Four actors have had the distinction of playing the Punisher in live-action, but it would be an understatement of epic proportions to say that Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle blew the rest right out of the water. Thomas Jane’s version admittedly has a lot of fans, while Ray Stevenson’s sole outing in War Zone has become something of a cult classic, but the less said about Dolph Lundgren’s 1989 effort the better.
Nobody can seem to agree what the future holds for Netflix’s former vigilante, with countless rumors touting Bernthal for both feature film and episodic appearances, which the actor knows nothing about. That being said, he’d be more than happy to oblige should the opportunity come his way, and he’s got the backing of a former co-star for good measure.
Charlie Cox, no stranger to the rumor mill himself having spent the last month trying to deny that he’s in Spider-Man: No Way Home, revealed in a new interview with Forbes that if the Punisher does come back, it’s got to be Bernthal or bust.
“If they’re going to do it again, I hope they do it with him because I don’t think it gets better than that.”
That’s a sentiment shared by the majority of fans, but the Punisher‘s graphically violent methods of dispensing justice are an obvious sticking point. Kevin Feige explained why Deadpool 3 is the only MCU project getting an R-rating, but perhaps he’d make a secondary exception should Bernthal end up strapping on the bulletproof vest once again.
