In a recent interview with Awards Daily, actor Jon Bernthal reflected on his portrayal of Frank Castle in the second season of Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil. Bernthal admitted that before he was approached for the role, he wasn't actively trying to land a superhero role but learning about Castle's backstory is what changed his mind. "I wasn’t desperately trying to get into the comic book world. [laughs] For me, it’s about the human being. He has no superpower. His superpower is his humanity. It’s his drive, his rage, and his loss. I could never have played this part if I weren’t a husband or father. Until you really understand what it’s like to love somebody more than yourself and to willingly give your life for them, only then can you understand what it would mean if they were taken from you."
Bernthal also discussed how The Punisher's fighting style will vary from what fans saw in his initial introduction to what they'll see from some of the other Defenders like Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. "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."
As far as his favorite scene from Daredevil season 2, it was surprisingly one that was devoid of bullets or flying fists. "A big part of this guy is a guy searching for himself. He’s got pain, regret and remorse. There’s the graveyard scene where he opens up. He delivers this scene where he explains what it’s like to come home and see his daughter. It was such a gift from John C. Kelley. I had been away from my kids for three months, and I was at the crux of my own torture, going through that....He’s in an unbelievably amount of pain. That speech was the anchor of the season for me."
The second season of Daredevil is currently streaming on Netflix. Marvel has confirmed that a Punisher spinoff is currently in development but there's been no announced release date. Steve Lightfoot will serve as showrunner.