Will Jon Bernthal Return As The Punisher? The Actor Opens Up…

For over three years, Punisher by Marvel has gone on to consume Jon Bernthal’s life. The man would be Frank Castle – both on and off the set (at times) – to the point where it went on to change his outlook towards his family and off-screen existence.

While appearing in an interview by The Hollywood Reporter for the debut of his new film, “King Richard” which also stars Will Smith, Bernthal explained, “That character, in particular, has real, real, real deep, deep meaning for me and resonance in me.”

“He’s really in my heart, man. He’s really in my bones,” Bernthal said of Castle. “I’ve said before that there’s nothing in this world more important to me than my wife and my kids, and only until you understand that kind of love and understand what it really means to willingly die for somebody, and what it would be like if somebody took them from you. That’s a road and a darkness and a rage that really, really scares me and brings me to places that I’ve worked the last 20 years to get away from. So I was really grateful, respectful and weary of the places where that role took me and the world in which I had to live in.”

With this being said, would Bernthal ever consider returning to the role of Punisher after it played such an emotional effect on him? However, the actor’s answer is a slightly complicated one.

Jon Bernthal will play Punisher If “It’s Done Right”

Bernthal’s last appearance as Frank Castle happened in the second season of The Punisher, which aired in 2019 on Netflix. While it’s been almost three years since he has played the part, the former star states that he will return to play the role as long as it is done right.

“That’s where that character needs to be,” Bernthal told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think if there’s any let up on that character, you do a disservice to the character, to every iteration of the character, to every comic book that’s come before, and to all of the unbelievable fans of the character,” the actor added. “This character means so much to people in the military. So like I said before, it’s not about whether you do the character; it’s about whether you can do it right, and I’m only interested in doing it right.”

There have been rumors suggesting the return of Netflix’s Marvel characters into the MCU, with Matt Murdock’s return in No Way Home being the most talked-about point. However, even Charlie Cox has denied the rumors. While talking to Uproxx, he said, “Fans would “just have to wait and see what happens.”