Of the 76 characters set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War, what are the chances one (or more!) of them turns out to be The Punisher?
Pretty slim, we imagine, as Marvel Studios has consistently downplayed rumors of a potential crossover between its film and TV divisions. That’s not to say it’s off the table, per se; merely that Joe and Anthony Russo already have their hands full with a super-sized character roster. And that’s before we even consider the incoming X-Men, who will soon be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – ditto for Deadpool and the Fantastic Four – as part of last month’s historic Disney-Fox merger.
Mind you, the Mouse House is yet to detail its exact plans for the MCU’s future, but we imagine it’ll balloon in size once Disney’s acquisition has been signed, sealed and delivered. So it’s small wonder why fans are already dreaming up ideas for a possible Avengers Vs. X-Men event movie.
Closer to home, though, the mere thought of Spider-Man sharing the screen with his New York allies – namely Matt Murdock (Daredevil) and Frank Castle (The Punisher) is enough to leave our tongues wagging and wallets begging, and one DeviantArt artist has now visualized that crossover in question:
First spotted by ComicBook.com, this is another fan-made poster to add to the growing collection, as the Internet has been teeming with bespoke Marvel art ever since the studio unleashed the first teaser trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
But you’d be best keeping your expectations in check, as Jon Bernthal was recently quoted as saying that he currently has “no aspirations” to cross over into the MCU. He is a big fan of Tom Holland, though.
I have no aspirations or desire to do anything besides what I’m doing. I love this character, I believe in him, he’s in my bones, I feel honored to play him, and I want to keep playing him. So in all honesty, there’s no part of me that says, ‘Oh, I hope I’m in the movies.’ It’s whatever it’ll be. That being said, there’s one character and one actor that I just have the utmost respect for in the Marvel Universe and without a question it’s Tom.
Spider-Man will be back in action later this year thanks to Avengers: Infinity War. On the small screen, Netflix is mounting new instalments of Daredevil and The Punisher, so even if this crossover remains in the realm of wishful thinking, fans can at least look forward to revisiting Hell’s Kitchen in the not-so-distant future.
