Marvel Studios TV Head Confirms The Punisher Will Return After ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, Says Jon Bernthal “Is Working On A ‘Special Presentation’ With Us About That Character”
To the surprise of the gun-toting anti-hero’s many fans, Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum has confirmed that not only will Jon Bernthal’s take on The Punisher remain a canon member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe post-Daredevil: Born Again, but that he’ll also be receiving his own Special Presentation.
A rarely used ‘side imprint’ for the overall MCU, Marvel Studios’ ‘Special Presentation’ label is used by the Disney subsidiary as an in-continuity ‘testing ground’ for projects whose scopes and featured characters may not warrant a full television series or feature film.
Holding a typical run time of roughly one-hour, only two Special Presentations have thus far been produced across the entire history of the MCU: the more ‘classic horror-oriented’ Werewolf By Night and the whimsical-slash-heartwarming The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, both of which were released in 2022.
And though it took roughly three years, it seems the imprint will finally be getting another entry, this time courtesy of none other than Frank Castle.
As seen in a now-deleted video originally uploaded by ComicBook.com, while speaking to the ‘changes’ the skull-clad vigilante has undergone between his last appearance in Netflix’s The Punisher and his already-revealed return in Born Again during the latter series’ currently ongoing press tour, the aforementioned Winderbaum bluntly revealed to the outlet, “That’s a character very personal to Jon. He made that character an icon and he’s working on a Special Presentation with us right now about that character.”
“And that character is driven by a lot of pain and a need to get vengeance and justice, but it’s always interesting where his philosophy lands on how he dulls out that justice,” he added, returning to the original question. “To me, that’s the most interesting part about the Punisher.”
This sentiment was subsequently echoed by Winderbaum’s fellow press tour attendee, Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane, who in building on his colleague’s comments asserted, “Well, now Frank is a special kind of guy, isn’t he?”
“So, we know from the trailer Frank comes back and Frank has been gone since he kind of walked off into the sunset at the end of The Punisher Season 2,” he explained. “Frank has come back for a very particular reason and Frank has been brought back by a very particular person, so the best answer to your question is why he returns and what he returns for, is kind of a hallmark of his evolution.”
Unsurprisingly, neither Winderbaum nor Scardapane provided any information as to just what fans could expect from the upcoming The Punisher Special Presentation.
However, given both who the character is and the ‘outside of the usual MCU fare’ nature of the Special Presentations, speculation currently suggests that whatever story it may tell, it will likely be exceptionally violent and possibly even deal with more ‘gritty’ real-world subject matter than any other mainline franchise entry – even Born Again, which per star Vincent D’Onofrio will apparently see its on-screen brutality go “way past anything Netflix ever did.”
While word remains out on when Punisher will strike out on his own, fans can see him return to the streets in Daredevil: Born Again, which is currently set to hit Disney Plus on March 4th.
More About:TV Show News
Read this Next
