Marvel and Netflix’s latest series, The Punisher will finally be arriving on the streaming service in just two short weeks, following an initial delay due to real-world events. Ahead of the release, the official Twitter account for the series has now shared the short promo below, comprising a 10-second clip that actually perfectly sums up the character of Frank Castle.
In full Punisher get-up, Castle confronts a terrified man in a cubicle. “Please no, I have a family of my own,” says the would-be victim. Unfortunately for him, that’s the worst thing to say to a man whose own wife and kids were gunned down in front of his eyes. “I don’t,” Frank replies, and no doubt proceeds to cause the guy some serious bodily harm. The caption for the promo, meanwhile, offers a sombre reminder: “He had a family once.”
He had a family once. #ThePunisher pic.twitter.com/5XcbsVTuTD
— The Punisher (@ThePunisher) November 2, 2017
This post zeroes in on what we’ve heard will be a defining theme of The Punisher: the terrible, all-consuming nature of grief. When discussing how the series would make a damaged murdered like Castle sympathetic and relatable, showrunner Steve Lightfoot explained that: “Grief is something we all can identify with, and it’s about this guy coming back from war dealing with grief.”
As fans previously saw in Daredevil season 2, Jon Bernthal’s former marine decided to wage a one-man war on New York’s most despicable citizens in a bid to get vengeance for his family’s deaths. Having killed Colonel Schoonover, his treacherous former superior officer, Frank’s mission is technically over, but he’s going to find out that his grief over his loved ones’ loss hasn’t healed. So, criminals everywhere better watch out.
The Punisher will see Deborah Ann Woll reprise her role as Karen Page from Daredevil and Ben Barnes make his debut as Billy Russo, who’s set to become Frank’s nemesis Jigsaw. It lands on Netflix on November 17th (the same date that Justice League arrives in cinemas).
