Daredevil: Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal joins Marvel's Netflix show as anti-hero The Punisher
'Frank Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same'
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Your support makes all the difference.Daredevil is one of the best TV series of recent times and a complete departure from the rest of the Marvel Universe – there's blood, drugs and a decent villain!
The second season of the Netflix show looks set to be even greater as The Punisher will be joining Murdock and Nelson, with Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal playing the iconic anti-hero.
Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb said of the casting: "Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences.
"Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same."
The Punisher was last seen on screen in the 2012 short The Punisher: Dirty Laundry being played by Thomas Jane, the actor reprising the role from the 2004 film The Punisher.
Many fans, and the actor himself, wanted Jane to take on the role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe but Marvel look intent on not taking on any of the baggage that could come from previous projects (so don't hold out for Wesley Snipes to play Blade again).
In 2008 Ray Stevenson also played Frank Castle in the critically panned Punisher: War Zone, but was unlikely to pick up the role again as he has already featured in the Thor movies.
“He is a vigilante who aims to clean up New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the result,” reads Marvel’s statement on The Punisher.
Notably in the release Vincent D’Onofrio, who played Daredevil adversary Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, is missing from the list of stars set to appear in the next season of Daredevil.
This has fuelled speculation that The Punisher will be the series main villain, eventually turning good to fight alongside The Defenders against Fisk in the mini-series of the same name.
Marvel’s Daredevil season two will be released onto Netflix in 2016. Marvel’s Jessica Jones, which takes place in the same fictional universe, will be released onto the streaming service later this year.
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