Deadpool’s Gina Carano Rumored To Become Lady Punisher!

Donald Edmonds |

Aug 16, 2017

Remember the Punisher short that lit up YouTube streams for a time, starring Thomas Jane reprising his role as Frank Castle? If you don’t, here’s a little reminder:

Adi Shankar, the creator for that short called Dirty Laundry has expressed interest in making a sequel, instead with Gina Carano as Lady Punisher. But which version of the character wasn’t mentioned.

Carano, a former MMA fighter, has also appeared in Fast & Furious 6 and Haywire. She is more recently known for her role in Deadpool as the villain Angel Dust. However, she would be playing more the anti-hero in Shankar’s work, if all the lights turn green on the project.

In the comics Lady Punisher also known as Lynn Michaels, first appeared in Punisher: War Zone #7. She was once a police officer attempting to capture a serial rapist, using herself as bait. The Punisher, Frank Castle, was also in pursuit of the rapist and the two crossed paths in their attempts to capture him. They eventually teamed up in their efforts to stop him and Michaels eventually started to develop feelings for Castle. However, after reading Castle’s War Journal, she becomes heartbroken after learning she wasn’t mentioned even once in the writings.

Michaels as the Lady Punisher is more accustomed to hand-to-hand combat, yet has no qualms about using firearms in her vigilante efforts. If Shankar’s vision comes true with the MMA fighter, Carano could bring her own brand of unarmed combat to the Dirty Laundry sequel.

So Why Isn’t It Happening Now?

Shankar merely expressed interest in Carano playing the Lady Punisher. There’s certainly buzz about the project, but nothing has been set on paper. And Carano herself has yet to respond. So nothing is green-lit for production as of yet.

Also, Netflix has proprietary ownership of the Punisher, with a show in the works and a cameo upcoming in The Defenders. Shankar having The Punisher appear in the Dirty Laundry sequel may not be plausible.

Lady Punisher may also fall under the same intellectual property rights.

Given where Marvel is currently with their negotiations on character properties, they might not be keen on anyone taking from the Marvel Universe without some hefty paperwork. Shankar’s vision may remain just that, a vision.