Not content with making a barnstorming comeback as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal is pushing forward with a standalone Punisher special. This one-off is now greenlit and is imagined to be similar in style to Werewolf by Night.

As a measure of his commitment, Bernthal is both starring in the special and writing it. His interest in this project comes from his dissatisfaction with the scrapped initial version of Daredevil: Born Again, which he felt misrepresented Frank Castle. Word is that once Kevin Feige saw what’d been filmed – which apparently didn’t feature Daredevil in costume until episode 4 – he fired the directors and showrunners and threw the original pitch in the trash.

Bernthal explained to Entertainment Weekly that he was initially asked to be part of the first version but turned it down. He said. “Ultimately, I didn’t see it. I didn’t see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn’t] really make sense to me, and I thought would not appeal to the fans and wouldn’t be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away.”

Matt Murdock and Frank Castle back on my screen together I’ve missed this and The Punisher sm! They delivered another masterpiece of a scene together #DaredevilBornAgain pic.twitter.com/x6qV29kZ

— 𝙶𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎 DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN ERA// (@giselleb1234) March 19, 2025

After significant changes, including new lead writers and bringing in Dario Scardapane, who had worked on The Punisher, as showrunner, Marvel reached out to Bernthal again. This time, there was more collaboration, giving Bernthal a bigger say in how Frank Castle would be portrayed.

Bernthal said, “They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank’s at physically.” This partnership resulted in the Punisher’s brief appearance in episode four of Daredevil: Born Again.

Bernthal felt that this scene served as an initial test to see if Marvel was open to a darker, more complex version of Frank Castle, steering away from humor. The positive from that appearance helped get the green light for the Punisher special.

This will be a t effort between Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who has previously worked with Bernthal on King Richard and We Own This City. Bernthal has also enlisted Nick Koumalatsos, a Marine Raider who played a crucial role in his training for both The Punisher and Daredevil: Born Again, to be a consultant for the new special.

Before writing the script for the Punisher TV special, Bernthal presented a detailed outline. Marvel was involved in each step of the process, ensuring that the project aligned with their vision while letting Bernthal stay true to his interpretation of the character. The aim is to create a raw, complex, and unflinching depiction of Frank Castle that examines the cost of violence.

The original The Punisher series did a good job of going over Castle’s emotions and his mindset, but it seems like Disney is willing to give certain Marvel characters the space to go further into darker and more mature themes.

Daredevil: Born Again looks to be a jumping-off point for Castle to return to the MCU and leap into his own special. There’s still no word on whether that could lead a TV series, but if it’s a hit expect to see much more of Bernthal’s Frank Castle across the MCU.

The Russo brothers have every right to be an authority on the MCU. After all, they helmed The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame, so it’s safe to say they know what they’re talking about. That said, their hints that the Punisher played a key role in a Winter Soldier action scene sounds just a teeny bit far-fetched.

The notion dates back to a DVD g in 2014, where Joe Russo strongly hinted that the driver of the yellow truck that takes out two HYDRA agents pursuing Nick Fury was Frank Castle all along. At the time Russo said:

“The man who drives that truck is very highly trained. He thinks on his own . He’s got a plan and a very specific skill set.”

We’re now almost a decade on from these comments, since then Jon Bernthal has made his MCU debut as the character in the Netflix MCU shows, and will soon reprise the role in Daredevil: Born Again. So, is this really Frank Castle? Fans over on r/MarvelStudios are debating the matter, and there are no easy answers:

Replies are skeptical, saying this “feels too unlikely,” and that it’s simply a random truck driver who couldn’t stop in time. Another says secret Punisher cameos seem to be a running joke between the Russo brothers, as they’ve also said Castle was hit by the bench Hulk threw after learning Black Widow died.

Another points out that this wouldn’t even make sense chronologically, saying that Daredevil season 2 takes place after this movie, so his crusade against crime hasn’t even officially begun.

