With the proliferation of MCU scoopers on the scene over the past five years, it’s become increasingly rare that Marvel Studios can ever truly pull of a surprise. Plot points, castings and even new projects are typically shared by social media scoopers before the trades or Disney get the news out. However, 2025 has been full of surprises with the trades announcing that Marvel had paused development on a series nobody new was being developed, leaked concept art revealing all kinds of interesting plans and news of a Special Presentation featuring Frank Castle, which came straight from the Marvel TV boss’s mouth.
After revealing the project was in the works, Marvel’s head of TV, animation and streaming, Brad Winderbaum, also shared that Jon Bernthal, who will return as Frank Castle in an upcoming episode of Daredevil: Born Again, will co-write the Special Presentation with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct it. Now, while promoting his new film The Accountant 2, Bernthal has shared some more information about the project.
It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story.
-Brad Winderbaum on The Punisher Special Presentation
In an interview with THR, Bernthal described the story of the Special Presentation as one that “this character deserves.”
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. 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.
-Jon Bernthal
It also sounds as though fans who enjoyed the two seasons of the Bernthal’s hyper-violent Netflix series, The Punisher, will also enjoy the new project, which is reportedly debuting in 2026.
“It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy,” said Bernthal when asked how the Special Presentation would compare to the original Netflix series. “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.”
Source: THR
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