Spider-Man: Brand New Day might be launching a new chapter for Tom Holland’s titular hero, but it also quietly marks the big screen comeback for The Punisher. While having Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle appearing in a PG-13 superhero outing may upset fans of the trigger-happy vigilante, it’s an intriguing concept.
After all, The Punisher was created as a Spider-Man villain, so pairing them in live-action is actually long overdue. The trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day revealed lots of new info about Holland’s next adventure, including the dysfunctional buddy cop relationship between Castle and Spidey.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks The Punisher’s Near Two-Decade Absence From Movies
The Punisher in Spider-Man Brand New Day Trailer.
After Netflix canceled The Punisher and its other MCU shows, it felt like Bernthal’s time donning Castle’s skull vest was over. Thankfully, he’s since been brought back into the fold for shows like Daredevil: Born Again, and his inclusion in Brand New Day was a delightful surprise to many.
The new Spider-Man also brings The Punisher back to the movies after an 18-year gap. The character’s previous big screen outing was 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, the third attempt to create a franchise with the character. Lexi Alexander’s action flick was intentionally over the top and cartoonishly violent, and has since become a cult favorite.
However, War Zone totally bombed and felt out of place in the same year that Iron Man and The Dark Knight arrived. The late, great Ray Stevenson played War Zone’s take on Castle, with Bernthal picking up the mantle 8 years later when he debuted as The Punisher during Daredevil’s second season.
Why The Previous Three Punisher Movies Failed To Launch Franchises
Dolph Lundgren as The Punisher.
It feels like The Punisher should be one of the easiest characters to translate to the screen. This was especially true during the 1980s, when the first adaptation starring Dolph Lundgren arrived. One-man armies were really in vogue that decade (see Rambo, Commando, etc), and Dolph’s Punisher was filled with action and pulpy dialogue.
The film is a trashy but fun actioner, but while it did well internationally, The Punisher 1989 went straight to video in the USA due to the production company’s financial woes. Needless to say, sequel plans went nowhere. 15 years later, Tom Jane signed on for the first reboot, with his Punisher movie pitting him against John Travolta’s evil mobster.
Jane received praise for his work, and while this 2004 offering has some nice setpieces, its tone is way off. It veers between unremitting violence one moment and cheesy humor the next. Still, Jane’s Punisher was a modest hit (particularly on DVD), so a sequel was developed. Jane eventually departed the project due to unhappiness with the follow-up’s planned direction.
Tom Jane tried to bring legendary action director Walter Hill (48 Hrs, The Warriors) onto The Punisher 2, but this move was nixed by Lionsgate.
Four years later, War Zone arrived. Drawing inspiration from Garth Ennis’ acclaimed Punisher MAX comics, it was designed as a 1980s action throwback. While it eventually found an audience on DVD and streaming, it only grossed $10 million on a $35 million budget. Once again, plans for a franchise were quickly put to bed.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher Deserves A Solo Movie After Brand New Day
Punisher Jon Bernthal
Bernthal is perfect casting for The Punisher, conveying both the intensity and fury of the character while still bringing out his humanity. It appears he’ll be playing to the lighter side of Castle in Spider-Man: Brand New Day; this makes sense, since salty language and bloody violence are off the table.
After Brand New Day, Bernthal is set to return as Castle once more in an untitled Punisher special for Disney+, which will arrive sometime in 2026. That will almost certainly be an R-rated outing, but while it’s great to have Bernthal back, what he really needs is a solo Punisher movie.
Out of all the actors to play the character, he’s easily the most popular, and it’s about time fans received a really solid Punisher movie. Of course, the violent nature of the comics makes a solo film unlikely. That said, Deadpool & Wolverine is the MCU’s first R rating, so it’s not totally out of the question…
Source: Box Office Mojo
Created by
Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., Ross Andru
First Film
The Punisher
Latest Film
Punisher: War Zone
Upcoming Films
The Punisher Special Presentation
First TV Show
The Punisher
Latest TV Show
The Punisher
The Punisher franchise follows Frank Castle, a former Marine turned vigilante after the murder of his family. Operating outside the law, Castle wages a one-man war on crime using lethal methods and military tactics. Known for its gritty realism and moral ambiguity, the franchise spans comics, films, television series, and video games, making The Punisher one of Marvel’s most enduring antiheroes.