We’re with the fans on this, and suspect Joe Russo wasn’t being entirely serious. Either way, we’re looking forward to seeing Bernthal dishing out some more violent retribution on Disney Plus soon.

Since the beginning of the MCU, Kevin Feige and company have struggled to build memorable, complex antagonists to fill the requirement for single-film villainy.

For every Loki and Thanos that grew richer over the course of multiple films, there are myriad Whiplashes, Kroses, Malekiths, and Ronans who only showed up for one (or mostly one) movie and felt interchangeable with other single-op villains that exist only to nudge the heroes along their chaptered paths.

One Marvel fan has taken to Reddit to point out how much better the antagonists were back when Marvel was farming out its TV work to a television arm that built content just for Netflix, which produced the series Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron First, The Punisher, and the crossover show Defenders.

This Redditor singled out the villains for the first seasons of Daredevil and Jessica Jones — Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and David Tennant’s Kilgrave, respectively:

And miraculously, most of the responses seem to agree:

Fans of comic book entertainment will be quick to point out that Kingpin continued on in other seasons and even other television shows — but the original poster is focusing on the first season here.

Sure, 10 or more episodes afford writers a lot more time than in films to make villains multidimensional, but the Redditor suggests the difference is more than that. Namely, the writers of those shows knew how to make each villain more sympathetic and simultaneously more terrifying than any of the one-offs in Marvel movies. Some of the replies weighed in on why the Netflix villains worked so well:

Considering that last comment, perhaps Marvel is leaning too hard into its Disney side these days. The Netflix shows felt R-rated, and the villains therein felt capable of anything. D’Onofrio reprised Kingpin in the Disney Plus series Hawkeye, and he didn’t have a fraction of the impact that he had in Daredevil.

Maybe it’s time to decide which Marvel properties are specifically going to be “for kids,” and which are going to be for all the people who grew up watching the first three phases of Marvel films and now want something to meet them where they are — older, more cynical, more understanding that there are multiple shades to all bad people. Characters like Kaecilius just don’t cut it anymore.

If Deadpool 3 is going to be R-rated, then we should be able to have villains that feel threatening and real, in at least some Marvel cinematic entries. You should fear for the protagonists whenever the bad guy walks into a room. You don’t need an actual R-rating to do that (see The Dark Knight), but you do need to approach the material with a level of maturity and nuance. Marvel is already on a losing streak these days — it can’t hurt to make us shake in our boots a little.

Sorry Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Jon Bernthal, when it comes to the Punisher; we only have eyes for Ray Stevenson. The Thor, Rome and RRR star tragically died yesterday at the age of just 58 from an unknown condition. Since then, tributes have flooded in from across the entertainment world, and fans have celebrated some of his greatest roles.

Producer Gale Anne Hurd posted her own, with the pair having worked together on 2008’s Punisher: War Zone:

So, perhaps it’s finally time for a proper critical rehabilitation of Punisher: War Zone. Director Lexi Alexander reviewed years of comics before making the movie to nail the tone, paying particular attention to Garth Ennis’ ultra violent Punisher MAX run.

The result was a blood-soaked killing spree in which Frank racks up a ludicrous amount of bodies, a truly bizarre villain in Dominic West’s scenery-chewing Jigsaw, and some brilliant gags (naturally, rocket launcher vs parkour comes to mind first). Alexander nailed the over-the-top tone and sense of carnage, making it feel like an Ennis comic come to life.

All that’s anchored by Stevenson’s Frank Castle; a grim, foreboding, and scarily determined figure who could have walked right off the pages of a Garth Ennis comic. Sadly, none of this was enough to prevent it from being a colossal flop: critics hated it, it got 29 percent on the Tomatometer, and made just $10 million at the box office.

In recent years, there’s been a quiet shift in opinion about this supremely underrated movie. Here’s hoping Stevenson’s ing gives more people the motivation to check out one of his best roles, and realize in delight that Punisher: War Zone is actually pretty damn amazing.

