Jon Bernthal addresses his MCU future as Punisher: "I’m gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right"
"I care about that character deeply"
Jon Bernthal has addressed his potential future as Punisher in the MCU – and, whatever form that may take, he wants to make sure it's done right.
"I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has, in the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe," Bernthal told Collider.
"I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me and I care about that character deeply. I also know that it’s absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank. I’m gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right."
Bernthal first played Frank Castle, a former Marine who moonlights as the vigilante known as Punisher, in 2016 in Netflix's Daredevil. He went on to star in his own series, The Punisher, which ran from 2017 to 2019, as part of The Defenders Saga – which we now know is officially canon in the MCU. He's set to reprise the role in Daredevil: Born Again, which will see Charlie Cox return as the titular lawyer-turned-guardian of Hell's Kitchen.
Along with Bernthal, he'll be joined by Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin. Moon Knight and Loki season 2 helmers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will serve as lead directors.
Daredevil: Born Again is currently set to be released on Disney Plus in 2025. While we wait, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to the story so far in Marvel Phase 5 and our look at what's to come in Marvel Phase 6.
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I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.