6 Reasons Why The Punisher Needs His Own Series

Last month, Netflix's Daredevil returned with a mixed bag of a second season. Much of what made the first season great remained - the kinetic action, the stylized violence and comic book-noir visuals, the atmospheric real New York locations - but season two couldn't quite reach those same heights. It lacked the focus of the first season, as Vincent D'Onofrio's brilliant Wilson Fisk remained (largely) absent, Matt Murdock became swamped by supporting characters, and the show adopted a tone by-turns dour and soapy. Still, there was one new major element that made season two worth the watch: Jon Bernthal's Punisher, aka troubled ex-military man Frank Castle. This was an interpretation of the character so good that it seemed inevitable that news of The Punisher getting his own spinoff series would be just around the corner. And yet, despite calls from fans for Netflix and Marvel to get started, it seems there aren't yet any concrete plans to make a Punisher show. That needs to be rectified soon, though, and here are 6 reasons why. 6) Daredevil Sets Castle Up For His Own Series Marvel and Netflix might be uncertain about whether or not there should be a Punisher series, but by the end of season two, Daredevil at least seems to have made up its mind. After 13 episodes spent fleshing out Frank Castle as a complex new character, Daredevil sends him back to the shadows. The show gives him catharsis, and a CD labeled 'Micro' - probably a reference to his armorer in the comics, Microchip - and Castle is presumably on his way to doling out more justice, pursuing his own path after leaving Matt Murdock behind. It's not just that season two sets Frank Castle up to go his own way; the character naturally lends himself to a standalone show. He's a loner, preferring to take down his enemies singlehandedly by his own code. His scenes together with Murdock in Daredevil often feel awkward: Castle and Murdock have two entirely opposing ideologies, and differ completely in their methods. Having them teaming up again for Daredevil when Castle prefers working alone and doing things his way just doesn't make sense. The only way to go now is to give Castle his own individual platform. 5) He's The Best Thing In Season Two Just as Wilson Fisk was the best thing about Daredevil's first season, season two's 'villain' - which Frank Castle essentially is, until he allies himself with Matt Murdock towards the end of the show's second run - is similarly the series' latest MVP. And when he overshadows the title character, as well as such strong figures like Scott Glenn's Stick and D'Onofrio's cameoing Fisk, that in itself is proof that Frank Castle is meant for bigger things. The Punisher's, quite frankly, bigger than Daredevil. The show becomes more focused whenever he's around, dishing out justice minus the sometimes frustrating uncertainty and self-pity of Matt Murdock. Castle's not a supporting Daredevil character - he's a star temporarily cropping up in someone else's story. Honestly, it just wouldn't seem right if the next time we saw The Punisher he was again acting as back-up for Charlie Cox's less interesting Murdock. 4) Jon Bernthal Since kickstarting his career on screens both big and small with The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal has gone on to become one of Hollywood's most valuable character actors. He's a natural scene-stealer, memorable in everything from The Wolf of Wall Street to last year's Sicario, the biggest actor on the screen even when the part's little more than a cameo. Arguably, Frank Castle is his most significant role yet - it's certainly his highest-profile - and in Daredevil's second season, Bernthal proves he has the chops to make the leap to leading man. Bernthal has played it unhinged before - in Fury and Wolf - while he's also done sinister (see Sicario and The Walking Dead) and sensitive (see Me and Earl and the Dying Girl). As Frank Castle, Bernthal brings all those sides of himself together to make one combustible whole. He is a big part of why Castle is so compelling: through Bernthal, Castle's a layered character that's not quite hero or villain, but one seriously damaged human being (much like Wilson Fisk). Any series would kill to have an actor like that, bringing an already fully-formed character along with him for the main role. 3) There's Still So Much To Be Explored Frank Castle has an intriguing backstory. A war vet and a family man, turned into a vigilante when his wife and daughter's senseless murder (coupled with his harrowing combat experience no doubt) leaves him unstable and thirsty for vengeance. But of course, as anyone who's a fan of the Punisher comics knows, this isn't anywhere near the whole story. In print, The Punisher has been going since 1974, for over four decades of storylines. Daredevil barely scraped the surface. There is, in short, a wealth of Punisher material still left to adapt. But even if Netflix/Marvel want to forge ahead with original stories of their own rather than tapping the well of the comics, Daredevil season two offers us glimpses at Frank Castle's past that could stand to be explored further. For example, we still know only very little about Castle's wartime experiences or life pre-war, while going forward it goes without saying that there will be consequences of his Hell's Kitchen rampage in Daredevil's second season. 2) A Punisher Series Would Be Unlike Any Other Like Bruce Wayne, Frank Castle is a rare superhero not in possession of any actual superpowers. Unlike Bruce Wayne, though, Castle doesn't have the luxury of a multi-billion dollar fortune to provide him with cutting-edge technology and lend him unlimited firepower. Castle is just a regular guy (albeit one who's taken a turn for the unhinged), with regular resources, taking on regular foes. A series with this fella at its center would be like no other superhero series currently out there. For one, a Punisher series mightn't feel like a typical comic book adaptation at all, but more akin to a straightforward gritty revenge drama. Imagine, also, how refreshing it would be to see a proper comic book antihero get their own platform on the small screen. Daredevil, The Flash and Arrow are all, basically, good guys, no matter how complex they prove to be. Frank Castle, meanwhile, kills in cold blood and derives pleasure from doing so. His show wouldn't come with a moral compass like the vast majority of superhero projects; it would, rather, threaten to be a gleeful exercise in nihilism. 1) There's A Good Chance It Could Be Fourth Time Lucky To date, there have been three Punisher movies, none of them good. There was 1989's The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren in the title role, 2004's Thomas Jane-starring The Punisher, and 2008's Punisher: War Zone with Ray Stevenson starring as Frank Castle. Respectively, they have scores of 28%, 29% and 27% on Rotten Tomatoes - all within one point of each other, helpfully informing you that they are basically equally shit. With Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Marvel and Netflix appear to have finally got the character right. After 27 years of waiting, and after contending with three awful adaptations in that time, fans could at last have the standalone Punisher project that they want. A broadcaster with the pedigree of Netflix, a studio with the bank balance and creative draw of Marvel, a lead actor with the skill of Bernthal - the Punisher series doesn't just have the potential to be great, it could banish memories of the subpar versions of the character that we've seen before for good.