Jon Bernthal Cast as The Punisher for Daredevil Season 2
Frank Castle is coming to Daredevil season 2. Jon Bernthal is The Punisher.
In an absolutely perfect piece of casting, Jon Bernthal will play The Punisher on Daredevil season 2. Bernthal who has played several gun-toting badasses, notably as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead, is a terrific physical match for the dark and tormented Frank Castle.
The official description of the character shouldn't surprise anyone: "a vigilante who aims to clean up New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results."
Depending on which version of the story they're going with, Frank Castle is either a former soldier or a Serpico-like honest cop in a corrupt police department. After his family is murdered in front of him, he wages a one man war on crime...with an emphasis on "war." Obviously, he takes no prisoners.
Marvel also released a new logo for Daredevil Season 2 that teases the Punisher:
Don't expect them to tone down the violence of this character, either. Recently, Steven S. DeKnight said that "Nothing would delight me more than to see the Punisher get his own show and maybe we could convince Marvel to go Hard-R rating. If any character deserves an R rating, it’s the Punisher." Maybe we'll get to see Bernthal headline his own Netflix series down the line!
Bernthal makes the fourth actor to play The Punisher in live-action. Dolph Lundgren played the role in the better than you've heard 1989 film. Thomas Jane was an excellent Frank Castle in a more comic book accurate (but not very good) 2004 film. And Ray Stevenson tried his hand at the skull in Punisher: War Zone.
“Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences,” said Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television in a statement. “Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.”
The Punisher, who shares none of Daredevil's qualms with taking human life, has found himself in conflict with the red-clad vigilante on more than one occasion.