Jon Bernthal's Punisher made his "official" MCU debut in Daredevil: Born Again, and we last saw Frank Castle mounting an escape from Mayor Wilson Fisk's makeshift prison.
The vigilante will return in a Special Presentation coming to Disney+ next year, and while not confirmed, Bernthal is likely to make another appearance in Daredevil: Born Again when it returns for season 2. Frank is also headed to the big screen for what looks set to be a major role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Based on what we've been able to piece together, Frank decides to start targeting superpowered criminals and runs afoul of street-level superhero Spider-Man. He may or may not have a sidekick in his war on crime, and is said to have acquired some formidable weaponry to help battle The Scorpion and those like him.
Now, Jon Bernthal has shared what appears to be his Punisher look for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Just like in those Special Presentation set photos, it seems we can expect Frank to rock a beard, not dissimilar to the one he had during Rick Remender and Marco Checchetto's acclaimed run, which featured a few appearances from Spidey.
"I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve," Bernthal recently said of his upcoming Special Presentation. "We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience."
"It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity."
Asked how the standalone special will compare to the Netflix series, Bernthal teased, "It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that."
Check out Bernthal's Spider-Man: Brand New Day photo in the Instagram post below.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shares a title with a divisive era of storytelling, which, thanks to a deal with Mephisto, saw the wall-crawler get a fresh start when his marriage to Mary Jane Watson ended and his identity became secret again. He faced many new sinister foes during that time and was surrounded by an overhauled supporting cast, including a resurrected Harry Osborn.
Mister Negative, Jackpot, Menace, and Carlie Cooper were some of the standout additions to his world, though they don't currently look set to appear in this movie. Instead, all signs point to Spidey teaming up with (and at some point fighting) The Punisher to take on a Savage Hulk, with The Scorpion thrown in for good measure.
Several other villains are reportedly set to appear in the movie, including Tombstone, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod. There's been some chatter online about the Venom Symbiote factoring into the story, potentially setting the stage for Mac Gargan to eventually don the alien costume.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland leads a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, Tramell Tillman, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is also rumoured to have joined the cast.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.