Who Is Frank Castle / The Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Hey, Frank! Looks like you got some new fans!
Nobody’s having more fun in Spider-Man: Brand New Day than Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka The Punisher. He’s finally bringing the character he’s played since 2015 to the big screen, and alongside his friend and frequent co-star Tom Holland as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man to boot. If Brand New Day was your first introduction to ol’ Frank, here’s what you need to know about the character and what to watch next!
Frank Castle, played by Bernthal in the MCU, is a veteran who loses his entire family in a mafia hit. As Sadie Sink’s character says in Brand New Day: this dude’s got issues. He decides to take the law into his own hands as a vigilante called the Punisher. He’s more than comfortable making decisions on who deserves to live or die based on their crimes, and delivers those sentences personally.
The Punisher loves guns, motorcycles, and wears a big white skull on his chest whenever possible. He’s too much of a cusser and a killer for Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), so you can imagine how he gets along with a kid like Peter Parker.
The Punisher has actually been brought to life on screen many, many times, between Jon’s appearances in various streaming series and some earlier films with other actors in the role. Please enjoy this guide to the twisted world of Frank Castle.
'The Punisher'
The 1989 film stars Dolph Lundgren, who you might better know as Ivan Drago from the Rocky and Creed movies, as Frank Castle. In this movie, Frank was also a cop before losing his family and going rogue. (Perhaps that’s why so many cops IRL idolize the character, despite them being quite literally on opposing sides of the law.)
'The Punisher'
In 2004, Thomas Jane played Frank Castle. John Travolta is also in this movie as a character called Howard Saint. In this iteration of the lore, Frank is an undercover FBI agent before losing his family.
'Punisher: War Zone'
Only four years later, a third movie recast the character a third time. It was supposed to be a sequel to the 2004 movie, to be fair. Directed by Lexi Alexander, the movie starred Ray Stevenson as Frank and also Dominic West as Jigsaw.
'Daredevil' Season 2
Jon Bernthal, who was already known in comic adaptation circles for playing Shane on The Walking Dead, first appeared as Frank Castle in the second season of the Netflix/Marvel series. Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil represented him in court. Karen Page wrote an investigative piece on him. It was the start of two beautiful friendships and, in Frank and Karen’s case, one of the MCU’s most painful will they/won’t they ‘ships.
'The Punisher' Season 1
In the first season of Netflix’s The Punisher series, we see more of his origin story. We also see more of his relationship with Karen. And, fans of Jon in The Bear might be interested to hear that Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays a Marvel character named Micro in this season.
'The Punisher' Season 2
If you’re a fan of those “lone wolf and cub” stories with a grumpy guy and a scrappy kid, definitely put The Punisher season 2 on your watchlist. Frank begrudgingly teams up with a teenage grifter named Amy, played by Giorgia Whigham. It’s an unofficial and unintentional precursor to his hilarious dynamic with Peter Parker in Brand New Day. Karen Page appears briefly.
'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 1
Jon reprises his role at the end of the first season of the Disney+ series and thus officially enters the MCU. (The Netflix shows always were MCU canon but...it’s weird and complicated.) Frank doesn’t live in an abandoned tugboat, like he does in Brand New Day, but he is in his loner era for sure. He does not appear in the second season, however...and Karen and Matt become a sad couple. See what happens when you separate her and Frank?!
'The Punisher: One Last Kill'
Jon himself co-wrote and produced this special stand-alone episode that helped bridge the gap between the Punisher’s vibe in the Netflix series, the Disney+ series, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Karen Page is there... as a vision! Thank you for your service.
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