Exclusive: Jon Bernthal Aims for Rightful Return as ‘The Punisher’

It’s confirmed that Jon Bernthal is coming back as The Punisher in Marvel’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again‘. Bernthal wants to make sure his return is done right. He promises to stay true to the original story and Frank Castle’s character.

Jon Bernthal: Aiming to Do The Punisher Return Right

In an interview with Collider, Bernthal says he wants to make sure his return as The Punisher is done right, with real respect for the source material and staying true to Frank’s core.

Bernthal said, “I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has.” Bernthal added, “In the hearts and minds of comic book fans, first responders, people in the military, and people all over the globe, I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me, and I care deeply about that character. 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 going to do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right.”

A recent training video showed Bernthal practicing with weapons and honing his shooting skills for the upcoming MCU show.

With the release of Marvel’s ‘Echo‘ show, Netflix’s Daredevil and other Defenders shows are now officially considered part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Disney+ ‘Timeline Order’ tab has been updated to include the shows previously produced by Marvel TV.

Bernthal’s The Punisher last appeared in the second season of the Netflix series, which was released in January 2019. Despite the show’s popularity and critical acclaim, it was canceled by Netflix in February 2019, along with the rest of the Marvel Netflix series, due to the expiration of their licensing agreement with Marvel. The Punisher is now available on Disney+.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will co-direct ‘Daredevil: Born Again’. Recently, it was reported that Marvel is rebooting ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ with new writers and directors due to the initial approach not aligning with the action-packed style of the Netflix series. The SAG-AFTRA strike has further complicated matters, leading to the delay of the series release, originally planned for 2024. Only a portion of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ episodes were filmed, and the series will be reworked, with some existing scenes and elements being retained.

According to rumors, Hunter Doohan is in talks to play Muse, the main antagonist in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’.

According to the show’s new plot: Marvel Studios presents ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ in which longtime rivals Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) try to leave behind their darker alter-egos to serve the people of New York only to have their pasts catch up to them.

The new cast for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ includes Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn and Nikki M. James as Kristen McDuffie, both of whom were love interests of Murdock in Marvel Comics. Notably, Michael Gandolfini will portray Daniel Blade, Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman, Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, and Genneya Walton as BB Urich.

‘Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2025.