The Punisher star Thomas Jane He gave his alternative. Jon Bernthal A huge stamp of approval for his continued role as Frank Castle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jane played Frank Castle in the 2004 film based on the violent Marvel character, many years before Bernthal took on the role in the Netflix series of the same name. However, after several rumors about his possible inclusion in Deadpool and WolverineJean has explained why he doesn't want to return to the role, and why he believes Marvel Studios already has the best man for the job, in Bernthal.
During the period leading up to the release of Deadpool and WolverineThere have been several actors rumored to appear in the film as long-lost Marvel characters from other universes such as Fox's X-Men films, The Fantastic Four, recklessand more. Among those on the list was Jane, but as the actor explained, he was never asked to reprise his role for the film. Speaking to The Direct, he also suggested that Bernthal might be the best version of The Punisher Marvel could come up with. Jane said:
“No, I love [Jon] “Punisher Bernthal. I think, you know, for me, it was always a little bit too much. Frank Castle is supposed to be Italian-American. I’m not. I’m Irish-American. So for me, I had to dye my hair and show a character, but Bernthal wears it really well, so I think they should stick with him.”
Jon Bernthal Makes The Punisher His Own
While there are undoubtedly some fans who would have been happy to see Gene return to his role as Frank Castle after 20 years, it's clear that there's only one person who can play the role in the MCU, especially after Marvel Studios' shift on how the upcoming Daredevil series will tie into the Netflix show's continuity.
while Reckless: Born Again It was originally supposed to be a fresh start for the visually impaired lawyer-turned-vigilante played by Charlie Cox, with only his role carried over from Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk from the older shows. However, things changed dramatically when, according to D'Onofrio, the production underwent a major overhaul and several big-name stars from the Netflix series were brought in to the series. Since one of those was Frank Castle, there was only one person who could play the role.
Speaking about the upcoming series at Disney's D23 Expo earlier this month, Bernthal talked about the cast reunion and what it means to them and the show. He said:
“We’re all here, we’re all very happy to be with each other, and we’re proud of what we’ve done. If you were a fan of the (previous) show, you’ll be very happy. I think if you were a fan of the show that you watched before, you’ll be a fan of this show. I think we’re taking it a step further.”
Reckless: Born Again
It is expected to be released later in 2025. Meanwhile, Bernthal's previous outings have been in the role of
Punisher can be found as part of
Defenders
Epic on Disney+.
