r/marvelstudios • u/M00r3C Weekly Wongers • 1d ago
Article "Frank Is in My Bones": Jon Bernthal Confirms He Is Co-Writing 'The Punisher' Special [Exclusive]
https://collider.com/punisher-jon-bernthal-mcu-special-disney-plus/"In discussing what this thing could be and this sort of version of Frank that I really felt that the audience was hungry for, that the military community was hungry for it, the first responder community, the comic book fans, they were really hungry for it. I presented that version to them, and they encouraged me. They encouraged me to keep coming to the table. As we were talking with different writers, the ideas that we were coming up with started to resonate, and I think they saw how much they resonated with me. I got a great group of vets that I work with. One in particular, my friend Nick, he's just been incredible. I hope that it goes alright. I don't like talking about these things because it's a little bit of bark before there's a bite, you know? I'm honored and I'm grateful. It's an incredible group of people that we're assembling."
583
u/HUNGWHITEBOI25 1d ago
We talk a lot about RDJ as a cast that came right off the page…but Jon Bernthal definitely is also a casting choice that comes right off the page
338
u/lizard_lounge 1d ago
Bernthal actually is the complete opposite, he looks nothing like punisher or any version of frank from the comics. But what he does have is the embodiment of the character, daredevil season 2 is probably the best live action punisher we’ve seen so far.
146
u/expiredtvdinner Punisher 1d ago
He's not the Reacher build expected of The Punisher, but I'd say he has the War Zone JRJR type of look to him.
Ray Stevenson had the slicked back Steve Dillon Marvel Knights/Tim Bradstreet cover look.
Thomas Jane had the Michael Zeck look to him.
All the actors kinda take after different versions. I'm not sure which artist best matched Dolph Lundgren.
But, I agree. Vibewise and due to the better story surrounding him, he feels like the comic version...moreso than the others. In my opinion.
72
u/PersonalRaccoon1234 1d ago
Same situation as Dafoe as Green Goblin. Looks nothing like the character but perfectly embodies them.
46
u/FriedCammalleri23 Captain America (Cap 2) 1d ago
To be fair, Willem Dafoe doesn’t look like anybody
11
6
u/sinkwiththeship Quake 1d ago
The Osborne in YFNSM makes SOOOOO much more sense. Osborne has clearly always been black with waves like that.
3
1
u/BigDaddyUKW Shades 11h ago
I always thought he looked like Gwen Stacy’s dad though. You know, the “asshole” Guy.
46
4
u/brendamn 1d ago
I always think this when I watch him. His over imposing presence acting makes up for his size, but man it would great to see a 6'5" Jon Bernthal fill a doorway
6
u/CaptHayfever Hawkeye (Avengers) 23h ago
I'm not sure which artist best matched Dolph Lundgren.
Did Liefeld ever draw Punisher?
1
1
25
u/trustprior6899 Punisher 1d ago
What did it for me - and a big reason why my flair became the Punisher - was the diner scene when the waitress asks him if he’d like more coffee and he casually spins the cup around and responds “however much this dump can pour” (paraphrase)…even the most casual lines Bernthal makes in his show and DD are like it’s a speech bubble in a comic. He and the writers just really nail the persona
12
u/What-The-Frog Iron Man (Mark XLII) 1d ago
You're exactly right, after my Daredevil re-watch I rolled right into a Punisher re-watch just because he's so fun to watch as this character, even in the small moments.
42
u/OdoWanKenobi 1d ago
I'm just gonna say, despite what every single fancast out there seems to think, looking like the comic book character is just about the least important thing when it comes to casting. Bernthal is absolutely proof of that.
7
13
u/shadowlarvitar 1d ago
I mean William Dafoe looks nothing like Norman yet he's the definitive version of him.
As long as they act/behave like the character they're playing, that's all that matters. Netflix nailed it with him, Charlie and Vincent. I'm glad Marvel is keeping them and Jessica the same
-2
9
u/rubycalaberXX 1d ago
Bernthal looks just like Frank in the comics, but only when it's that one face Steve Dillon could draw.
