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Frank Castle (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Frank Castle
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Jon Bernthal as Castle in a promotional image for the first season of The Punisher (2017).
First appearance
Based on
Adapted byDouglas Petrie
Marco Ramirez
Portrayed byJon Bernthal
In-universe information
Full nameFrancis David Castle Sr.
AliasPete Castiglione
NicknameFrank
TitleThe Punisher
OccupationVigilante
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant
Affiliation
FamilyLisa Castle (daughter)
Frank Castle Jr. (son)
SpouseMaria Castle
Significant othersBeth Quinn
NationalityItalian-American

Francis David "Frank" Castle Sr. is a fictional character portrayed by Jon Bernthal in a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, the Punisher. Introduced in the second season of the Marvel Television / Netflix series Daredevil (2016), Bernthal signed a deal to return for a spin-off series, The Punisher (2017–2019); his portrayal of the character has been positively received.

Following the cancellation of Marvel's Netflix series, including Daredevil and The Punisher, Bernthal reprised the role in Marvel Studios productions, including the first season of the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025)[1] and an untitled Punisher television special as part of the Marvel Studios Special Presentations.

Concept and creation

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Jon Bernthal portrays Frank Castle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In October 2013, Marvel and Disney announced that Marvel Television and ABC Studios would provide Netflix with live-action series centered around the Marvel Comics characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage, leading up to a miniseries based on the Defenders.[2] In June 2015, Marvel announced that Jon Bernthal had been cast as Frank Castle / Punisher for the second season of Daredevil.[3] Steven DeKnight and the first-season's writers had discussed introducing the character in a post-credits scene during the first-season finale, but were unable to due to the way that Netflix then-began auto-playing the next episode during the credits of the current one. The scene would have seen Leland Owlsley escape rather than be killed by Wilson Fisk, only to be killed by Castle, whose face would not be revealed, but whose iconic skull insignia would have been featured. DeKnight felt that this "was the right decision. I think there's a better, more organic way to introduce him to the world."[4] A spin-off series centered on Castle had entered development by January 2016.[5] The series, The Punisher, was officially ordered that April,[6] and the first season was released on Netflix in November 2017.[7]

DeKnight said this version of Punisher would be "completely the Marvel version", as previous portrayals did not appear under the Marvel Studios / Marvel Television banner. He also felt Bernthal's Punisher would not be as "graphically violent" as in the film Punisher: War Zone (2008).[8]

Fictional character biography

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Daredevil season 2

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Further information: Daredevil season 2

In Daredevil Season 2, Frank Castle, a former Marine, embarks on a violent campaign against organized crime in New York City following the murder of his wife and children during a mass shooting. The massacre, later revealed to be the result of a failed sting operation involving the Irish Mob, the Cartel, and the Dogs of Hell, is covered up by law enforcement, leaving Castle as the sole survivor. Seeking retribution, he systematically eliminates members of these criminal organizations, becoming known as the Punisher.

Castle's actions bring him into conflict with Daredevil, who opposes his lethal methods. Their ideological differences are highlighted when Castle captures Daredevil and attempts to convince him that criminals should be permanently eliminated rather than subjected to the legal system. Castle later survives an ambush by the Irish Mob and retaliates by massacring their leadership. Castle is eventually arrested and put on trial, with Nelson & Murdock representing him. His former commanding officer, Ray Schoonover, testifies on his behalf, but Castle deliberately disrupts his defense by openly admitting to his killings in court, resulting in a life sentence.

While imprisoned at Ryker’s Island, Castle is manipulated by Wilson Fisk into assassinating another inmate, Dutton. After fulfilling his task, Castle realizes he has been set up and is targeted for elimination. However, he kills multiple inmates and ultimately forces Fisk to release him, allowing him to continue his mission outside prison. Upon resuming his investigation, Castle uncovers the truth behind his family’s deaths. He learns that The Blacksmith, the orchestrator of the failed sting operation, is Schoonover. Castle confronts and executes him, subsequently discovering a hidden weapons cache and body armor.

In the season's climax, Castle paints a skull emblem onto his new body armor and provides sniper support to Daredevil during a confrontation with the Hand. With his personal vendetta seemingly resolved, he later burns down his family's former home, symbolizing he has fully embraced his identity as the Punisher, and disappears into the night.

The Punisher season 1

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Further information: The Punisher season 1

After the events of Daredevil season two, Frank Castle, now the Punisher, finishes hunting down the criminals involved in the death of his family. Six months later, he works at a construction site but struggles with his isolation. Frank connects with fellow veteran Curtis Hoyle for emotional support while being haunted by his past in Afghanistan. Frank's life changes when he meets Micro, a former NSA analyst, who reveals a video implicating Frank's military unit in the death of a foreign national, Ahmad Zubair, during a mission in Kandahar. This discovery leads Frank to team up with Micro to uncover government corruption and the truth behind his past.

