'The Punisher' Cancelled By Netflix After 2 Seasons

Netflix has decided to pull the plug on The Punisher, sending the Jon Bernthal-starring show to the chopping block after two seasons on the streaming giant. According to a report by Deadline, The Punisher is set to become the fourth victim of the war waging between Netflix and Disney, as the latter gets ready to launch its own streaming platform later this year.

For fans of Netflix's "Defendersverse" shows, the news isn't entirely unexpected. After Disney CEO Bob Iger previously confirmed limited series featuring Marvel characters would, in fact, appear on Disney+ most assumed it was a matter of time before the House of Mouse worked on getting all of their properties back under one umbrella.

With the cancellation of The Punisher now official, that leaves Jessica Jones as the lone Marvel property of the streaming giant as it still has yet to debut its third season. Now that the show joins the likes of Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage on the pile on cancelled shows, it's entirely reasonable to assume Jessica Jones will get the same treatment, especially in the wake of showrunner Melissa Rosenberg leaving the show after production of the third season wraps.

It's no secret that The Punisher was on the bubble once the Marvel dominoes started to fall at Netflix, but that didn't stop series showrunner Steve Lightfoot from plotting out a third season. ComicBook.com had the chance to catch up with Lightfoot around the time the second season debuted on the streaming service and he revealed he has a good idea on where we'd see Frank Castle (Bernthal) next.

"I mean, look, the end of Season Two, that final image was meant to say, very much, 'Look, Frank is now The Punisher,'" Lightfoot told ComicBook.com. "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.'"

"Because I'm so fully involved in the show, usually what happens for me is I finish the last one," the producer continued. "I've got a really good idea about what would be next. I've got a very good idea about what Season Three is, I've got an idea for it I'm really excited about, which Marvel know about and they're also excited about. We just obviously hope we get the chance to go make it."

Although season two started off as a Western show with Castle out in the United States' Midwest, Lightfoot said season three was to be set entirely back in New York City.

"I think, the idea I have is very much back in the city," the producer says 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."

Both seasons of The Punisher are now streaming on Netflix.