We’ve known for a while now that Jon Bernthal will be returning as Frank Castle/Punisher in Disney Plus’ series Daredevil: Born Again, which doesn’t appear to be continuing on from where Netflix’s Daredevil series left off. After bidding a fond farewell to Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson, we’re hoping that Born Again has plenty in store to keep viewers keen after making the risky decision to drop two of its lead stars.

Everyone knows there’s no Matt Murdock without Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, so Marvel has a lot of explaining to do. Even so, we were delighted by the news that both Jon Bernthal and Vincent D’Onofrio would be making comebacks as Punisher and Kingpin, respectively.

In preparation for his imminent return, Bernthal has been hitting the gym regularly, even choosing to revisit boxing as a pastime and as part of his workout regime. The Punisher star featured in an Instagram video posted by Slink Proper, a professional boxer with whom Bernthal has been training. It isn’t every day that you get Frank Castle himself throwing punches at you, so we’re assuming it was a real honor.

Slink Proper warned against entering the ring with Bernthal, whom he claims has “got hands” and could “KO somebody” and “end” their acting career. As for Daredevil: Born Again, which is currently shooting, we’re expecting the series to land on Disney Plus in spring 2024.

We’re still a while away from Daredevil: Born Again dropping on Disney Plus, but even a full year in advance, Marvel has shed some light on what’s to be expected from the follow-up series. Showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord will be reimagining Matt Murdock eight years post-Daredevil, the Netflix series that began airing in 2015 and lasted for three seasons until its cancelation in 2018 and migration to Disney Plus.

Following the announcement, Cox was saddened by the knowledge that a fourth season would never see the light of day, despite the cast and crew anticipating it. He shared an interest in reprising the role for future MCU projects, which he did so for Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk.

Back in June 2022, Variety confirmed that Vincent D’Onofrio would be returning as Kingpin. In addition, more recent developments have revealed that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle/Punisher, but as The Hollywood Reporter outlined just a few days ago, Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page) and Elden Henson (Foogy Nelson) were unlikely to be making a comeback. That leaves Matt Murdock without two comic-central associates, so the door’s now wide open for replacements. There are a handful of candidates who could elevate Born Again to the next level, especially if the MCU is veering evermore towards crossover ventures.

Jessica Jones

She’s been absent from the MCU since The Defenders, having sang her solo swan song in 2018 — along with the other Marvel Television properties owned (at the time) by Netflix. Jessica Jones aired three seasons from 2015 to 2018, establishing itself as Netflix’s most-watched Marvel series behind Daredevil.

There were rumors that Jessica Jones would briefly appear in Disney Plus’ She-Hulk series, but they were since debunked and well… it didn’t happen. Ritter has shared her enthusiasm to return, so it’s just a matter of where/when, meaning Born Again could be the exact opening she needs.

Punisher

Until recently, we were still on the fence about whether Jon Bernthal would be ing Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, but reports have confirmed that he’ll be ing the main cast. There’s some significance to Frank’s inclusion in Born Again, considering the comics make it exceedingly evident that Murdock and Castle don’t get along. Although they met in Daredevil‘s second season, they’re fundamentally different in many ways.

We can assume that Punisher will either be a reluctant hero aiding Daredevil in his efforts or an associate of the Kingpin, considering his off-hand nature and apparent disregard for human life urging him to cooperate with whoever benefits him personally.

Colleen Wing

Everyone has their own conflicting opinions of Iron Fist, but whether you loved it or hated it, we can unanimously agree that Colleen Wing was the saving grace of the series. Wing initially assisted Danny Rand with tracking down the Hand, but an altercation leads to Misty Knight (we’ll get to her) losing a limb as a sacrifice to save Wing’s life.

