'The Punisher' Star Jon Bernthal Addresses the Series' Gun Violence

The release of the first season of The Punisher was impacted by the tragic massacre that took place at a country music concert in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, resulting in the deaths of 59 people.

The second season of the hyper-violent series focused on the gun-toting vigilante is now coming out on Netflix in two weeks, over a year removed from the event. And series star Jon Bernthal is opening up about the gun violence in the series and what it means in today's society.

"I can't speak for the show because I don't write it," Bernthal said to Collider. "I think that you'd have to talk to Steve and to Marvel about that. For me, it's a few things. Number one, art, when it's done right, holds a mirror to society and makes you question it. And question yourself. You shouldn't attempt to spoon feed answers or to preach. [Art should] make you look at yourself and hopefully present different sides to an argument and help make society or help make the viewer ask questions about the world in which they live in. I tend to try and avoid art that is preachy and tells you how to think."

The debate over gun control continues to dominate political discourse in the country, and while the content of The Punisher might appeal to certain segments, Bernthal made sure to clarify that the series is not picking sides.

"As far as I'm concerned, I think for so long now we've really gone through this thing in this country where a certain element has a stronghold and a monopoly on what it means to be strong or tough or masculine or patriotic, for that matter," Bernthal explained. "For me, the great joy that I have in playing this role and other roles is where I got to pick soldiers and combat vets, and the guys that share their stories with me. To me, the mark of somebody who is strong, patriotic, tough is someone who has an open mind. Someone who is open to listening to all sides and not be steadfast and not be completely clinging to their own sense of, 'This is what is right and this is what is wrong.'

"For me, what's American to be open to all sides. Me, I'm just repulsed by the…you know how polarized it is. How it seems like both folks on both sides of that issue seem to know so little about the other side. I'm pretty much, for me personally because It's the only thing I can speak to, I'm sickened by fundamentalism of any sort. You got to keep an open mind."

We'll see how the series tackles this political divide when The Punisher premieres on Netflix on January 18th.