Bernthal reprises his role asFrank Castle / Punisher fromMarvel's Netflix television series and the Disney+ seriesDaredevil: Born Again (2025–present), withJason R. Moore and Roe Rancell also starring. Following the cancellation ofThe Punisher in 2019, Bernthal was cast forBorn Again in March 2023. A special featuring his character was conceived during filming of thefirst season of that series, with Bernthal and Green revealed to be working on the project with Marvel Studios in February 2025. Filming began in mid-July inNew York City and concluded in early August.
The special is set to be released in mid-2026, as part ofPhase Six of the MCU.
Jon Bernthal asFrank Castle / Punisher: A vigilante who aims to fight the criminal underworld by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results are[1]
Jason R. Moore asCurtis Hoyle: A close friend of Castle and formerU.S. Navy SARC, who became the leader of a therapy group after losing the lower part of his left leg in combat.[2]
Additionally, Roe Rancell has been cast as Dennis,[3][4] and Mila Jaymes as Charli.[5] The characterMa Gnucci is expected to appear in the special.[6]
In June 2015,Jon Bernthal was cast as theMarvel Comics characterPunisher for thesecond season of theNetflix seriesDaredevil (2015–2018), which was produced byMarvel Television.[7] In April 2016, Netflix ordered thespin-off seriesThe Punisher (2017–2019), with Bernthal reprising his role asFrank Castle / Punisher.[8] Both series were canceled by the end of February 2019,[9] not long before Marvel Television was folded intoMarvel Studios, the production company behind theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)films.[10][11] ADisney+ revival series titledDaredevil: Born Again (2025–present) was announced by Marvel Studios in July 2022.[12] Bernthal was set to reprise his role by March 2023,[13][14] but soon left the series because he did not agree with the direction it was taking Castle. AfterBorn Again underwent a creative overhaul and formerThe Punisher writerDario Scardapane was hired to be itsshowrunner, Bernthal returned and had input on the character's portrayal. He felt thefirst season ofBorn Again "opened the door to getting closer to the Frank Castle that I really, really want to portray".[15]
During filming for the first season ofBorn Again, Bernthal conceived a story for atelevision special focused on the Punisher.[1][15] The end of the season sees Castle arrested by New York City MayorWilson Fisk and later breaking out of his prison.[16] Marvel Studios looked at some of Bernthal's previous writing and then asked him topitch the special to them before it moved forward. He said that he did not want them to "just hand it to me... they've held me accountable to every step along the way. I really want to earn this and I really want this to be good."[15]Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, revealed that the special was in development under the "Marvel Studios Special Presentation" banner in February 2025.[17]Reinaldo Marcus Green was set to direct the special and was writing the screenplay with Bernthal, after they worked together on the filmKing Richard (2021) and the miniseriesWe Own This City (2022).[1][15] Winderbaum said the character was very important to Bernthal, who he felt had turned the Punisher into an "icon".[17] The special is the first work produced based on Bernthal's writing.[15] It is intended to receive aTV-MA rating.[18]
Winderbaum said the Punisher was driven by pain, revenge, and justice, and felt the character was most interesting in stories that explored how his philosophy leads to specific ways of seeking justice.[17] He described the special as "a shotgun blast of a story, but [it] also has all thepathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story".[1] Bernthal said the special would be a "version that this character deserves" and not "Punisher-lite",[19] later adding that it has the most "high-octane" portrayal of the character yet seen.[20] He said the special would have a "visceral, psychologically complex, unforgiving, no-holds-barred version of Frank where he's going to turn his back to the audience. And nothing is easy and all violence has a cost, and we're going to see that cost. I'm grateful that they're letting me go to the places that I really want to go."[15] Bernthal brought in formerMarine Raider Nick Koumalatsos, who helped him train forBorn Again, as a consultant on the special.[15] After filming the special, Bernthal filmed his scenes for the MCU filmSpider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) and said it was important to himself,Spider-Man actorTom Holland, and directorDestin Daniel Cretton that the film's portrayal of the Punisher feel like the same character that is seen in the special.[20] The special is concurrent with the events of thesecond season ofBorn Again.[21]
Bernthal was set to reprise his role as Frank Castle / Punisher in the special when it was announced.[1] In July 2025, set photos revealed Roe Rancell in the supporting role of Dennis,[3][4] as well asJason R. Moore reprising his role asCurtis Hoyle fromThe Punisher.[2] Mila Jaymes was cast in the supporting role of Charli.[5]
Emily Gunshor and Michael Shaw were, respectively, the costume designer and production designer for the special, after previously working on the first and second seasons ofBorn Again.[22][independent source needed][23]
In October 2024, Marvel Comics announced a new publishing line titledMarvel Premier Collection, which consists of new paperback editions of popular comic book runs that are considered to be good starting points for new readers.[30]Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank, collectingThe Punisher (2000) series byGarth Ennis,Steve Dillon, andJimmy Palmiotti, is expected to be released in March 2026 with a new introduction from Ennis and aforeword by Bernthal.[31]
The special will be released on Disney+ in mid-2026.[32][20] It was originally reported to be releasing alongside the second season ofBorn Again,[32] which will debut in early March 2026,[33] with Bernthal saying the special would release "around [the] same time" asBrand New Day, which releases in July 2026.[20] It will be part of Phase Six of the MCU.[citation needed]
