Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle in The Punisher was a much-beloved role that many fans consider a perfect bit of casting. So when a rumor that Bernthal may be returning as the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming Phase 5, it caused quite the buzz on Twitter.
But just where did this rumor come from to begin with? It all comes from an Instagram account of an actor named Kasey O’Keefe, who showed off a picture of himself with Bernthal. After gushing about Bernthal’s “tremendous” talent and “range” as an actor, O’Keefe concluded the caption by writing, “Looking forward to working with you During Marvel Phase 5!!”
While we would be very excited about this prospect and believe it would make total sense for Marvel to tap Bernthal for the role, as he absolutely embodies Frank Castle, this can only be considered a rumor at the moment. That is because neither Bernthal himself nor Marvel has confirmed the casting choice. What’s more, O’Keefe has very few entries to his name on IMDb and the Instagram account in question, @k.o.lalaland, does not have the coveted verification checkmark.
The status of Bernthal’s return being a rumor did not inhibit fan excitement at the prospect. One Twitter user shared that memorable courtroom scene of Bernthal’s appearance as Frank in Netflix’s Daredevil as the perfect illustration of why he’s so great in the role.
Another fan decided to mention Bernthal directly in his tweet: “I need confirmation Jonny.”
Following Charlie Cox’s return to the MCU as Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s reprisal as Kingpin, one fan could only describe Bernthal’s potential return as “heaven.”
Another commentator expressed excitement at the prospect of Bernthal’s return as The Punisher, but also questioned why the legacy Defenders-verse Netflix shows had to be retconned to fit into the MCU, to begin with. Were all those cryptic references to the Battle of New York in the Netflix shows not good enough to establish them in the main MCU timeline?
The MCU is currently finishing off its Phase 4, with the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Nov. 11) concluding that chapter in the ongoing saga. If Bernthal really is slated to make his MCU debut as Punisher for Phase 5, hopefully, official confirmation of that will be announced soon. We will be sure to update you as more information develops.
