Marvel.com has officially announced that The Walking Dead and The Wolf of Wall Street star Jon Bernthal will be joining the cast of Marvel’s DAREDEVIL for the 2016 season. He will be playing Frank Castle (aka The Punisher), putting to bed years of rumours of what the studio would be doing with the character since the screen rights returned from Lionsgate.
Season 2 logo – complete with bullet holes
Bernthal is no stranger to the comic book world, having previously played Shane Walsh, the character we loved to hate, on the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. He’s been more recently seen in Fury, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl and will appear in the upcoming We Are Your Friends.
“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,” said Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television. “Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.”
This interesting addition to the cast certainly changes our perceptions of what the second season of DAREDEVIL could possibly be, which many assumed would be a retelling of Frank Miller’s Elektra saga, with Bullseye as the main antagonist. The Greek love interest was certainly hinted at in the first season. However, the inclusion of The Punisher certainly does preclude this.
The Punisher and Daredevil have a long standing history that actually goes back to Daredevil #183 (June 1982), the height of Miller’s infamous run. The two have seen a long standing rivalry over their different views on cleaning up New York, and The Punisher will make a perfect addition to the grim and gritty world crafted in the first season of the Netflix series. It also potentially leaves him open for a cameo in Captain America: Civil War, a story arc that he played a significant role in during the comic run.
DAREDEVIL: Season 2 will hit Netflix sometime in 2016. Prior to that, we will next see the Marvel universe on Netflix in AKA Jessica Jones later this year.