4
u/SillySosigs 1d ago
Honestly I think Bernthal should be a shining example when they say characters don't look similar enough, Jon Bernthal is the punisher, he could be ginger and he'd still be terrifying.
3
23
u/OmegaPsiot 1d ago
And he seems like a genuinely great guy. Obviously cares about the fans and doing right by them.
19
u/pastafallujah 1d ago
I watched some of his podcasts, talking to Shia LeBouf, Pete Davidson, and Deborah Ann Woll. He seems like the genuine article. Especially hearing his “I almost went to prison for life for punching a guy” story
23
u/mike_pants 1d ago
That time that he got tricked into playing D&D, perfection.
9
u/mistercrinders 1d ago
I wouldn't say tricked. He was asking directly about it
16
u/mike_pants 1d ago
Yeah, I wouldn't say tricked either, even though I did. But after he realized he was playing D&D, he'd already been playing it for quite a bit, and it was delightful. She's a tricksy mind demon.
16
12
u/Lobo_Z 1d ago
I wouldn't say right off the page, the Frank in the comics doesn't tend to be quite so growly 'berserker' all the time and is often depicted as very calm and collected, more like the previous performances. What I will say is that Bernthal made it his own and is incredible in the role, and I'm so glad he's back.
3
4
2
u/beatrailblazer Weekly Wongers 1d ago
i remember a lot of people were fancasting actors before Bernthal was announced and I had never heard his name come up even once, but the second he was announced, I was just like "yup, he's perfect". and he lived up to it, great actor, great casting.
1
u/xgalahadx 1d ago
Would like to see him bulk up more like he was in DD and S1 Pun. I swear he looks more Hollywood pretty now, and not as menacing as he used to. Maybe it’s just me. Or maybe the shorter hair just made him look more gritty.
93
u/richman678 1d ago
Love it when an actor owns their role.
31
u/hell_kat 1d ago
It's feels like part of what made the DD series so special. You felt the love that went into it. Cox, D'Onofrio, Woll, and Bernthal love their characters. It shows.
29
23
u/Caleb35 1d ago edited 1d ago
Friends, Frank-In-Your-Bones is no laughing matter. It's a serious and upsetting medical condition. Symptoms include hearing your imaginary child tell you to murder people, and a strong addiction to large magazine armaments. Too many people today suffer from Frank-In-Your-Bones but you don't have to be one of them; help and ongoing treatment is available. If you or one of your loved ones suffers from Frank-In-Your-Bones, contact your primary physician today. Remember -- skulls should stay inside your head, and not on your chest.
2
16
8
u/RepublicCommando55 1d ago
I'm hoping they go for something like The Raid but with Punisher, that would be so cool to watch
7
u/perpetual_student 1d ago
I feel about Bernthal’s Punisher the same way I feel about Cavill’s Geralt. Trustworthy hands.
5
u/MatthewMonster 1d ago
I LOVE his Punisher
My only concern and it’s big — is that Punisher will be this weird pocket universe character
I’d love for the Punisher to be in like a Thunderbolt’s sequel — but the way Bernthal talks about Punisher - I find it hard to see him in the larger MCU
6
u/OmegaHunterEchoTech 1d ago
Can someone explain to me why it's called a special or a feature if this is clearly gonna be a movie type of thing? Is it just the length?
19
u/PersonalRaccoon1234 1d ago
Its basically a tv movie. Marvel dud this before with 'Werewolf By Night'.
3
u/lavavaba90 1d ago
Frank castle wouldn't let a pedo walk
3
u/Levonorgestrelfairy1 1d ago
Broke both the guys arms and set fire to his pedophile warhouse. Guy gets to go to jail as a pedophile with two broken arms.
And that was only after the girl he was with specifically asked him to spare the guy.
1
u/lavavaba90 1d ago
In the comics he would have gotten him later, at least in the ones I read as a teen.
