Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Royce Johnson as Mahoney talking to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil
Marvel TV Shows A Daredevil: Born Again cast member may have just spoiled the return of an MCU hero
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunner weighs in on the show ever crossing over with the wider MCU: "Those guys are uptown!"
Jon Bernthal as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Luke Cage actor says he has "unfinished business" ahead of his rumored return in Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Luke Cage
Marvel TV Shows Luke Cage actor Mike Colter says it would "be a shame" if he didn't return to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again alongside Jessica Jones
Chris Pratt as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Superhero Movies Chris Pratt has pitched Marvel a "really strong vision" for Star-Lord's MCU future: "I think it's f***ing great"
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones in Daredevi: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunners talk reuniting the Defenders: "Bringing [Jessica Jones] back was top of the checklist"
Hawkeye
Marvel Movies Hawkeye season 2 gets a less than promising update from Marvel producer
Wilson Bethel as Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 showrunner and EP say Bullseye is "the hero in his own mind"
Krysten Ritter in Jessica Jones
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will fill in the gaps in the years since we last saw Jessica Jones
Mayor Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) taking part in a boxing match
Marvel TV Shows Vincent D'Onofrio says something major happens to Kingpin in Daredevil: Born Again season 2's finale
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunner has "mixed feelings" about season 2's timely political focus
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Superhero Movies Daredevil actor Charlie Cox definitively says he's not in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunners took "what worked and didn't work" from season 1 to build season 2
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Matt Murdock is back in black in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 as Jessica Jones, Bullseye, and Foggy Nelson return
Charlie Cox suits up in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release date, cast, trailer, and everything else we know about the Marvel series
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Supernatural Shows

Here's what Jon Bernthal has said about possibly coming back as The Punisher in the MCU

News
By Molly Edwards published 17 March 2022

The actor only wants to join the MCU if it's done right

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Punisher
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The door is wide open for Jon Bernthal to join the MCU as Punisher, after the newly named Defenders Saga left Netflix for Disney Plus.

However, does Bernthal want to come back for more Punisher? The answer is yes – but there are conditions. Here's what the actor has said of a potential return before.

"That character, in particular, has real, real, real deep, deep meaning for me and resonance in me. He's really in my heart, man. He's really in my bones. I'm enormously protective of that character," Berthnal told The Hollywood Reporter back in December 2021, going on to discuss the "darkness" and "rage" of the character after he lost his family.

You may like
  • Royce Johnson as Mahoney talking to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil A Daredevil: Born Again cast member may have just spoiled the return of an MCU hero
  • Daredevil: Born Again Daredevil: Born Again showrunner weighs in on the show ever crossing over with the wider MCU: "Those guys are uptown!"
  • Jon Bernthal as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again Luke Cage actor says he has "unfinished business" ahead of his rumored return in Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again season 2

"So I was really grateful, respectful and wary of the places where that role took me and the world in which I had to live in," he continued. "That being said, that's where that character needs to be. It needs to be a level of darkness. I think if there's any let up on that character, you do a disservice to the character, to every iteration of the character, to every comic book that’s come before, and to all of the unbelievable fans of the character. This character means so much to people in the military. So like I said before, it's not about whether you do the character; it's about whether you can do it right, and I'm only interested in doing it right."

That's not a no – but also isn't quite a yes. Seeing Bernthal as the Punisher in the MCU would have seemed a pipe dream not long ago, but Daredevil star Charlie Cox recently reprised his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Vincent D'Onofrio once again played Kingpin in Hawkeye on Disney Plus. So, it's entirely possible Berthnal could play Frank Castle again. 

"They're trying their best to keep Daredevil as part of the canon. Hawkeye is part of the canon of what we did at Daredevil," D'Onofrio told GamesRadar+ of his return to Kingpin, adding: "I'm approaching it as if it's after the Blip, everybody's returned, and it's the same emotionally and character-wise. I play him exactly the way he was in Daredevil."

To get up to speed on the story of the Netflix shows, here's how to watch the Defenders Saga in order. 

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
TOPICS
Disney Plus
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Netflix Streaming Services
Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

Read more
Royce Johnson as Mahoney talking to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil
Marvel TV Shows A Daredevil: Born Again cast member may have just spoiled the return of an MCU hero
 
 
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunner weighs in on the show ever crossing over with the wider MCU: "Those guys are uptown!"
 
 
Jon Bernthal as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Luke Cage actor says he has "unfinished business" ahead of his rumored return in Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again season 2
 
 
Luke Cage
Marvel TV Shows Luke Cage actor Mike Colter says it would "be a shame" if he didn't return to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again alongside Jessica Jones
 
 
Chris Pratt as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Superhero Movies Chris Pratt has pitched Marvel a "really strong vision" for Star-Lord's MCU future: "I think it's f***ing great"
 
 
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones in Daredevi: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunners talk reuniting the Defenders: "Bringing [Jessica Jones] back was top of the checklist"
 
 
Latest in Supernatural Shows
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows There was a longer version of the Stranger Things season 5 finale, but it wasn't actually written: "You can't get all your ideas in there"
 
 
Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things season 5 finally reveals what the Upside Down actually is, though the stage show did it first in 2023
 
 
(L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things 5.
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale won't deliver Game of Thrones-level carnage: "We're not trying to upset anyone"
 
 
Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things creator explains why there were no deaths in season 5, volume 1: "Vecna taking these children was the low point we needed"
 
 
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair and Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 5.
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things still has "movie touch points" in season 5, but its creators were more concerned with doing justice to the story it began almost a decade ago
 
 
Latest in News
A Malediction two-player box set alongside a gold and black press pack, statue-esque figure, hat, and more on a wooden table
Tabletop Gaming This is one of the most exciting new wargames right now, but you've probably never heard of it
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
RPGs Clair Obscur's lead writer "never even considered" a true, happy ending for the hit RPG
 
 
Baldur's Gate 3 Wyll
Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 writer admits "I wish I could have done more" with the RPG's least-appreciated party member
 
 
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert PR head insists the weird controls are "like riding a bike"
 
 
The Wheel of Time
Fantasy Shows The Wheel of Time is returning as a series of animated movies and shows, and a video game
 
 
The Wasteland's Lone Wanderer walks into the distance with Dogmeat in Fallout 3
Fallout Fallout 3's GOTY Edition was a bit of a misfire, says Bethesda vet, but "we've gotten better" ahead of the Starfield DLC
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
    1
    Clair Obscur's lead writer "never even considered" a true, happy ending for the hit RPG
  2. 2
    This is one of the most exciting new wargames right now, but you've probably never heard of it
  3. 3
    Turns out DLSS 5 really is just a filter over 2D images, as Nvidia employee reveals more
  4. 4
    The Wheel of Time is returning as a series of animated movies and shows, and a video game
  5. 5
    A revised model Nintendo Switch 2 with a replaceable battery might be on the cards

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...