The Punisher will hit the mean streets of New York City in the upcoming Spider-Man sequel.
The MCU continues to roll on inexorably, and it’s not just The Fantastic Four: First Steps (keen for it!) and Avengers: Doomsday (a desperate Hail Mary pass doomed to failure!). The Spider-Man franchise, ironically webbed up in an impenetrable shared-rights deal between Marvel/Disney and Sony, is also continuing. Tom Holland’s back as Peter Parker, Zendaya’s back as MJ, and Jacob Batalon is back as Ned, the best guy-in-the-chair in the business. And to this roster we can add the intimidatingly intense Jon Bernthal, who’ll be once again essaying the role of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Hollywood Reporter… uh… reported the news first, while also noting that additional production details are scarce. Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is on board to direct, with a projected release date of July 31, 2026. Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink is in the ensemble, as is The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas, but who they’re playing is anyone’s guess. There’s a fair chance Sink is paying doomed Spider-Man squeeze Gwen Stacy, but that’s pure conjecture.
But we are familiar with Bernthal’s the Punisher, of course! The character actually started out as a Spidey villain way back in 1974, before being upgraded to anti-hero in the gun-happy ’80s. Having been played by Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson on the big screen, The Punisher was first played by Bernthal in Season 2 of Daredevil (brilliant, no notes) before getting his own two season self-titled series (eminently skippable). Bernthal last played The Punisher in Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, and is due to reprise the role in both Season 2 and an as-yet-untitled holiday special (We suggest A Very Punisher Christmas).
And in a nice bit of synchronicity, Holland and Bernthal worked together on the 2017 historical drama Pilgrimage, and reportedly helped each other out with their respective MCU auditions.
Gonna be interesting to see how the ferocious Frank Castle jibes with the more family-friendly fare of the MCU’s big screen offerings, though. I mean, check this out:
…bit rough.
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