1
3
9
u/crimsonswallowtail 1d ago
This might be controversial but his take on punisher is very different from most comic iterations of the character. He goes way more into the inner workings of a veteran, whereas Frank Castle is usually a guy that goes off the deep end and kills criminals without giving it much of a second thought. He doesn’t do a lot of “punishing” at all, and spends half the screen time questioning himself. The closest he is to comics punisher is at the beginning of his appearance in daredevil and at the end of his show. He also isn’t very tactical and planning, relying way more on brawn and knife fights to get the job done.
16
u/Levonorgestrelfairy1 1d ago edited 1d ago
I mean you are being hyperbolic to the point of lying.
His solo shows delt heavily with his family and service. But Franks family and service has been super important in all of his iconic stuff.
Sure when he shows up in someone else's book he might just be going full murder hobo but he could also be used completely differently depending on the writer.
6
u/tenaciousNIKA 1d ago
I see what you are saying, but make no mistake Frank never once questions himself in the shows. He feels pain, he considers letting himself get killed, he has flashbacks of his family, etc.
But he never questions or thinks twice about the mission of systematically killing criminals. There is no question, he is in pain and for him the cure is murder.
3
u/trustprior6899 Punisher 1d ago
Agreed. He quite literally labels DD “a half measure”. In his mind, the only justice is murder.
2
u/tenaciousNIKA 1d ago
And now that you mention it I think he mentions something about never questioning himself when him and DD have their meeting in Born Again.
2
u/Dan2593 Scarlet Witch 1d ago
I feel like the Frank we got a glimpse of in Born Again is more comic Frank.
He’s got that little hide out with weapons. Like he’s there making his little punishing plans. But I think the Netflix shows kept resetting his character every time he became Punisher to make him quit and question the nature of heroism and humanity.
Bernthal himself brings such a grounded and emotion-led performance to Frank that really stands out. I’d love to see what he could do with material that lets him actually get to Punishing. He’s also terrifying.
2
u/Jons0324 Baby Groot 19h ago
This is the first time I’m hearing of a Punisher special! Really hope it’s at least an hour long, excluding the credits and such. He really deserves his own D+ series!
2
2
u/Mtthom06 Danny Rand 11h ago
I think if they give these actors more control over writing and directing in the MCU, we will get better content.
Love how they are starting to give respect to the MCU actors that go all in on their characters
2
1
u/BKWhitty 1d ago
Is there any estimation on when it's supposed to release?
1
u/vivianvisionsburner Scarlet Witch 1d ago
DDS2 is dropping "early-to-mid 2026" (aka before Doomsday in May) and the Punisher special is airing alongside it.
We don't know if it's coming out before or after the season, though.
1
u/CaptHayfever Hawkeye (Avengers) 23h ago edited 13h ago
Jon Bernthal, Edward Norton, & Iman Vellani walk into a bar....
[Edited for typo.]
1
u/Devilinthewhitecity 19h ago
I feel like Punisher would also hate naps but he wouldn't be so vocal about it.
1
0
u/Peen33 1d ago
Uhh, idk if you should be writing punisher for the military and first responder community. Bernthal punisher post DD s2 will continue to not really get it.
3
6
u/tenaciousNIKA 1d ago
DD born again is clearly gonna address the Punisher iconography being co-opted by law enforcement, and Bernthal surrounds himself with real deal veterans. No reason to think he doesn't get it.
1
u/Peen33 1d ago
When your Punisher is letting his kid sidekick convince him not to kill a pedophile it's time to pull the plug
2
u/tenaciousNIKA 1d ago
Ah I see what you mean there. But personally I really liked that scene and thought it worked, crucially because it was the only time someone convinced him not to kill someone and showed him letting someone in even briefly (which by the way has happened in the comics). It also played great comedicaly so it worked for me on a lot of levels. But I can understand why you wouldn’t like it.
299
u/BigDaddyUKW Shades 1d ago
My only concern is that this is going to be a special. Hopefully it has a longer runtime than like 40-50 minutes.