Jon Bernthal Addresses Punisher Return Possibilities Amidst MCU's Multiverse Expansion

When Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first announced Disney+ would be home to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans were thrilled. The MCU would now have movie-level television shows exploring characters and stories that may never have happened otherwise. But fans had a sudden realization: what about all the other shows?

Around the same time as word was coming that Disney+ would house Marvel shows, the various Netflix shows started to be canceled - shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Punisher. The end of an era was at hand. 

Recently, though, rumors have indicated that fans might be seeing those actors in their respective roles once again. The big rumor centers on Charlie Cox returning as Daredevil, someone who has long been rumored to show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Then, of course, there was word recently that Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin might show his face in the upcoming Hawkeye show.

With all of this talk about actors returning to their roles, it was only a matter of time before all the actors were asked about the prospect of returning to the MCU. Now, it's Jon Bernthal's turn to share his thoughts on the matter.

Jon Bernthal Comments on The Punisher

Marvel

In an interview with Screen Rant, former Punisher star Jon Bernthal was asked about returning to his Marvel role during a time when the MCU's multiverse is expanding with projects like Loki, What If...?, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

According to Bernthal, he "[doesn't] think about it very much," but commits to the fact that he's "enormously blessed:"

“You know, we'll see, I mean, honestly, I don't think about it very much. I'm really happy -- look, we're all enormously blessed to be doing this. I can say for the other guys that you're talking to as well, we really love this. We really love doing this. We work hard at it, we support our families by it, through it, but we never lose touch just how grateful we are to be in the position that we are that we get to do this for a living. I like to do this. I like to work with people I really respect and love and admire and make stuff with. This kind of project [Small engine Repair] is precisely, it's exactly the kind of stuff I want to be doing. So, whatever else comes, you know, kind of down the road, comes. But, this is something that's really worth celebrating.”

Will The Punisher Punish Again?

It's been an ongoing debate as to whether the MCU should bring The Punisher back into the fold. The conversations have nothing to do with Bernthal, of course, as he's phenomenal in the role; rather, the discourse is in relation to the state of the current world. 

If there's any character that pushes some of the wrong buttons, it would be the Punisher, especially in this day and age. There is plenty to be said on the topic, but at the end of the day, it's all up to Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige.

If Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are truly returning to their roles, with a slightly different continuity, then discussions likely took place about Bernthal and all the others from the various Marvel Television projects—some are probably still ongoing.

Only time will tell if the world will see Jon Bernthal wear the infamous skull once again. The actor had a strong run as Frank Castle, and hopefully, he has a chance to bring the character to life once again.