The Punisher’s Ben Barnes Has Met With Marvel For A Hero Role

From Jigsaw to the MCU’s next big hero?

That’s the path reportedly facing Ben Barnes, who told Digital Spy (h/t MCU Cosmic) that he’s already met with Marvel Studios about a potential hero role within the MCU. The former Punisher star naturally refrained from divulging too much, too soon, but he did at least confirm meetings between himself and the Powers That Be about a “couple of superheroes” who may or may not feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here’s the latest, straight from Barnes himself:

I did talk to them about something this year, but it was a bit too close to doing The Punisher, I think, for them. But, you know, they have proof that you can – particularly if it was on TV, you can go back and do a movie if there’s a character that’s right. I was definitely talking about a couple of superheroes last year.

Disney has effectively pumped the brakes on all Marvel-Netflix TV offerings, bringing a swift (and in many ways unceremonious) end to the likes of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, and The Punisher. But don’t fret; speculation is rife that Marvel Studios plans to integrate many of these heroes – Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle included – into the fabric of the MCU further down the road.

That won’t always be an option for Marvel’s Netflix characters though, in which case Kevin Feige and Co. may carve out an entirely new role for the actor in question. Take Mahershala Ali as an example; he entered Marvel’s grand universe as Cottonmouth and will soon pick up the Daywalker mantle for the long-awaited Blade reboot. Perhaps Feige and his team have a similar plan for Ben Barnes? We’ll find out very soon indeed.

By all accounts, Marvel fans haven’t seen the last of The Punisher and its ensemble cast… not by a long shot.