We’re a month away from being “All In” to see DC’s “Justice League” on the big screen. But next month comes a one-man vigilante justice league in the form of Marvel’s “The Punisher” on Netflix. Jon Bernthal of “The Walking Dead” is back for another batch as Frank Castle, who became a fan favorite in the second season of “Daredevil”. Castle was unmasked as the equal yet somewhat opposite of blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)’s masked Man Without Fear (aka “Red”): a trained soldier seeking the people responsible for the brutal deaths of his family.
Marvel’s “The Punisher” will find Castle going from military “hit man” to vigilante “hit man”: waging not one but two wars. The first: the war that is inside of him in the aftermath of his service. The second: the war to uncover the truth behind his family’s murder against those who will stop at nothing in making sure that the truth will stay buried alongside Frank Castle, who’s on a mission not to avenge, not to defend, not to protect, not to serve, but to punish the guilty and corrupt, and the powerful.
Created in 1974, the Punisher remains both a controversial and compelling character: an anti-hero in the ranks of Wolverine from the X-Men, the characters Paul Kersey from “Death Wish” and Vietnam veteran John Rambo, and Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry”. Frank Castle/the Punisher has been played on the big screen by Dolph Lundgren in 1989 and Thomas Jane in 2004, and Ray Stevenson with 2008’s “Punisher: War Zone”.
Whereas the way of Daredevil is justice, the way of the Punisher is simple: punishing those who do evil among others
Marvel’s “The Punisher” debuts November 17 on Netflix.