As per ScreenRant, Cox has even given his blessing for Jessica Henwick to return for a future MCU project. He said: “I don’t know what they’re thinking, but I will absolutely put in a good word. And you’re 100 percent right about that. [Jessica] is awesome.” If Cox himself is asking for it, why shouldn’t it happen? It’s only in The Defenders that we see Daredevil and Colleen Wing interact, but the latter proves herself as a worthy companion and earns the former’s respect and trust. There’s no reason that Murdock wouldn’t call upon Wing in a time of crisis.

Misty Knight

Introduced in Luke Cage, Misty Knight aided the titular Harlem-bred hero in taking down Cottonmouth, a criminal godfather and leader of the Stokes Crime Family. When enlisting Cage’s help in solving a case, Knight found herself in the middle of a conflict between The Defenders and the Hand. In saving Claire Temple from the Finger of the Hand Bakuto, Knight lost her right arm and was later outfitted with a bionic limb.

Upon returning from medical leave, Knight found herself ridiculed by her co-workers due to her disability, forcing her to prove herself to her peers. She even assisted Iron Fist and Colleen Wing in their fight against Davos, so Knight is a constant thread on the web that Marvel weaves.

Claire Temple

Although she debuted in Daredevil, Claire Temple has managed to sneak herself (inadvertently) into the lives of the other Defenders. Working as a night-shift nurse, Temple has aided Jessica Jones in saving Luke Cage’s life, nursed Murdock back to health, and later encountered Danny Rand and Colleen Wing during the fight against the Hand, allowing Wing to lend her knowledge of basic martial arts to Temple.

In fact, she was partly responsible for the forming of the Defenders, who went on to defeat the Hand. Let’s just hope that Born Again, if it brings Temple back, develops the character to some extent, even if all we get out of it is a five-minute cameo or a few lines of dialogue.

Quake

Although Matt Murdock and Daisy Johnson have never crossed paths in the MCU, it’s not for a lack of chances. Daredevil hasn’t been overly involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. during his days as a vigilante crime-fighter, but both Murdock and Johnson are fighting for the same cause, so it stands to reason that both of them should (realistically) interact soon enough.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are always on patrol around New York City in search of the darkest underbellies in the Big Apple, so if Daredevil operates within Hell’s Kitchen, there’s definitely a chance encounter to be had.

Karen Page

Just because Karen wasn’t expected to be involved, doesn’t mean we should rule her out just yet. Deborah Ann Woll’s character has been a long-time associate of Daredevil since the start. Their on-again, off-again relationship makes things all the more complicated, adding an extra layer of fragility to the double life Matt leads. Page is the former office manager of Nelson and Murdock — Foggy and Matt’s law firm — and was instrumental in bringing Kingpin to justice.

There’s a lot at stake with Page knowing Matt’s identity, especially as supervillains tend to use those types of intimate connections and vulnerabilities against their foes. Perhaps Page can go for a hat trick and get kidnapped by Kingpin in Born Again. That would cross off a lot of bingo cards.

Foggy Nelson

Just like Page, Foggy supposedly won’t be returning for Born Again, but how could you not include him in some capacity? Nelson is the comedic relief of the series, whether he’s intentionally wise-cracking or just being his usual, fun-loving self. Plus, he’s Matt’s best friend, so leaving him out of Born Again feels… for lack of a better and less ironic word, criminal. Even after Matt revealed his dual identity to Foggy, the latter remains loyal to him.

However, Foggy grew impatient with Matt’s escapades as his double life as Daredevil began to affect the smooth operation of their t law firm. When Daredevil was presumed dead after The Defenders took on the Hand, Nelson and Murdock disbanded and Foggy found a job at Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz, but once it was revealed that Matt was alive, Foggy — like Page — played a pivotal role in bringing Fisk to justice. He proposed a new law firm, reigniting his ion for all things fair and just. Right now, Nelson doesn’t have a lot to keep him occupied, so one more run-in with Daredevil and Fisk wouldn’t do much harm.

