Marvel Announces Jon Bernthal's First MCU Punisher Project After Daredevil: Born Again

Frank Castle will be appearing in "Daredevil: Born Again," but Marvel Studios is also giving The Punisher his own standalone story. The gun-toting good guy (honest) who has been known to leave battles with the occasional splash of red on him will be heading a brand new Marvel Special Presentation after helping out the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Bernthal is working on a one-off story akin to the gloriously gory black-and-white one-off "Werewolf by Night," starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and the "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special," which was shoehorned in before "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

Bernthal, who took on the role in season 2 of Netflix's "Daredevil" in 2016, is as synonymous with his comic book counterpart now as Charlie Cox is with the Man Without Fear. It makes sense, then, that Bernthal is deeply invested in the project and co-writing the mystery one-off with "We Own the City" and "Bob Marley: One Love" director Reinaldo Marcus Green. Unfortunately, while no specific details have been revealed regarding the story (we're predicting it involves guns ... lots of guns), Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum had some promising comments about what's in store, which should assure fans that Bernthal's Castle will be back and getting involved in the signature action that made him the best Punisher ever.

After Bernthal was spotted in set images that were revealed online, it was clear that his iteration of Castle was back to his old chaotic tricks, and it's certain that trend will continue for his newly announced follow-up tale. As Winderbaum explained, "It's like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It's so exciting."

It's been six years since Bernthal went out in a blaze of furious glory as Frank Castle in the second season of "The Punisher" that aired on Netflix. Coincidentally, it was while working on the upcoming return of ol' horn-head that he started kicking around the idea of Castle going on a brand new mission, which Winderbaum is all for.

"He's incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he's a great writer. He knows the character inside and out," Winderbaum explained. "Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon's Punisher in particular. The idea that he's in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever." 

All we can do now is wait and see how Frank is doing when "Daredevil: Born Again" — which is faring very well with critics so far – arrives with its two-episode premiere on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.