There’ve been plenty of rumblings lately about what the future holds for the title characters of Netlix’s former Marvel properties. Kevin Feige seems keen to have the members of the Defenders as part of the MCU, but it isn’t entirely clear in what capacity. Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter have been said to be reprising their roles as Daredevil and Jessica Jones, while both Iron Fist and Luke Cage will likely be rebooted entirely.
That leaves the Punisher as the odd one out. Given the definitively R-rated nature of the character, there’s little chance of Frank Castle fitting in with the MCU’s well-established PG-13 template, not unless they want to completely remove the appeal of the military veteran turned vigilante. Star Jon Bernthal has spoken frequently about how close the Punisher is to his heart though, despite the huge number of injuries he suffered during filming, and would no doubt jump at the chance to play him again if given the opportunity.
Recent Deadpool-related rumors have hinted that Marvel could be set to make a venture into R-rated territory, too, with the Punisher also mooted for similarly adult-orientated treatment but now, sources close to We Got This Covered – the same ones who revealed that Charlie Cox was likely returning as Daredevil, which was corroborated by trusted insider Daniel RPK – have informed us that the most likely way for Bernthal to return to our screens as the black-clad merchant of death in the near future will be via Hulu.
Apparently, though the studio also hopes to have him in the MCU movies, there are plans in the works for The Punisher to get a third season on the streaming site as well, which is of course part of Disney’s multimedia empire. While it remains unclear if any other cast members besides Bernthal will return, sending the character to Hulu makes a great deal of sense, as it allows the Mouse House to continue using the fan-favorite comic book hero without sacrificing the more mature and R-rated content that the Punisher requires.
Nothing is set in stone just yet, from what we understand, but our sources have explained that discussions have taken place and they “expect” it to happen at some point in the future. And given that these are also the same sources who told us about the She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel shows before they were announced, and that Ewan McGregor was returning for an Obi-Wan TV series, we have no reason to doubt them.
Tell us, though, would you like to see a third season of The Punisher on Hulu, or are you more eager to have Frank Castle in the movies? Sound off in the usual place down below.
