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The Punisher might not be family-friendly, but he’s still gunning back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in two ways. Not only will he appear in the new TV series Daredevil: Born Again, but he’ll also have his own Disney+ special presentation. Given the comic story that might inspire this presentation, it could involve a reunion with an actor who’s part of another MCU project.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who played David “Microchip” Lieberman in Netflix’s The Punisher, will play Ben Grimm/The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Given that the Marvel Netflix shows are canon, this could, in some ways, cause issues with the recycled actor. That’s especially the case given that Microchip might soon return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there’s a simple solution.
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Microchip Is One of The Punisher’s Few Friends In the Marvel Universe
First Appearance: The Punisher #4 by Mike Baron and Klaus Janson
David Linus Lieberman is one of the most consistently recurring parts of The Punisher’s life and mythos, even if he seems like an entirely opposite character. Also known as Microchip or Micro, Lieberman was an accomplished hacker who made a name for himself in the early days of the internet. Unfortunately, his exploits soon ran afoul of Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. The Kingpin, which made Microchip cross paths with none other than The Punisher.
The two became a team, with Micro aiding Frank Castle in numerous ways.
Not only did he cover areas where Castle was untrained (such as by hacking computers), but he also maintained the many safehouses and resources that the vigilante gained through his war on crime. Laundering criminals’ money and using it to help Frank, he was The Punisher’s proverbial “man in the chair” and was inspired by the character Q from the James Bond franchise.
Most importantly, Microchip was an actual friend to Frank Castle and tried to help him in other ways, hoping to help him have a life beyond his vigilante vendetta. Unfortunately, this only went so far, and even Microchip couldn’t deal with The Punisher for too long. On several occasions he fell out with The Punisher, with some of these circumstances being cemented by either party’s seeming death. In the alt-universe Punisher MAX comic books, Microchip outright betrayed Castle, resulting in his death at the barrel of The Punisher’s gun.
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Events such as Civil War in the mainstream Marvel Universe suggested that versions of these events are also canon outside the MAX Universe. Before all this happened, however, he was the main recurring element in The Punisher’s adventures besides the villainous killer Jigsaw. This saw him used as bait in one story arc that might be adapted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
How the Disney+ The Punisher Special Might Bring Back Microchip
In the Netflix The Punisher TV series, Microchip/David Lieberman was played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. There, the character was changed to an NSA analyst who was framed after receiving top-secret information involving various cases involving Frank Castle. Microchip and The Punisher are much more antagonistic to each other in the Netflix show, with the two helping each other mainly to curtail any potential ulterior motives.
Nevertheless, Lieberman was still a vital asset to Frank’s mission, even employing a more low-tech version of the iconic Battle Van.
By the end of the series, he was exonerated of his supposed crimes and reunited with his family, with The Punisher going off to complete his mission alone and perhaps find solace in himself. Of course, this won’t be the end of Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, as he’s now returning in Daredevil: Born Again. It’s unknown if the upcoming The Punisher Disney+ special presentation will be set before or after this new show, but either way, it’s a logical way to bring back Moss-Bachrach’s Micro.
Jon Bernthal recently suggested a story that might be adapted for the Disney+ special, one from the 1990s. “Final Days” was seemingly a conclusive tale for The Punisher in the comics, but it was much more of a misnomer than many expected. “Final Days” saw The Punisher targeted by The Kingpin as he took on a wide gamut of threats. To bait Castle into facing him, Kingpin/Wilson Fisk has Microchip kidnapped and tortured.
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If this story is adapted, Microchip will likely return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, Frank Castle dealt with The Kingpin in the Netflix Daredevil show, so it’s only logical that Fisk (who’s primed to be even more powerful by the time of Born Again) will want to take out all of his enemies. Microchip is the only real friend (besides Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page) that Frank Castle has, so he could narratively still be used as bait in the future. The one issue this might cause is his casting with an even bigger MCU project, though there are a few solutions to this seeming problem.
How the MCU Can Bring Back Microchip After The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Ebon Moss-Bachrach will soon have another Marvel Cinematic Universe role besides Microchip. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is playing Ben Grimm/The Thing in the upcoming movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and this is sure to be a major entry in the shared universe. After all, it will put the iconic First Family back on the big screen after a decade while possibly laying the groundwork for upcoming crossovers such as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars (the latter of which is likely based on the 2015 Secret Wars story).
MCU fans will note that Moss-Bachrach already played Micro in The Punisher, making this casting somewhat problematic. The casting decision for the new movie likely came before it was explicitly made clear that the Netflix Marvel shows are completely canon. This is a distinction that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Runaways and Cloak and Dagger still lack, but this canonicity isn’t as big of a deal as some might think.
After all, Alfre Woodard played a woman named Miriam Sharp in Captain America: Civil War, but she later portrayed “Black Mariah” Stokes in Netflix’s Luke Cage.
Likewise, Mahershala Ali played Cottonmouth in the same series, but he’s poised to portray the titular vampire hunter in the beleaguered MCU Blade movie. That’s without even getting into the somewhat controversial casting of Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, so repeat castings aren’t a problem for Marvel Studios. There’s also the fact that The Thing will be portrayed through CGI in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. His human form appeared clean-shaven in the trailer, whereas Microchip in The Punisher had a more disheveled and unruly appearance.
Most importantly, the events of the Punisher Disney+ special will likely never reference anything related to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and vice versa. The two properties occupy very different areas of the Marvel Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making this shared casting even more manageable.
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Another aspect that might be brought in from the source material could redeem a notable storyline. The end of “Final Days” controversially had The Punisher receive temporary plastic surgery to disguise himself as a Black man. Before this happened, however, Microchip had his own round of plastic surgery and gained a slightly altered appearance. This might be done in the Punisher Disney+ special, with the character not being shown entirely until after that.
It would explain a slightly different appearance and perhaps even a reason for the character being recast. Likewise, it might be the only use of the plastic surgery story element, with Frank Castle skipping his facial reconstruction. This way, the source material can be adapted without some of its more questionable gimmicks being present, all the while helping to “explain” away a casting for the Fantastic Four movie. In doing so, it can allow Microchip to appear in other MCU projects, which is likely given The Punisher’s ongoing popularity.
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Daredevil and Kingpin will face-off again, now inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Punisher will also get a piece of the action.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date
July 25, 2025
Director
Matt Shakman
Writers
Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
Producers
Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Tim Lewis
Franchise(s)
“}]] A cast member from Netflix’s The Punisher is set to play The Thing, but he can still return to his first Marvel role in an upcoming Disney+ special. 
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