Kevin Feige has made a point of outlining why Deadpool 3 is going to be the only R-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe project in the franchise’s immediate future, which left fans with a lot of questions regarding the next iteration of The Punisher.
After all, the respective returns of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio to canon have established that the Netflix shows aren’t deemed as an official part of continuity, meaning that if or when Frank Castle returns to our screens – whether Jon Bernthal reprises the role or not – it’ll technically mark the fifth different version of the iconic antihero.
Bernthal did fare better than the rest, though, after his phenomenal Daredevil debut led to two seasons of his own headline series, but the fact that Marvel is currently zero-for-four when it comes to sustainable Punisher adaptations tells you everything you need to know about just how tricky it’s proven to bring the street-level shooter into live-action.
Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson all had their shot at glory before immediately being cast aside, with the very first movie starring the former solider-turned-vigilante making a most unexpected comeback on Netflix. Per FlixPatrol the largely forgotten 1989 vehicle has appeared out of nowhere to enter the platform’s Top 10 most-watched list in the United States, although your mileage on where it ranks among the three Punisher flicks depends entirely on your feelings for the cult favorite 2004 spin or the dementedly excessive War Zone.
Either way, should fifth time mark the charm, then maybe for once we’ll have a Punisher that can stick around for a while.
Published: Mar 3, 2023 03:21 am