Frank learns about Cerberus, a special military unit involved in morally questionable operations. After a disastrous mission that caused the death of several soldiers, Frank lost faith in the military system. His quest for revenge intensifies as he uncovers a conspiracy involving government officials like Rawlins, who orchestrated his family’s deaths and had links to illegal weapons trades. Frank's partnership with Micro deepens, but the involvement of Micro's family causes Frank to question the consequences of his actions. Meanwhile, Homeland Security agent Dinah Madani investigates Frank's past, leading to a standoff between them. Frank narrowly escapes, marking a turning point in his journey.

The most personal confrontation occurs when Frank faces Billy Russo, a former ally who betrayed him. Russo admits to knowing about the plan to kill Frank's family, and their confrontation ends with Frank permanently disfiguring Russo instead of killing him. In the final act, Frank confronts those responsible for his family's deaths, including Russo and Rawlins. After being captured, Frank escapes and takes down Rawlins. Despite being offered a new life, Frank chooses to remain the Punisher, understanding that the cost of his vengeance will stay with him.

The Punisher season 2

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Further information: The Punisher season 2

Frank Castle meets a young girl named Rachel at a bar and helps her escape a dangerous group. After a shootout, they flee to a motel, where Castle learns Rachel’s real name is Amy. The group chasing them continues to pursue them, leading to a series of confrontations. Castle calls Madani for help but is left to defend himself. Flashbacks reveal John Pilgrim's past as a white supremacist and his mission to capture Castle and Amy. Castle and Amy escape to New York, where Castle seeks information about Russo. Russo's past is revealed, and he begins manipulating veterans for a robbery spree.

Castle tracks down the Russians who hired Amy's group, killing most of them and sparing their leader, Poloznev, who is later killed by Pilgrim. Castle finds out that Russo is planning more violence, and Castle wears his skull vest for the first time to confront him. Castle and Russo have a standoff, but Castle realizes Russo has amnesia and doesn't remember killing his family. Russo's gang continues its crime spree, and Castle confronts Russo, revealing he was responsible for Russo's scars. Russo's men ambush Castle, but Castle survives and finds Russo at Valhalla.

After a brutal battle at Valhalla, Castle learns he was set up for the murder of three women. He is arrested but later freed by Karen Page and Madani. Castle and Amy escape, but Pilgrim continues to pursue them. Castle kills Russo after learning the truth about his actions and confronts the Schultzes at their mansion. Castle kills Eliza Schultz and forces Anderson Schultz to take his own life. Castle, Amy, and Pilgrim go their separate ways, and Castle returns to his role as the Punisher.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1

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Further information: Daredevil: Born Again season 1

In the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, Frank meets with Matt again when the latter finds the bullet used in Hector Ayala's murder has the Punisher's symbol on it. As Matt suggests dealing with the police officers misusing the symbol, Frank calls out him for retiring as Daredevil and not letting Benjamin Poindexter die for killing Foggy Nelson.

Appearances

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Jon Bernthal first portrays Frank Castle / Punisher in two of the Netflix series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Marvel Television: introduced in a supporting role in the second season of Daredevil (2016), he later starred as the character in the spin-off series The Punisher (2017–2019). Bernthal reprises the role in Marvel Studios productions, beginning with the first season of the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025). He will headline an untitled Punisher television special (2026), marketed under the "Marvel Studios Special Presentation" banner.[9]

Characterization

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Daredevil season two showrunner Doug Petrie stated that Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle from the film Taxi Driver (1976) was an influence on the character, as well as current events, saying, "Taking lethal justice into your own hands in America in 2015 is tricky shit. We have not shied away from the rich complicated reality of Now. If you've got a gun and you're not the police you're going to incite strong feelings." Bernthal added that "This character has resonated with law enforcement and military ... and the best thing about him is that if he offends you, he just doesn't care."[10] Bernthal studied all the previous portrayals of Punisher, saying, "once you devour and eat up as much as you can, my way is to make it as personal as possible". On how Castle resonates with him, Bernthal said, "He ain't got a fucking cape. He ain't got any superpowers. He's a fucking tortured, angry father and husband who's living in this unbelievable world of darkness and loss and torment."[11] Bernthal added that there would be "a military component" in the series since Castle is "a soldier... [The series] will be somewhat centered on that".[12] He also stated that "the character that was portrayed on Daredevil season two was sort of the origin tale of how this guy became the Punisher, why he put on the vest."[13] Bernthal noted he "always want[ed] to preserve the essence of" Castle, who Bernthal described as "brutal", "damaged," and "tortured", by exploring "the pain and what's behind the violence and the reason why he's committing the violence" that is "utterly satisfying and addictive for him".[14]

