This City. Bernthal has also enlisted Nick Koumalatsos, a Marine Raider who played a crucial role in his training for both The Punisher and Daredevil: Born Again, to be a consultant for the new special.
Before writing the script for the Punisher TV special, Bernthal presented a detailed outline. Marvel was involved in each step of the process, ensuring that the project aligned with their vision while letting Bernthal stay true to his interpretation of the character. The aim is to create a raw, complex, and unflinching depiction of Frank Castle that examines the cost of violence.
The original The Punisher series did a good job of going over Castle’s emotions and his mindset, but it seems like Disney is willing to give certain Marvel characters the space to go further into darker and more mature themes.
Daredevil: Born Again looks to be a jumping-off point for Castle to return to the MCU and leap into his own special. There’s still no word on whether that could lead a TV series, but if it’s a hit expect to see much more of Bernthal’s Frank Castle across the MCU.