SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY - Can A Character Like The Punisher Work In A PG-13 Setting?

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY - Can A Character Like The Punisher Work In A PG-13 Setting?

The recent news that Jon Bernthal will appear as Frank Castle in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was met with a lot of excitement, but there are concerns that the character will be "neutered" in a PG-13 movie.

By MarkCassidy - Jun 22, 2025 02:06 PM EST

We first heard that Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures might be planning to introduce the Punisher to the mix in the then untitled Spider-Man 4 earlier this year. With so many rumors relating to the project doing the rounds at the time, nobody really believed that we'd see the ultra-violent vigilante in the same movie as Tom Holland's Friendly Neighbourhood wall-crawler, but THR confirmed the news on Friday night.

Daredevil: Born Again actor Jon Bernthal is set to make his big-screen debut as Frank Castle in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.  It's believed that Castle have a major role, and might well end up joining forces with Spidey to do battle with a rampaging Savage Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

The news was obviously met with a lot of excitement, but there are also some concerns that Castle will need to be watered down to a significant degree in order to function in the movie's PG-13 setting. Even putting the less visceral on-screen depictions of violence aside, at his core, Frank is a dark, disturbed and disturbing individual, and it's difficult to imagine him fitting in to the relatively wholesome and family-friendly world of the Spider-Man franchise - at least not without stripping away a lot of the things that make this character who he is.

While chatting to THR in a 2021 interview, Bernthal gave an in-depth response when asked about the possibility of reprising the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"That character, in particular, has real, real, real deep, deep meaning for me and resonance in me," he began. "He’s really in my heart, man. He’s really in my bones. I’m enormously protective of that character. 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 what it really means to willingly die for somebody, [do you understand] 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."

"That being said, that’s where that character needs to be. It needs to be a level of darkness," he continued. "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. 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."

Bernthal was clearly given the go-ahead to make Castle every bit as unhinged and brutal as we've ever seen him in Born Again, but there is zero chance he'll have the same freedom in Brand New Day. Still, the fact that he agreed to sign on for the movie does suggest that he was happy with what the studio has planned for the character.

It's also worth noting that we have seen less brutal/ruthless takes in Castle in the comics over the years, though how well those stories were received by fans is up for debate.

At the end of the day, as long as a character like the Hulk - who can absorb a huge amount of punishment without showing the results of the violence - remains Castle's primary target, he can still let loose to some degree... just with less blood and fewer F-bombs!

What do you think? Can a character like the Punisher still work in a PG-13 settong? Drop us a comment down below.

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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 6/22/2025, 2:34 PM
No , ready you dont need to read the slop, now Lets talk about Jonathan Majors AND His role in Leyenda del Zelda
HeraldNumber7
HeraldNumber7 - 6/22/2025, 2:37 PM
short answer: yes, he can.

a movie can be intense without being egregiously violent. it just needs strong enough conflicts to feed the drama.
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 6/22/2025, 11:15 PM
@HeraldNumber7 - this is correct.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 6/22/2025, 2:38 PM
I’m curious about this R Rated iteration working within the PG 13 world of Spider Man aswell unless they do lean into Franks violent nature in service of the story (maybe still not as much as the shows but moreso then we think)…

After the events of NWH , I can see Peter as time and distance have grown that he has perhaps become more isolated and even angry due to having lost his friends and Aunt May (perhaps even checks up on MJ and Ned possibly regretting his decision to stay away from them) and that’s when Frank comes in who is filled with pain and loss aswell as he goads Peter into giving in because it’s the only right way to deal with these criminals or could even try to dissuade Peter from heading down the same route as him due to maybe finding out he’s still a “kid” etc.

There are certainly dramatic avenues they can go so I hope Cretton & his team capitalize on that.
CerealKiller1
CerealKiller1 - 6/22/2025, 2:46 PM
@TheVisionary25 - I think his style would be well suited for a movie with Mr. negative as the villain. His ‘demons’ are just guys but they are effectively immortal in that he can bring them back, so that might skirt the R rating if he can drop bodies all over the place with no true consequences?
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 6/22/2025, 6:54 PM
@CerealKiller1 - Yeh, I mean if they come back to life in some ways how different in some ways would it be to Wanda ripping a heart out of a body that was OK for PG13 due to it being a Robot. Look at the body count in some of the MCU films, Infinity War half the population of the entire Universe was wiped out, so I find it strange to think any character can be considered too dark for PG13, there are always ways to do it.

