10 Places Jon Bernthal's Punisher Could Show Up In The MCU
Many fans of Marvel's Netflix shows were let down in late 2018 and early 2019 as each of their favorite series was canceled one after the other. Phenomenal shows like The Punisher, which starred the brilliantly cast Jon Bernthal in the title role, were brought to an end before they could finish the planned stories for the characters therein.
However, events in late 2021 caused fans of these long-lost series to gain newfound hope for a continuation in some form, as Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio each reprised their roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, respectively. Now, fans are clamoring to figure out when each of the other characters from these series will make their MCU return, including the one and only Punisher.
Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with several major implications for Spider-Man's future in the MCU, but it also included the highly-anticipated return of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, a superhero with whom Spider-Man has many partnerships in the comics. Many fans have therefore theorized that the inevitable fourth Spider-Man film could have a few extra heroes to fight alongside the Web-Swinger.
Should Daredevil fight alongside Spider-Man in his next outing, it could prove to be the perfect time to introduce Bernthal's Punisher. All three are street-level heroes that gravitate to the city of New York, albeit with very different methods of crime-fighting. The trio could generate some very interesting debate on the ethics of vigilantism, superheroics, and fatal punishment.
Marvel fans are bursting with excitement over the opportunity to finally see She-Hulk brought to the screen for the first time in live-action later this year. Played by Tatiana Maslany, Jennifer Walters is a lawyer who, after a near-death incident, is given blood by her cousin, Bruce Banner, which transforms her into the mighty She-Hulk.
A common aspect of She-Hulk's story in the comics is her decision to become a defense lawyer for superheroes who get on the bad side of the law. She has represented several big-name Marvel heroes over the years, and will certainly do the same in the MCU's near future. Perhaps her very first client could be none other than Frank Castle, on trial for one of his many murders in the name of justice.
Very little is yet known about the Shang-Chi spinoff series centering around the Ten Rings organization. It is expected that the show will center around Xialing's dramatic restructuring of the ancient group after the death of her father, perhaps even showcasing some of the organization's more dastardly deeds.
Fans of the Punisher know that Frank Castle is not the kind of man who stands idly by as powerful criminals wreak havoc on the world. If Xialing isn't planning on reforming her father's organization, she may find herself running afoul of the Punisher himself, putting the Ten Rings on his hit list.
Armor Wars is a Disney+ series set to follow Don Cheadle's Rhodey as certain Stark Tech falls into the wrong hands. Though the series is expected to start filming soon, very little is known about its plot or which characters may appear throughout.
With the premise of the series suggesting that very dangerous criminals are about to get their hands on some of the most powerful weapons on the planet, certain vigilantes may find themselves pulled into this conflict. Frank Castle, though usually uninvolved with Avengers-level threats, would surely get involved if Iron Man-tech began to be used against the public, as may well happen in this series.
Alaqua Cox made her MCU debut last year in Hawkeye, playing the criminal leader Maya Lopez, also known in the comics as Echo. Before her first appearance, however, Marvel Studios surprisingly announced that the character would be receiving a spinoff series of her own, projected to premiere sometime in 2023.
Given the events of Hawkeye, many fans have theorized that Echo may revolve around the title character's falling-out with Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, the man who had her father killed. If this is the case, then Maya would be looking for allies in her campaign. Though certain characters like Daredevil may offer their assistance, it is more likely that she would align herself with an ally of the more lethal variety--perhaps in the form of the Punisher.
Set to premiere sometime this year, Secret Invasion promises to change the MCU forever. Following the exploits of Nick Fury and Maria Hill, as they engage with the shapeshifting Skrulls, this series will no doubt rewrite MCU history as we know it, as it is revealed that not all people are who they seem to be.
Secret Invasion will inevitably have its fair share of cameos from various corners of the MCU as it reveals who has been a Skrull all along. This could be the perfect opportunity to bring Bernthal's Punisher into the mix, either as a force against the rising Skrull invasion or as a revealed member of the alien incursion from the beginning.
The next film on Marvel's docket is the highly-anticipated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which, as the title suggests, is expected to feature insane multiversal antics. There are plenty of past Marvel characters that fans are yearning to see in Multiverse of Madness, with the Punisher himself being a viable candidate for such a cameo.
While it has been implied that the Punisher and the Netflix Defenders have been in the MCU all along, it remains a possibility that these series have all occurred in an adjacent universe, not too different from the MCU proper, but not the same. This setup would allow Kevin Feige to cherry-pick the parts of the Netflix series that worked to bring over to the MCU while dropping the parts that didn't (Iron Fist being chief among these). If this is the case, then Multiverse of Madness is the best candidate for this transfer to take place.
Ever since Charlie Cox's surprise cameo as Peter Parker's lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have begun to wonder if Daredevil may finally receive the fourth season that it was cheated out of after its cancellation at Netflix. Now, with the title shifting from Netflix to Disney+, the possibility of a revival seems more likely than ever before.
The hypothetical fourth season of Daredevil would make the perfect place to reintroduce Frank Castle. Many fans will remember that Bernthal made his debut as the gun-toting vigilante in Daredevil's second season before receiving his spinoff, and established a relationship with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, albeit a tumultuous one. Using the Man Without Fear as Castle's reintroduction would be a perfect, if not poetic, move on the part of Marvel Studios.
The Oscar Isaac-led Moon Knight will be the very first installment of the MCU in 2022. With less than a month until the series premiere, fans are already getting excited about what the show may have to offer, including what surprising cameos it may include in its six-episode run.
Moon Knight has the potential to introduce several characters to the MCU, and the Punisher seems a likely one. The two characters, though on differing power levels, both fight the criminal underworld, using lethal force to put down those they feel are deserving. The two vigilantes may prove to be a perfect team in their crusades against crime.
While seeing Frank Castle appear in any installment of the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe would no doubt be exciting for fans, there is no doubt that the best home for the character is in his very own series, which ran for two seasons on Netflix before its cancellation.
The Punisher was able to explore Frank Castle's story in a way that finally did justice to the character, who, after three different live-action films, never seemed to be fully understood. Bernthal's portrayal was given time to breathe in his series, giving fans a chance to empathize with the murderous vigilante. As such, the best thing Marvel could do for the character is to give his series a third season.