Jon Bernthal received much praise for his portrayal of Frank Castle in the second season of Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix, but the actor claims the character may not have even gone through his transformation in becoming The Punisher just yet.
Credit: Netflix
Speaking to Awards Daily about his first season of Daredevil, Bernthal commented: "I think when you're talking about characters like these, the way they fight, what's motivating the fight is very important. Beating someone up to drag them into jail is different than someone who is exercising his rage on people.
"The Frank Castle you find in this story is not The Punisher. He's reeling from the loss of his family. He's driven by rage and is on a singular mission to find these people who took his family from him, and do it as brutally as possible."
He also praised Netflix for allowing the story of The Punisher to unfold in the way it does, adding: "With the TV model, whether cable or network, you sort of have to operate in these gray areas where if your character is going down a road where you could lose the audience, you have to keep it gray and play it both ways.
"A character like Frank Castle, he goes all the way, and later on humanity sets in. The regret, humiliation and shame pour in later with him. I love that you don't have to tell all these different stories and let that affect you in a natural way. There's no question that the Netflix model is a real ally in that."
One conclusion fans may be able to draw from this is that we'll see Castle truly become The Punisher during his own solo series, which has previously been confirmed by Marvel and Netflix.
When exactly we'll see that come to fruition on the streaming service is yet to be revealed, but it's expected at some point within the next couple of years.
Daredevil seasons 1 and 2 are available now to stream, alongside Jessica Jones season 1. Luke Cage season 1 debuts September 30, and filming for Iron Fist is underway. The Defenders and The Punisher are expected to follow.
Tagged in Daredevil Marvel Netflix Jon Bernthal