The Punisher: Marvel CCO Joe Quesada On Why Jon Bernthal Is The Best Frank Castle

Jon Bernthal is bringing Frank Castle to an entirely new level in the Netflix Original Series Marvel’s The Punisher.

Marvel chief creative officer Joe Quesada tells ComicBook.com that Bernthal’s version of the Punisher is special because of how the actor makes the role his own.

“It’s his own. He brings the intensity, but there is another side to Frank here,” Quesada says. “There is a tenderness to Frank. There is a fragility to Frank that you’ll see in this show that is part of that package. It’s part of what makes this something really, really special.”

The “tenderness” and “fragility” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Frank Castle was present when Bernthal debuted in the role in the second season of Marvel’s Daredevil. It seems he’ll carry that tenderness with him into the first season of his solo series.

Frank Castle is an ex-Marine and was a family man. That all changed when a botched police operation intended to bring int he weapons dealer known as Blacksmith cost Castle his family. From that day forth Castle has been a vigilante seeking out and punishing criminals wherever he can find them. As the Punisher, Frank Castle uses any means necessary to dish out lethal justice to criminals in New York City.

Marvel’s The Punisher is being developed by Steve Lightfoot for Netflix. Lightfoot will serve as showrunner.

Bernthal will star alongside Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Amber Rose Revah, Deborah Ann Woll, Daniel Webber, Jason R. Moore, Paul Schulze, Jaime Ray Newman, and Michael Nathanson.

Production on the first season of The Punisher commenced in October 2016 and concluded in April 2017. The series is expected to debut on Netflix in 2017, at some point after The Defenders releases in August.

The Punisher is based on the Marvel Comics character created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru, who debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974. Originally intended as a cautionary Spider-Man villain, the Punisher’s relentless, hardline vigilante tactics resonated with certain fans and turned him into a cult favorite. He has since starred in several ongoing series from Marvel Comics and three previous live-action movies: one starring Dolph Lundgren in 1989, another starring Thomas Jane in 2004, and Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson in 2004.

Eager fans may have a chance to see more of Frank Castle before Marvel’s The Punisher hits Netflix. A recent trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders teased an appearance by the Punisher in a show that already features Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. The Defenders premieres August 16.

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