Last night, Marvel's Brad Winderbaum confirmed the rumor that Frank Castle will return for his own Disney+ Punisher Special Presentation after first making his presence felt in Daredevil: Born Again, and we now have more details on the project courtesy of EW.
Star Jon Bernthal will co-write the script with his We Own This City director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who is also on board to helm the Special.
"It's like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story," Winderbaum tells the site. "It's so exciting."
Winderbaum reveals that the idea for a Punisher standalone story manifested during production on Born Again, which will see Matt Murdock enlist his ultra-violent former ally for a mission Daredevil is "unwilling to do" (exactly what this dirty deed is remains to be seen).
"Bernthal is a generational actor," Winderbaum adds. "He's incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he's a great writer. He knows the character inside and out.... Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon's Punisher in particular. The idea that he's in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever."
Plot details are still under wraps, but we may have a better idea of what to expect after we see Born Again. Social media reactions to the first two episodes landed late last night (click here to check them out).
The Punisher Special Presentation is expected to premiere in 2026 along with the second season of Born Again.
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The show also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is on board as showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.