Everything obviously depends on how much Punisher would be in the film anyway, if he isn't the lead then he need not be involved in most the action scenes anyway and if battling the Hulk in the third act they can get away with a LOT. Also wouldn't we want them to push it darker than prior Spider-Man films anyway to the very limit of what can pass as PG13 as that is where Peter should with where the last film left off, he aint a High School Kid living with his Aunt anymore. The point should be somewhere along the line of heading down a darker path, someone like Frank that is the extreme of that is the perfect sort of character to make Parker confront what he could become.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 6/22/2025, 2:41 PM
" Can A Character Like The Punisher Work In A PG-13 Setting?" The Punisher? no, however this version of frank probably could.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 6/22/2025, 4:02 PM
@harryba11zack - yeah he's already a caricature.
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 6/22/2025, 11:15 PM
@harryba11zack - yeah ok
Fogs
Fogs - 6/22/2025, 2:47 PM
No, it can't.

Next!
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 6/22/2025, 2:47 PM
I think this current version could work in a PG-13 setting. Give him robots/humans with augmented body parts that makes them less human-like to shoot instead of your run of the mill thugs.
Don’t have him overtly, outright just shoot someone in the head.
If he does shoot a regular person then show them moving at the end of the scene and let them die off screen.
There’s quite a few ways to tone him down and still keep his edge, you just have to put forth enough effort.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 6/22/2025, 2:50 PM
Yes, just don't let The Punisher be The Punisher.

DannyBrandy20
DannyBrandy20 - 6/22/2025, 2:51 PM
Punisher started out as Spider Man Villain

It can work but not a fan of this Punisher or any Netflix bootleg Defenders


User Comment Image
Geochili
Geochili - 6/23/2025, 1:31 AM
@DannyBrandy20 - Yes! Absolutely! I definitely want military service members and police officers to idolize a psycho MFer devoid of anything resembling a conscience who started out as a villain that hunted a friendly neighborhood superhero who protects innocent people. Like who does Spider-Man think he is just trying to help regular people like that when he could be filled with rage and kill them. I was pissed that Ray's Punisher didn't drown that child in his arms in a bathtub after he blew that dude's face off in the next room with a shotgun. Like, goddammit…no witnesses, man. Amirite? At least that kid may have some irreparable hearing loss, and probably shit their underoos, so that should count for something I guess.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 6/22/2025, 2:53 PM
Could work for a small part, like 1 or 2 scenes. But no longer than that.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 6/22/2025, 2:59 PM
I mean they can. it'll just be watered down🤷🏾‍♂️
Saintsinnister
Saintsinnister - 6/22/2025, 3:12 PM
The episodes of the animated series in the 90’s featuring The Punisher were some of my favorites. The character would fair just fine as a cameo in a PG 13 movie. Creative editing and storytelling is the key
jackbauer884
jackbauer884 - 6/22/2025, 3:58 PM
@Saintsinnister - Nobody careeees about that old animated series. Punisher has to be Rated-R deal with it.
Saintsinnister
Saintsinnister - 6/22/2025, 4:09 PM
@jackbauer884 - Nobody cares about your dumb opinion. Punisher is in fact going to be in a PG13 movie and it’s you who will have to deal with it. 🤣
Scarilian
Scarilian - 6/22/2025, 3:32 PM
Why put Punisher and Hulk in this movie? This is our only opportunity to have a Spider-man without all the MCU crap. Just have him on his own, neglecting his life as Peter Parker and recklessly throwing himself into being Spider-man. Maybe do the black suit storyline given you set that up in the previous movie and have Scorpion become Venom for a final fight - you'd want to explore that prior so you can have Eddie Brocks' Venom show up in Secret Wars.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 6/22/2025, 3:41 PM
@Scarilian - "Why put Punisher and Hulk in this movie? This is our only opportunity to have a Spider-man without all the MCU crap."

