‘The Punisher’ Pays Tribute to Stan Lee

The Punisher Season Two is now out on Netflix, and as any Marvel fan would expect, the show takes an extra moment to pay tribute to the late, great, Stan "The Man" Lee.

Aside from the usual Easter egg appearance by the Marvel Comics co-creator -- we're still on the hunt for that one -- the makers of The Punisher added this special tribute at the very end of the season:

This is the second major Marvel project to feature a Stan Lee reference since his passing; Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse featured one of Lee's final cameo appearances, as he voiced a merchant who sells Miles Morales his first Spider-Man mask. Many fans were moved by the new context that Lee's words had in that scene as they came across much more poignant and important since his passing.

So far, reaction to The Punisher Season Two has been somewhat mixed with critics, but the fan hype is definitely high. Here's what we said in our own official Punisher Season 2 review:

"....a more concentrated focus allows The Punisher Season Two to do more with less, and fans will surely appreciate the difference. The cast digs in and utilizes their increased screen time and larger arcs, with Bernthal, Revah, Barnes, and Lima all stepping up to the challenge of some deep character work. The theme of the season is 'identity,' and each of the main actors effectively convey it in their respective character's struggle to first maintain an illusion of self, and then suffer the hard hit of reality about who they really are. Bernthal's performance is especially nuanced and layered in this way, making his eventual full embrace of the Punisher mantle all the more fulfilling.

...What Marvel fans may object to the most is the fact that The Punisher Season Two is ultimately still just a stage-setting origin story. Even after all the bloody events of Daredevil Season Two and Punisher Season One, we're still watching Frank Castle's emotional turmoil about something that should've long been settled. In the end, The Punisher inevitably is who he's always been: a savage vigilante who shoots up the bad guys."

The Punisher Season Two is now streaming on Netflix.