The Punisher Special Set Photos Show Change in Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle Look

Jon Bernthal’s Punisher returned to the Marvel Universe in Daredevil: Born Again season 1, but that’s only the beginning of his return journey. Bernthal will reportedly be reprising his role of Frank Castle in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as a solo Disney+ special. That special is actually filming right now in New York City, and set photos courtesy of Just Jared have revealed his new look since his last appearance, while also giving us an indication of who he will be matching up against in the new project.

The photos show Punisher keeping a low profile in a hoodie and jeans, but he’s also sporting a full beard. This is actually closer to the look we first saw him in when Matt Murdock finds him in Daredevil: Born Again, as he is sporting longer hair and a beard in that first meeting.

That would all change later though, as when we see Punisher return to help Daredevil evade Fisk’s men, Punisher has cut his hair and gotten rid of the beard and returned to his iconic Punisher vest and gear. By the end of the season, he ends up being captured and held in Fisk’s compound, but he is able to escape, and as we see in these photos, he is now doing his best to stay out of the spotlight in a New York that Fisk is starting to rule with an iron fist.

The other key detail revealed in these photos is that Punisher is actually exiting Gnucci’s Restaurant, and that would seem to connect to Isabella “Ma” Gnucci. Gnucci is a notable mob boss and powerful antagonist in Castle’s world, so this could be implying that Castle will be going toe to toe with her in the Punisher special.

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Coupled with his upcoming team-up with Spider-Man, things are going to be more lively than ever for Punisher fans, and there’s also always the chance we see him reprise the role again in Daredevil: Born Again season 2. He hasn’t been spotted in set photos for that one, but you simply never know.

Bernthal teased a bit of what fans can expect from the Punisher special, and if you worried that the series would pull back on the character, Bernthal put those worries to rest. “I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve,” Bernthal told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.”

Bernthal was asked about comparisons to the original Netflix series. “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy,” Bernthal said. “I don’t know, if that’s the Netflix tone, then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”

Are you excited for the new Punisher Special? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Marvel and TV with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!