'The Punisher' Star Ben Barnes Is Gutted There Won't Be A Third Season

Though the cancellation of The Punisher and Jessica Jones wasn't all too surprising, the move still stings those close to the show. In the case of series lead Ben Barnes, the announcement "gutted" the star.

Barnes — the actor behind Punisher's Billy Russo/Jigsaw — took to Instagram to share a series of behind the scenes photos, saying he'd be gutted that the show is unable to head into a third season on Netflix. Barnes made sure to share a heartfelt message with the pictures, thanking fans their support throughout both seasons.

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Well... that’s the end of the road for @marvel @thepunisher on @netflix Thank you to everyone who tuned in for an episode or binged each season in 13 hours & for all your wonderful, supportive, funny, creative comments - I can’t read them all but I see you & appreciate every one! Loved working with this cast & crew - I miss you & gutted I don’t get to see what you had in store for a third Season! 🖤💀 #thepunisher

A post shared by Ben Barnes (@benbarnes) on Feb 18, 2019 at 3:22pm PST

"Thank you to everyone who tuned in for an episode or binged each season in 13 hours," Barnes said. "Loved working with cast & crew — I miss you & gutted I don't get to see what you had in store for a third season!"

Shortly after the premiere of The Punisher Season Two, ComicBook.com sat down with showrunner Steven Lightfoot to discuss the future of show. Lightfoot told us he had a good idea on what a third season would look like.

"I mean, look, the end of Season Two, that final image was meant to say, very much, 'Look, Frank is now The Punisher,'" Lightfoot said. "And hopefully people were like, 'I can't wait for Season Three, you know, come back and see what the hell he's up to.'"

"I think, the idea I have is very much back in the city," the producer said of his plans for Season Three. "The theme is seeing Frank, now he has fully embraced the mantle of The Punisher, where that takes him and what problems that throws up for him as he follows that path. I can't say much more than that really. But yeah, we're hoping we get the good word and we go ahead and dive back in."

What'd you think of Barnes' take on Jigsaw in Season Two? Do you think we'll see The Punisher move on to another network or streaming platform? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation online by hitting me (@AdamBarnhardt) up on Twitter to talk all things Defendersverse (R.I.P.)!

Both seasons of The Punisher are now streaming on Netflix.