Drew Goddard felt that television was the best fit for the character, as the writers are "able to do things on the small screen that fit that character better than if we had to water him down for the movies."[15] Petrie and Marco Ramirez talked about creating their version of the character following the film versions, with Ramirez saying, "even if you know the character, you've never seen him like this. That was the big thing we wanted. There are four movies, eight hours and four actors. We've seen this guy. We think we know who he is, but even we learned that he's so much more." Petrie said, "We hope to make people forget what they've seen before, whether they've loved it or not."[16] In order to get in the correct mindset to portray Castle, Bernthal trained with military members, along with receiving weapon training. Bernthal also "had to put myself in as dark of place as possible" to connect with "the emptiness inside" Castle, and isolate himself, including walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to get to set "to shed any outside influence of joy."[17] Rosario Dawson, who felt Matt Murdock behaved like the Punisher in Daredevil season one, felt it would "be really interesting to see how [the writers] differentiate" the two in the second season.[18] Describing the character, Bernthal said, "As a man who put his [life] on the line and really went through the ultimate sacrifice for this country in his involvement in the military. He's a guy who brought the war home with him [in] the worst possible way. There are a lot of iterations of this character and in all of them it's a man who's gone through this unbelievable trauma and what's interesting about our take on him is how this trauma reshapes his own philosophy."[17] Bernthal also talked about the character's 'superpowers', saying, "If I got one thing from the comics, I think, as far as superpowers... his superpower is his rage. His superpower is that he is not going to quit, and he is going to go forward no matter what. And that's as human and grounded a quality as I think as this sort of genre could have".[19]

In other media

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Stuntman Eric Linden, who worked on The Punisher as a stunt coordinator, second unit director and stunt double of Jon Bernthal,[20] directed and played the lead role of the Punisher in the 2020 short fan film Skull: Punisher Reawakened, produced in association with FXitinPost.[21]

Reception

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Accolades

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Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2018 44th Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Jon Bernthal Nominated [22][23]
2019 45th Saturn Awards Best Actor in Streaming Presentation Nominated [24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jon Bernthal Returning as The Punisher for 'Daredevil: Born Again'". The Hollywood Reporter. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Lieberman, David (November 7, 2013). "Disney To Provide Netflix With Four Series Based On Marvel Characters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Jon Bernthal Cast as Frank Castle in the Netflix Original Series 'Marvel's Daredevil'". Marvel.com. June 9, 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Bean, James (January 15, 2016). "Exclusive: 'Daredevil' season 1 coda almost introduced Punisher, says showrunner". Hypable. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Ausiello, Michael (January 16, 2016). "Punisher Spinoff Starring Jon Bernthal in Development at Netflix". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  6. ^ Hibberd, James (April 29, 2016). "Marvel's The Punisher spin-off ordered by Netflix". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  7. ^ Patten, Dominic (October 19, 2017). "'Marvel's The Punisher' Gets November Premiere Date & Trailer on Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  8. ^ Toel, Frank (July 28, 2015). "Steven DeKnight Says 'Daredevil' Finally Features "The Marvel Version" of the Punisher". /Film. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "PUNISHER Special Presentation Details Revealed; Jon Bernthal To Co-Write With Director Reinaldo Marcus Green". ComicBookMovie.com. February 25, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Hibberd, James (December 29, 2015). "Daredevil season 2 to have faster pace, Punisher morality debate". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Wallace, Amy (December 21, 2016). "Jon Bernthal Is the Tough Guy Troublemaker Actor's Actor Punisher". GQ. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ^ Li, Shirley (July 21, 2017). "The Punisher: Jon Bernthal teases 'military component' of spin-off series". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "Frank Talk". SFX. United Kingdom. November 2017. Article scan via Tumblr Archived September 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Huver, Scott (August 11, 2017). "Jon Bernthal Is Ready to Make The Punisher a Protagonist, Not a Hero". Moviefone. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  15. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (September 28, 2015). "Drew Goddard on How He Would've Made the Sinister Six Movie and Comparisons to Suicide Squad". IGN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ Radish, Christina (January 22, 2016). "'Daredevil' Showrunners on How Punisher and Elektra Shake Up Season 2". Collider. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Hibberd, James (January 16, 2016). "Daredevil Jon Bernthal interview: 'Went to a dark place' for Punisher". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  18. ^ Nicholson, Max (June 18, 2015). "Rosario Dawson Teases 'Daredevil' Season 2, Potential Marvel Crossovers And The Punisher". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  19. ^ Goldman, Eric (January 17, 2016). "Daredevil: The Punisher and Elektra will Make Matt Murdock Question His Role as a Hero". IGN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  20. ^ Linden, Eric (July 5, 2020). "Eric Linden – Stunts". Eric Linden. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  21. ^ FXitinPost (July 5, 2020). "Skull: Punisher Reawakened". YouTube. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  22. ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  23. ^ McNary, Dave (June 27, 2018). "'Black Panther' Reigns at Saturn Awards, 'Better Call Saul' and 'Twin Peaks' Top TV Field". Variety.
  24. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (July 15, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game of Thrones' Lead the 2019 Saturn Awards Nominations". Collider. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
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