There's been talk of Jon Bernthal potentially reprising the role of The Punisher from the now defunct Netflix series for quite a while, but the rumors really began to pick up steam following the MCU debuts of Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and The Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio), and we may finally have confirmation that Frank Castle will indeed be making his presence felt during Phase 5.
Actor Kasey O’Keefe shared an Instagram photo of Bernthal, noting that he's "looking forward to working with you During Marvel Phase 5!" He doesn't mention which project, but does add the #Punisher hashtag below.
Though this obviously shouldn't be taken as official word on the character's return, it certainly adds to the already compelling evidence. Recently, Rosario Dawson seemingly let slip that Bernthal's take on Frank Castle will be back, and even though the Sin City actress would later walk back her comments, it was enough to convince fans that the ultra-violent vigilante is MCU-bound.
UPDATE: So, it seems Mr. O'Keefe has made a bit of a habit out of posing for photos with celebs and saying how much he's "looking forward to working" with them. He did tag Bernthal in this post, but yeah, probably wouldn't put too much stock in this after all!
Check out the Instagram post below.
Bernthal is rumored to have a role in the planned Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. Castle and Matt Murdock have a lot of history in the comic books, and even though they don't cross paths in Frank Miller's Born Again comic, we already know that the show is going to have to make some significant changes to the source material.
It might be worth noting that the upcoming Daredevil series may not be the first time we see the character, as we've also heard whispers that he could factor into Echo.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.