When Frank Castle was first introduced to Marvel and Netflix’s small-screen universe via Daredevil season 2, he was very much angled as the vengeful antithesis of Matt Murdock – “you hit ’em and they get back up; I hit ’em and they stay down!” But for The Punisher spinoff series, showrunner Steve Lightfoot plans to present the “human side” of Jon Bernthal’s mercenary across its 13-episode arc.
Based on what we’ve seen so far of the upcoming Netflix show, it’ll flit between the present and Frank’s harrowing past to showcase how his days spent serving in the US Marines shaped and molded him into the one-man-army that hones in on the crooks and thieves populating Hell’s Kitchen. Think of him as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen without the training wheels – without the moral compass and Murdock’s ability (weakness?) to lend everyone a second chance.
As things stand, all signs point to this being a big hit for the streaming service and now, following on from that explosive trailer earlier this week, we’ve got a new batch of photos from the upcoming first season. Out for blood and on the hunt, we get a few interesting looks at both Frank and some of the supporting players, including one pic of what appears to be an early flashback sequence.
What’s more, in case you missed it, we recently learned the identity of all 13 episode titles…in Morse Code. Granted, it didn’t take long before fans deciphered the messages, confirming those monikers to be: “3 AM,” “Two Dead Men”, “Kandahar”, “Resupply”, “Gunner”, “The Judas Goat”, “Crosshairs”, “Cold Steel”, “Front Toward Enemy”, “Virtue of the Vicious”, “Danger Close”, “Home”, and “Memento Mori”.
The Punisher will unveil the “human side” of Frank Castle later this fall. An exact release date continues to elude the show, though with New York Comic Con imminent, we imagine it won’t be too much longer before Netflix and Marvel let the cat out of the bag.