Because this version of Spider-Man is nowhere near good enough to carry an entire movie on his own.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 6/22/2025, 4:03 PM
@Scarilian - they have no faith in Holland's Spidey.
AlexGSpeaks
AlexGSpeaks - 6/23/2025, 12:35 AM
@Scarilian - We got 5 Spidey movies without "MCU crap" all because we had no choice. Now that it's possible, I want Spidey with "MCU crap." The best parts of these films is watching these characters interact with each other. We may never see this again.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 6/23/2025, 8:06 AM
@AlexGSpeaks -
"We may never see this again."

True, but I honestly probably won't watch it once if that is what they are focusing on. It's not what I want to see from a Spider-man movie, especially with the set-up from NWH. What's the point of post-credit scenes teasing future movies if the next person involved just ignores it?

Hulk has been bastardized and ruined by Disney, the idea of his involvement in any sense is a detracting element. I don't see any appeal of Punisher interacting with this version of Spider-man, maybe Tobey or Andrew, but not Tom Holland.
jackbauer884
jackbauer884 - 6/22/2025, 3:59 PM
Simple answer. It doesn't work. Stop watering down Antiheroes, if can#t handle them.
FusionWarrior
FusionWarrior - 6/22/2025, 4:00 PM
Spider-Man: The Animated Series is a good example of seeing The Punisher in a kid-friendly setting.
Rexotron
Rexotron - 6/22/2025, 4:01 PM
Yes absolutely! You look at the the Original Thomas Jan punisher. It's not the hardest R as far as violence goes. It is very tame compared to all the live action action Punisher projects afterwards.
RacialPowerman
RacialPowerman - 6/22/2025, 4:55 PM
@Rexotron - The Original would be Dolph Lundgren.
DonkeyLift
DonkeyLift - 6/22/2025, 4:03 PM
Would be interesting to see black-suit spidey feeding off the anger of a character like Frank…
McMurdo
McMurdo - 6/22/2025, 4:04 PM
Gonna be a meme if Hulk is the villain
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 6/22/2025, 5:04 PM
Just get a little creative with the camera work. The violence can be there without all the gore porn. We don’t need to see someone get their face pulled off.
AllsNotGood
AllsNotGood - 6/22/2025, 5:05 PM
I mean megan thee stallion showed us her colon on shehulk
hue66
hue66 - 6/22/2025, 5:13 PM
First of all I don't see how the punisher can go up against the hulk. Even the falcon CA had tools at his disposal to both avoid and attack. Punisher has guns. And for the same reason his violence would seem watered down because all his bullets can't hurt the hulk. So no bloody consequences.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 6/22/2025, 7:04 PM
@hue66 - The how depends on the outcome, Tony Stark was only human and battled Hulk then later destroyed an entire alien army by snapping his fingers. Punisher killed him in the comics, Hawkeye defeated Hulk a couple times too in print, there are ways a human can defeat a god IF there is a strong narrative way that works on screen.

Killing Hulk, likely not but with tactics and/or gizmos (potentialy designed by Banner or the Leader) if any human could bring down the rage monster it would be Punisher. That could lead, effectively, to the end of Banner completely for a while and a full fledged max power level savage Hulk afterwards.
Huskers
Huskers - 6/22/2025, 5:22 PM
No, and there’s too many characters affiliated with this already. I’m sick of the damn Spiderman and his Amazing friends show Disney! NWH set you up perfectly for a solo Spidey dealing with hardship and you guys just couldn’t take the baton and run with it! 🤦🏻‍♂️ No wonder your movies are failing.
Gambito
Gambito - 6/22/2025, 5:46 PM
@Huskers - you mean like a Spiderman comic where he constantly runs into other heroes? The fact that it’s the punisher pretty much confirms that it’s gonna be a grounded adventure, plus we already got 5 solo Spider-Man movies and iron man barely showed up in homecoming
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 6/22/2025, 11:18 PM
@Huskers - they did set it up perfectly but I think they’re still going for the solo hardship angle for the most part. Let’s just give it a chance. If not we’ll complain about it together.
fanboy03191
fanboy03191 - 6/22/2025, 5:51 PM
Well considering his comics didn’t become super violent until the late 1990s I think it’ll be alright. All you idiots do is nitpick.
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 6/22/2025, 11:19 PM
@fanboy03191 - you got it!

The gore isn’t what made Frank Castle’s character compelling, and an actor like Bernthal can absolutely make it work.
fanboy03191
fanboy03191 - 6/23/2025, 7:24 AM
@SummersEssex - yep!
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