After Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jon Bernthal Says His Punisher Future Won’t Be About Pleasing the Audience
Although plenty of attention was, of course, being paid to Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, and Jacob Batalon ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, one character frequently stole the show whenever he was on screen, and that was Jon Bernthal’s Punisher/Frank Castle. The Punisher is known for his ruthless nature, and he’s already put that on full display in Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill. While that was still certainly a part of his character, Brand New Day also showed a different side of this fan-favorite vigilante, particularly when it came to his dynamic with Peter Parker/Spider-Man throughout the movie.
Specifically, while he started out as fairly antagonistic towards Spider-Man, even pointing multiple guns at him early in the film, he ultimately developed an almost paternal relationship with him, and it was increasingly clear that his teasing came from a place of some type of affection for Spider-Man. Because of the growth that they had in their relationship throughout the film, some might be expecting to see a softer side of the Punisher moving forward (and, presumably, a funnier one, as he actually consistently delivered laugh lines in Brand New Day as well). However, Bernthal just made it clear that both he and Frank might not do what audiences are hoping or expecting.
Bernthal Is Willing to “Turn His Back” on the Audience
As shared in a post by Fandango, Bernthal explained, “I want to see how Frank can serve. I want to see how Frank can honor the dead, how Frank can honor the people that he lost by serving, not just by avenging. I think that we get there with Frank in some lines of the comic, and I want to get there. I want to get there on screen with him. I also want to continue to have the courage and the willingness to turn my back on the audience, as Frank does. There’s nothing about Frank Castle that he’s trying to be likable. There’s nothing about Frank where he’s trying to win over your hearts and minds.”
He continued, “As much as I would like to explore a Frank Castle that serves the community and that fights for justice, I also want to be completely willing and open to turning my back on the audience and going the other way with it, too.” Of course, at present, we have no idea what that future will look like. It seems clear, based on Bernthal’s comments, that fans should expect to see Frank/the Punisher in the MCU again in the future, but what that project/those projects will be remains a mystery, as does the story arc that future will entail. Even so, these statements from Bernthal do offer a peak into what the actor wants for the character.
Namely, it seems that while Brand New Day’s Frank/the Punisher might have felt more aligned with a standard hero, that’s not necessarily the character’s path moving forward. Rather, Bernthal seemingly wants to see Frank develop in various ways but still keep true to the unconventional, not always likable vigilante that he is. Hopefully, the MCU will adhere to Bernthal’s wishes on that matter, as that does sound like a more interesting version of the character. Diluting the Punisher and making him more like other MCU heroes would be a massive undermining of his character and, arguably, why audiences love him (even when he’s not trying to be loved). How he acted in Brand New Day was also fantastic, but it doesn’t have to cement his future.
