A new set photo from the production of the Punisher’s upcoming Special Presentation might have confirmed the project’s place in the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Bernthal first appeared as Frank Castle in Daredevil season 2 on Netflix, with his immense popularity spurring the creation of his own two-season-long Defenders Saga series. His return in the MCU’s Daredevil: Born Again series in 2025 was praised, and, once again, he’s about to get his own spinoff in the form of a Special Presentation hitting our screens in 2026, which has now begun filming.
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Directed by Reinaldo Marcus-Green and written by Marcus-Green and Bernthal, the MCU’s Punisher-centric Special Presentation is expected to be a dark and intense solo adventure for Frank Castle in the wake of Daredevil: Born Again season 1. Now, @_DaredevilShots on Instagram has revealed a first look at the set of the Punisher’s Special Presentation, which started filming in July 2025. One image shows a poster for a concert on Sunday, July 18th, which falls in 2027, seemingly confirming the timeline for Frank Castle’s upcoming MCU return.
The MCU’s timeline took a five-year jump forward in Avengers: Endgame, with the majority of the movie taking place in 2023. Marvel Studios’ official timeline was laid out in a book released in October 2023, while recent MCU projects and Disney+ have made attempts to clearly lay out the timeline. Even so, there’s been confusion regarding when some projects take place, but this isn’t the case for the Punisher’s upcoming special, as 2027 is the only upcoming year in which July 18th falls on a Sunday, and Marvel production designers must have done this quick and easy research.
This timeline for the Special Presentation makes sense, as most of Daredevil: Born Again season 1 took place in early 2027, shortly after New Year’s. It’s unclear how much time will have passed when Daredevil: Born Again season 2 rolls around in March 2026, but, given the timeline of the Punisher’s Special Presentation, it seems it will have only been mere months living in Mayor Wilson Fisk’s dark and oppressed New York City. Bernthal is also expected to appear as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
Setting 2026’s Daredevil: Born Again season 2 and the Punisher’s Special Presentation in mid-2027 means Marvel Studios is slowly catching up to the real-world timeline in the MCU. The five-year time jump in Endgame put the MCU well ahead of our real time, but projects releasing in 2026 being set in 2027 means we may have caught up by the time 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars premieres and concludes the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. No release date has yet been confirmed for the Punisher’s Special Presentation, but it’s expected to hit Disney+ after Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
Are you excited for the Punisher’s Special Presentation in 2026? Let us know in the comments!
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