Jon Bernthal Promises Disney’s The Punisher Revival Will Be ‘Dark,’ Says 'It's Not Going to Be Easy'

Jon Bernthal recently revealed details about the special Punisher project that Disney+ is planning. The actor shed light on what to expect from the new outing of the antihero.

Written by Tejas Mundhada , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 10, 2025 | 09:21 AM GMT | 7.4K

Jon Bernthal (Netflix/ Youtube)

Jon Bernthal has reprised his role as The Punisher in Disney+’s latest outing, Daredevil: Born Again. While the character will have a secondary role in the currently high-grossing series, Bernthal is set to take the lead in a special focused on the life of a grieving father-turned-vigilante.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter during the SXSW premiere of his new movie, The Accountant 2, the actor stated, “I care very deeply about Frank. I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve.”

Bernthal went on to say that the team behind The Punisher special is putting in every effort to tell Frank Castle’s story. Shedding light on its tone, The Walking Dead actor stated, “It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves. I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.”

Comparing the special to the Netflix series, Bernthal added, “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out of the darkness.”

He continued, saying that while he isn’t sure if the special will have the exact same tone as the Netflix version, he promised it won’t be “Punisher-lite.”

For those unfamiliar, Jon Bernthal's character was first introduced in Netflix’s Daredevil back in 2016. The Punisher then went on to have his own series, which ran from 2017 to 2019.

Now that Daredevil has been renewed on Disney+, Jon Bernthal is set to make an appearance in the series. Meanwhile, at the end of February, it was announced that the antihero would be getting his own special under Marvel Television. Interestingly, Bernthal is also part of the writing team alongside Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will direct the special.