Jon Bernthal Set to Return in a “Punisher” Standalone for Disney+

Jon Bernthal is ready to punish Disney+ (in a good way, folks) with more than just his upcoming role in Daredevil: Born Again. 

Bernthal’s inclusion in Marvel’s upcoming Daredevil series was manna from heaven for fans of his take on Frank Castle, the brutal antihero who exploded onto the scene in the second-season premiere of Netflix’s Daredevil, which starred Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Bernthal went on to lead his own stand-alone series on Netflix from 2017 to 2019.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Bernthal will now get his own standalone special as the Punisher on Disney+. He’ll co-write the series alongside Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct. The special is slated to appear in 2026 alongside the second season of Daredevil: Born Again. 

Bernthal’s Frank Castle was more than an equal match for Cox’s sight-impaired but dauntless superhero back in the Netflix days. While Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin was the Big Bad in the original series and returns again in Born Again as Dardevil’s chief antagonist (now having moved up in the world), when Frank Castle appeared on the scene in Hell’s Kitchen, he was a one-man army taking down gangs with his military knowledge and relentless tenacity. Bernthal’s stint as the Punisher was too short-lived for many fans, but Frank Castle rises again.

First up, however, is Daredevil: Born Again, which features a few familiar faces from the Netflix years. Joining Cox, D’Onofrio, and Bernthal are former Daredevil cast members Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Wilson Bethel as Bullseye, and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson. Another alumnus from the original Daredevil is fight and stunt coordinator Philip Silvera, who serves as both stunt coordinator and second unit director for the new series.

There’s another connection to Bernthal and The Punisher in Born Again. As the first Marvel series on Disney+ to feature a showrunner (previous series were led by head writers and directors), Born Again is led by Dario Scardapane, a writer on the original The Punisher. 

Daredevil: Born Again streams on Disney+ on March 4.

Featured image: LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 17: Jon Bernthal attends the UK premiere of “King Richard” at Curzon Cinema Mayfair on November 17, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)