Jon Bernthal Says Nothing Is Off the Table for MCU Punisher, Including the White Boots [EXCLUSIVE]

Jon Bernthal has been playing the Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a decade already and he remains as busy as ever in the franchise. After reprising the role last year in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, he co-wrote and starred in the special presentation The Punisher: One Last Kill and finally makes his big-screen debut this summer in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. From the moment he first brought Frank Castle to life, Bernthal has established himself as a fan favorite, and there are hopes he will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. When discussing what could come next for the Punisher, Bernthal says anything is on the table.

In an interview with ComicBook to promote the release of Brand New Day (in theaters July 31st), Bernthal wouldn’t rule anything out for the Punisher in the MCU, including a comics-accurate costume with white gloves and boots. “I think it’s possible, man. I really do,” he said. “It’s been really important to me that we don’t do much not in front of the audience. That we don’t ask the audience to take huge leaps with Frank. That not all of a sudden he’s doing something that we wonder, ‘Well how did he get there?’ Kind of earn it right in front of the folks that care about him.”

He continued, “I know that we lean really heavily into things that are tactically proficient. He is not a guy with super powers. He’s just highly trained. And I think it’s been so much fun to incorporate Colton Hill, green beret, Nick Koumalatsos, marine raider, Cody Alford. These guys are just key in designing every bit of gear that Frank utilizes, and that’s been really cool to just involve the special forces community.”

When Will Punisher Return to the MCU? (And Will He Get the White Gloves and Boots?)

It has not been confirmed yet when Bernthal will play the Punisher again after Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but there are some distinct possibilities. Given Frank Castle’s connections to the street-level corners of the MCU, he could appear in next year’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 3. He was never announced as part of the show’s cast, but Marvel could always have a surprise in store and bring Bernthal back for a cameo. If Frank doesn’t return in Born Again, perhaps he could have a future on the big screen. Tom Holland has spoken about his desire for Spider-Man and Punisher to have a recurring partnership, leaning into his real-life friendship with Bernthal. Should future Spider-Man movies retain Brand New Day‘s street-level approach, there would be a spot for Punisher.

Punisher’s character arc could continue in a different project that hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens on that front. The peak streaming era appears to be over, and Disney seems to be pivoting back to prioritizing theatrical features. The studio will continue to make new content for Disney+ (as Born Again proves), but it’s no longer the top item on the to-do list. Marvel Studios is also scaling back output, minimizing the number of new movies and shows released annually. Avengers: Secret Wars is intended to be a soft reboot for the franchise, establishing a new, streamlined continuity that’s easier for audiences to follow. Producing a bevy of TV shows is what got Marvel in trouble in the first place, so it’s unlikely they will repeat that same mistake again — especially since the landscape has changed over the last handful of years.

As for whether or not Frank will get the white gloves and boots, that’ll depend on what Marvel has in store for the character. It’s common for comic book adaptations to give characters new costumes in follow-up appearances. There’s an obvious merchandising reason for why that is, but these costume changes become more meaningful when they’re connected to the story being told. A new costume can be a visual representation of a character starting a new phase of life (see: Spider-Man’s new suit in Brand New Day), illustrating how much they’ve changed. Judging by Bernthal’s comments, if Frank were to get the white gloves and boots, it would probably be after a significant on-screen arc for the character. He doesn’t want the audience to take massive leaps and miss major things, so Frank would only get a new costume if it felt earned. Viewers shouldn’t expect him to be decked out in the gloves and boots out of nowhere.

Regardless of what the future holds in store for Frank Castle, it’s encouraging to hear Bernthal is open to anything. It suggests he isn’t ready to leave the role behind and is excited to keep developing the Punisher in the MCU. After playing the character for so long, it would be understandable if he was ready for a send off, but it sounds like he’s only getting started.

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