Jon Bernthal is back as Frank Castle in a newly released behind-the-scenes look at Marvel’s upcoming Punisher special, which is due to drop on Disney Plus next year.
In the pictures, posted online by Just Jared, we can see Bernthal dressed in a khaki green zip-up hoodie and grey jeans in what looks to be the streets of New York City. However, the star has changed up his hair from Daredevil, and looks to be bruised and bloody, meaning that some bad guys are definitely going to get the Punisher special in the upcoming short.
This is the first we have seen of the anti-hero since his appearance in Daredevil: Born Again. However, the most interesting part of the pictures is what is in the background. Castle seems to be leaning up against a dessert cart outside a restaurant. Could this be Gnucci’s Restaurant from Marvel comics? The location is mentioned in the first issue of Punisher Vol. 5, owned by a mafia-like group called The Gnucci Crime Family.
So, does this mean that we might finally get to see DC villain Isabella Carmela Magdalena brought to the screen? Isabella, known as Ma Gnucci, is the head of the Gnucci crime family and controls many of the illegal doings in New York City, which ultimately leads her to catch the attention of Punisher.
The Punisher special, co-written by Reinaldo Marcus Green and Bernthal himself, was announced earlier this year. The one-off is a part of Marvel’s Special Presentation series, which started with the Werewolf By Night style special in 2022.
Although we are yet to see an official synopsis for the Punisher special, Marvel's head of television Brad Winderbaum told EW, "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… It's so exciting."
The Punisher special is expected to hit Disney Plus sometime in 2026. For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, as well as how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
