The PunisherstarThomas Janehas given his replacementJon Bernthala huge seal of approval for his continuation as Frank Castle in the MCU. Jane played the role of Frank Castle in a 2004 movie based onthe violent Marvel character, many years before Bernthal would take over the role in the Netflix series of the same name. However, after several rumors about his possible inclusion inDeadpool & Wolverine, Jane has explained why he did not want to step back into the role, and why he believes Marvel Studios already has the best man for the job in Bernthal.
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During the lead up to the release ofDeadpool & Wolverine, there weremany actors rumored to be making an appearancein the film as long-lost Marvel characters from other universes such as the Fox X-Men movies,Fantastic Four,Daredevil, and more. Among those on the list was Jane, but as the actor explained, he was never asked to reprise his role in the movie. When speaking toThe Direct, he also noted that Bernthal is probably the best version of The Punisher that Marvel could have. Jane said:
“Nope. I like [Jon] Bernthal’s Punisher. I think, you know, for me, it was always a little bit of a stretch. Frank Castle is supposed to be an Italian American. I’m not. I’m an Irish American. So for me, I had to dye the hair and sort of take on a persona, but Bernthal wears it so well, so I think they should stick with him.”
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While there will no doubt be some fans who would have been thrilled to see Jane returning to his role as Frank Castle after 20 years, it is clear that there is only one person who can play the role in the MCU, especially following Marvel Studios’ U-turn on how their upcoming Daredevil series connects to the Netflix show’s continuity.
WhileDaredevil: Born Againwas originally meant to be a new start for the visually impaired lawyer-turned-vigilante played by Charlie Cox, with only his Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk being carried over from the old shows. However, things changed dramatically when, according to D’Onofrio,the production was given a complete overhauland several popular stars of the Netflix series were brought into the series. As one of these was Frank Castle, there was only one person that could possibly play the role.
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Speaking about the upcoming series at Disney’s D23 expo earlier this month, Bernthal teased the cast reuniting and what it means to them and for the show. He said:
“We’re all here, we’re all enormously happy to be with each other, we’re proud of what we did. If you’re a fan of the (previous) show, you’re gonna be enormously happy. I think if you’re a fan of the show that you saw before, you’re gonna be a fan of this. I think we’re just taking it a step further.”
Daredevil: Born Againis expected to be released sometime later in 2025. Meanwhile, Bernthal’s previous outings as ThePunisher can be found as part ofThe DefendersSaga in Disney+.
