Jon Berthal (The Walking Dead, Fury) has been cast as Frank Castle, better known to audiences as the Punisher, to feature in season 2 of Marvel’s Daredevil, the wildly successful Netflix original series.
In Marvel’s Daredevil, The Punisher will be a vigilante who aims to clean up New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results.
Daredevil’s Season One producer Steven DeKnight made no secret of being a fan of the Punisher, saying he’d love to see his story shown on Netflix. DeKnight said he also sees many parallels between Daredevil and the Punisher, saying that Daredevil (who makes a moral choice not to kill) is just one bad day away from becoming the Punisher (who slaughters criminals in waves).
The Punisher has been an ally and enemy to Daredevil many times during their comic book history. No further details have been given on the exact involvement of the Punisher, but it’s safe to say by the logo teaser below that fans can expect a whole lot of bullets flying, in true Punisher style.
The role of the Punisher has been recognised by a few actors (Dolph Lungren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson) in mostly mediocre action movies with unfavourable reviews, but his entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe where The Avengers also exist marks a promising reboot for the popular character, largely loved by comic book fans.
Daredevil has set a darker, more grittier standard than the rest of the Marvel franchise which creates perfect conditions to bring in the Punisher. His arrival has actually been planned for some time now with hints of his appearance as early as the short film , included as a DVD extra for 2013’s Iron Man 3. A passing shot of prison cells within reveals the names of criminals from Mafia families that have very strong ties to The Punisher’s origin story.
More subtle easter eggs in Daredevil Season One also hinted that we could to see the Punisher turn up.
Further rumours say that Marvel is also looking to cast for the characters Bullseye and Elektra, both of whom are integral parts of Daredevil’s story.
Marvel’s Daredevil is part of a five-project deal with Netflix (Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage) which includes Marvel’s Defenders – bringing together key characters from each series.
Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the Super Hero “Daredevil” in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Marvel’s Daredevil stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson and Rosario Dawson.
Season one of Marvel’s Daredevil is now streaming on Netflix.
