Earlier today, news broke that Marvel’s The Punisher has cast two new actors to cover key roles. Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Micro while Amber Rose Revah stars as Dinah Madani. The announcement also clarified which role Ben Barnes had nabbed as fans learned the actor would play Billy Russo, a name which comic book fans should be very familiar with.
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Billy Russo is better known in the Marvel Universe as Jigsaw – and he’s deadly enough to make even the baddie from the Saw franchise shiver. The character debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man before coming to The Punisher. Len Wein and Ross Andru created the villain who was a hitman.
Jigsaw is the man responsible for the violent deaths of Frank Castle’s family, making him the number one target of The Punisher. Billy Russo also tries to take out his rival to cover up the crime, but The Punisher thwarts Jigsaw’s plans. Instead, he one-ups the character and kills all of Billy’s comrades at a nightclub before throwing him out of a bulletproof window. The attack leaves Jigsaw with horrific facial scars, prompting him to take up his moniker and seek revenge against Frank.
For Netflix’s series, Billy Russo will be The Punisher’s close friend from their special forces days. He now runs a private military company called ‘Anvil’
Of course, fans are speculating whether the character will be the villain of The Punisher. The series will definitely need a cold-blooded baddies to showdown with Frank Castle, and it looks like Jigsaw could do the job. The two men have a long, complicated relationship in the comics, so it’s likely their story would hit the small screen in some way – even if that means tweaking their origins.
There’s another name in today’s casting announcements that fans should be familiar with. Micro, who is better known as Microchip in the comics, is one of The Punisher’s allies. The man was once a sought-after hacker who left the trade behind when he got too close to crime. However, after his nephew is murdered by Wilson Fisk, Microchip teams up with The Punisher to get revenge. The man often provided Frank with weaponry, assistance, and someone to talk with before he recently turned on The Punisher.
The character of Dinah Madani appears to be an original role created for the series. The character is described as a “highly-trained sophisticated Homeland Security agent who is vexed by the Punisher.”
And, after some set photos hit the Internet, fans have learned at least one more character will join the show. Pictures revealed Karen Page, who is played by Deborah Ann Woll, will star on The Punisher as she was seen filming a scene with Jon Bernthal on a bench.
The solo series recently went into production in New York City. Marvel’s The Punisher has no official release date as of yet.
