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Jon Bernthal might have just teased the perfect story that I’d love to see explored in his upcoming MCU Special Presentation as the Punisher. We first saw The Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal appear as Frank Castle, a.k.a. the vigilante known as the Punisher, in Daredevil season 2 on Netflix. The canonization of the Defenders Saga has made Bernthal’s Punisher an official part of the MCU. This allows him to return alongside Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and more in Daredevil: Born Again, but this marks just the start of his exciting career in the MCU.
Frank Castle’s popularity in Daredevil season 2 led to the development of his own Marvel Television spinoff series, and I’m thrilled to see that this has happened again. In February, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Jon Bernthal’s work on Daredevil: Born Again birthed a new story for the Punisher that will be explored in an MCU Special Presentation. I’m very excited about Bernthal’s morally-questionable vigilante being set up for a long and action-packed future in the MCU, and I think the actor just hinted at the perfect Marvel Comics storyline for the Disney+ special.
Jon Bernthal Teased Punisher (Vol. 2) #53 As Inspiration For His MCU Project
Jon Bernthal Shared An Image Of Marvel Comics’ Final Days Story Arc
Jon Bernthal has now played the Punisher for almost a decade, which means he knows the character inside out, and is likely the best man for the job when writing and producing a Special Presentation for the vigilante. It’s no surprise Bernthal has knowledge of some of the Punisher’s best stories from Marvel Comics, including one that he recently teased could be the inspiration for his upcoming Special Presentation. Jon Bernthal shared an image of the cover of 1991’s Punisher (Vol. 2) #53, which kick-started the Final Days arc that ran for seven issues.
Penned by Mike Baron and Hugh Haynes, the Final Days arc in Marvel Comics was a small-scale and grounded story that I would love to see adapted into a Special Presentation for the Punisher in the MCU. Jon Bernthal will be returning in Daredevil: Born Again prior to embarking on his own adventure, and will seemingly be sent on a mission by Matt Murdock’s Daredevil. This could lead directly into the Punisher’s Special Presentation, and the down-to-Earth nature of Final Days fits Bernthal’s interpretation of the beloved antihero.
Punisher’s Final Days Would Be A Great Story To Explore For A Dark Special Presentation
Punisher’s Final Days Ran For Seven Issues In 1991
The first issue of the Punisher’s Final Days arc, Punisher (Vol. 2) #53, saw Frank Castle take down a group of drug pushers at an underground lab and learn that Howard Nees, the notorious and murderous criminal and former CPA, was the supplier. Nees had a reputation for also disrupting the plans of Wilson Fisk, which spurred Kingpin to employ the help of the Punisher to take down Nees. Fisk does this by kidnapping Castle’s ally, Micro, which motivates the Punisher to kill Nees, but this gets the vigilante embroiled in an even bigger plot by the Kingpin.
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This story is small-scale, low-stakes, contained, grounded, gritty and dark, so I think it would be perfect as the inspiration for a Special Presentation focused on Frank Castle. Final Days covers all the bases for the Punisher, showing how morally ambiguous he is, how easy it is for him to kill, how fervently he’ll fight to protect his friends, and demonstrating the more villainous nature of others in New York City. There’s no big flash in Final Days, so I reckon this story arc would fit Marvel’s hour-long Special Presentation format and be a remarkably strong reintroduction to Frank Castle.
MCU’s Punisher Special Presentation Could Bring Back A Fan-Favorite Defenders Saga Character
The Punisher’s Best Ally Has A Key Role In Marvel Comics’ Final Days
David Lieberman, a.k.a. Marvel Comics’ Microchip, plays a huge role in the Final Days storyline as he is taken captive by Kingpin as leverage to get Frank Castle’s Punisher under his control. Known as Micro in 2017’s The Punisher series, David Lieberman became a steadfast ally to Frank Castle as the pair teamed up to protect Lieberman’s family, uncover the conspiracy that caused Castle’s family’s death, and allow Micro to return after his death was faked. A Special Presentation inspired by Final Days could bring Micro back to the MCU, despite his former actor’s new role.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s first Marvel role was as David Lieberman’s Micro in The Punisher, but we’ll soon see him recast as Ben Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing, in 2025’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is a much larger role for Moss-Bachrach in the MCU, but given the CGI nature of the Thing’s appearance, there’s nothing to stop the actor also appearing as Micro in a new Special Presentation. Adapting Final Days would also pit the Punisher against Wilson Fisk after their confrontations in Daredevil season 2 and Daredevil: Born Again, which I would be very excited to see.
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