Sweary, ultra-violent, and with a deeply traumatic backstory, Frank Castle has always been an R-rated Marvel character. And every time we've seen Jon Bernthal's version of the vigilante on screen, this has been reinforced as he punches his way through Hell's Kitchen in a blood-soaked rampage.
I've got to admit then that when I heard he was making the big screen jump to a Spider-Man movie, I was pretty confused. How was Punisher going to work alongside our friendly neighborhood superhero? And how much was Disney going to have to dilute the brutal character to squeeze him into a PG-13?
It seemed to be a strange mesh, and the cynic in me wondered why they were even bothering if the result would be an unrecognizable version of Frank. Of course, the Punisher and Spider-Man have shared plenty of comic book pages together, and they both call New York City home, but it was still a big surprise how well Bernthal's character works in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Familiar but different
The way that Destin Daniel Cretton uses the Punisher in Brand New Day is extremely clever. We first see Benthal's antihero zooming through New York in pursuit of a target. Peter Parker swings in and tries to reason with him. "You can't just shoot yourself out of every situation; innocent people get hurt," he shouts at him, before knocking him out of his van. Frank yells, "Mother…" before Peter webs his mouth shut.
It's a really fun introduction and one that proves that Spider-Man has no interest in curbing who the Punisher is. His speech is just as swear-filled as always – in fact, I stopped counting the number of variations of "shit" he uses by about halfway through the movie. He's still going to use firepower to react to every situation and worry about the casualties later.
Cretton keeps Frank acting this way throughout the whole movie. He's constantly negotiating with Peter on his strategy, and his impulsive approach to crimefighting actually becomes a huge plot point during the film's conclusion. Acting before thinking, he shoots towards Roosevelt Island, hitting Peter rather than Jean Grey, putting Spidey in hospital.
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Another of the Punisher's key attributes in all of his on-screen appearances so far has been his tendency to head off alone. We see this throughout Brand New Day, even when Peter tries to force himself back into his orbit, sending MJ to his hideout to try and keep her safe. But just as it stays true to who Frank is, Peter brings out a side to him that we've not seen so far – and that is so enjoyable to watch.
Every scene that Spidey star Tom Holland and Bernthal share together as their superhero counterparts is filled with bickering. A long-running gag about Peter saving Frank's life on Staten Island (surely the MCU's new Budapest) finds its way into each squabble. The pair are like fractious siblings, hitting each other where it hurts as they fail to see eye-to-eye on just about anything.
The chemistry between them clearly comes from a long working relationship. Not only are Bernthal and Holland in another of the summer's big blockbusters together in The Odyssey, but they've actually known each other since 2017. They shared the screen in an Irish movie called Pilgrimage during a period where they were both auditioning for their respective Marvel characters, and even recorded each other's Marvel audition tapes. It feels like fate then that the pair are back together on screen in these roles a decade later.
A new side
Aside from the fun that Bernthal brings to the screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it also feels like this is the most interesting version of the character we've seen yet. At the very least, it's his best MCU appearance to date. So far, Frank has felt like a bit of an afterthought in Daredevil: Born Again, brought in to deliver some punches before he flits off into the night once again.
Even more frustrating was his standalone Disney Plus special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, which rehashed past trauma for Frank as he walked around New York City having hallucinations. No new ground was trodden, and he didn't end up anywhere new at the end of that standalone special.
By taking the character away from his usual storytelling surroundings, Brand New Day doesn't fall into these same traps. Bernthal is able to bring a lot of emotion back to Frank because he meets Peter in a similar state of trauma. Peter is alone by choice, but Frank isn't. The ghosts of his family continue to haunt him. As he tells the webslinger with tears in his eyes that if his loved ones were still breathing, he wouldn't abandon them, it changes something in Peter's mentality towards MJ and Ned. It's a beautiful scene and one that probably only Frank could have brought out in Peter.
Such emotional heft continues into the film's final act. As Frank sits on Peter's bedside, it feels like we've finally found a character that he can care deeply about – and show it. Filled with regret, it feels like part of Frank really has changed.
The Punisher isn't exactly the character we've come to know over the past decade on screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but he isn't far off. Fewer swear words and a bit less blood don't take away the core of who Frank Castle is. In fact, over the course of two and a half hours, Cretton brings the character to a place that's more interesting than we've seen in years and one filled with infinite possibilities of where he could go next.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out in theaters now. For more on the Marvel movie, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review and our guide to how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
