Jon Bernthal Would Only Return as Punisher Under One Condition

Netflix's Marvel shows may have been criminally short-lived but it can't be denied that they gained a massive cult following amongst fans. And despite the fact that they aren't considered canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that didn't stop the fandom from demanding Kevin Feige to recruit most if not all of its cast members. Rumor has it that actors like Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are MCU bound which gives people renewed hope that other stars will follow suit.

Credit: Netflix

One of them is Punisher actor Jon Bernthal who has also been heavily rumored to be joining the billion-dollar franchise. However, given the nature of Frank Castle and the franchise's reputation of "playing it safe", his potential jump to the MCU raises a few concerns not only from the community but from the actor himself.

Bernthal has constantly declared his interest in reprising his role in the MCU but in a new interview with The Playlist’s Fourth Wall Podcast, the 45-year-old actor seemingly hints that he won't be interested in playing Punisher in the MCU if Marvel Studios chooses to water down the character. He said: “The character’s very much of my bones. That said, I also know how important this character is to so many people. I just don’t want to see the character being handled in a light way. I would only want to be a part of it if it was done the right way. He’s an extraordinarily dark character that is not looking to escape that darkness. I think that’s a really difficult road to go down these days. I would love to do it if we could do it right. It’s not it’s just not about doing it, it’s about doing it right.”

Also Read: The Punisher Reportedly Set for MCU Reboot with Jon Bernthal Returning

The MCU has undoubtedly been seen by many as a family-friendly franchise but this year alone pretty much proved that Marvel Studios is finally willing to go the extra mile and present a more "mature" product for its viewers. Lucky for Bernthal, the MCU a completely different place now and I'm pretty sure Kevin Feige and his crew would have no reservations about presenting Frankle Castle the way he should be presented on screen.

Meanwhile, you can check out episodes of The Punisher on Netflix.