Bullseye

Expertly portrayed by Wilson Bethel, Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter was never explicitly given the Bullseye moniker in Netflix’s series, though considering how the show’s third season ended, Poindexter’s alter-ego could be nobody else. Sadly, fans never got to further explore Netflix’s unique take on the villain due to Disney pulling the plug, and of all the villains introduced in the Defenders saga, the expert marksman was arguably shafted more than any other.

Ideally, Bethel would be brought back to pick up where he left off, though even if that’s not possible, continuing with the already established narrative would be an acceptable compromise.

Luke Cage

Why not? He’s already crossed over into the Jessica Jones universe before, as well as having a run-in with Daredevil in The Defenders, so Cage and Murdock are well-acquainted enough to consider one another teammates and partners. If Daredevil should ever find himself in a pinch around the Harlem area, who else could he call upon?

They come from two different worlds and live contrasting lives, but Cage is a reliable and honest man, so who’s to say that after teaming up with Daredevil before, he wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to do it again? Clearly, he respects Matt Murdock and vice-versa, so if the fight against Kingpin ever crosses over into Luke’s territory, you can bet he’ll have something to say about it. Besides, it would be an interesting pairing to pit someone like Luke Cage — in all his muscle-bound glory — against a behemoth like Kingpin. There’s nothing more thrilling than a battle of the brawn.

In news that we were all waiting for, Daredevil: Born Again is officially set to bring back at least one of Matt Murdock’s fellow Defenders Saga heroes. Following the long-awaited revival finally going before cameras this week, it’s been announced that Jon Bernthal will be reprising his widely acclaimed take on Frank Castle aka the Marvel universe’s most lethal vigilante, the Punisher.

Clearly excited to be back in the MCU, the actor himself has wasted no time celebrating his return to his most beloved role by publishing the perfect post on Instagram. Foregoing any kind of caption, Bernthal took to social media to share a screenshot that’s hopefully pretty indicative of what we’re going to get from the Punisher’s unexpected Disney Plus debut — a furious Frank coming out all guns blazing, sporting his iconic skull insignia on his chest.

This screenshot is an extremely appropriate picture to post in this instance as it comes from the concluding scene of the final episode of The Punisher season two, which for a long while there looked to be the last time that Bernthal would ever get to embody this character. Thankfully, we now know that isn’t the case, although more cynical fans are already worrying that the Mouse House is going to sand down what makes Castle so great.

At this juncture, it’s unclear how big a presence the Punisher will have in Born Again, but considering the Hell’s Kitchen crusader and Castle had a fascinating partnership/rivalry in the Netflix series, any reunion for the pair should result in some thrilling drama. The 18-part Daredevil: Born Again is on course to premiere on streaming in early 2024.

Jon Bernthal will be back as the Punisher himself Frank Castle in the Disney Plus series Daredevil: Born Again. The Punisher season two was released in Jan. 2019, but he’s yet to make his appearance in the main MCU. That all changes with the new Daredevil series.

In a story from The Hollywood Reporter, sources have confirmed that Bernthal will reprise his role as the anti-hero Frank Castle, though the specific capacity isn’t currently known. Charlie Cox returns as the titular vigilante, and he will be ed by Vincent D’Onofrio who returns as Kingpin.

The new series is set to shoot later this month in New York and is expected to release in the spring of 2024. The series will follow the Echo series starring Alaqua Cox, who first appeared as Echo in the Hawkeye series. She’s got a grudge against Kingpin for orchestrating the death of her father, and though she thought she got rid of him in the Hawkeye finale, he doesn’t go down so easy.

At this time, actors Deborah Ann Woll, who played Karen Page, and Elden Henson, who played Foggy, are not on the roll call for Daredevil: Born Again, despite being ing characters in the Netflix series.

Daredevil: Born Again season one will be 18 episodes long, a marked difference from the standard six episodes for most MCU Disney Plus shows (though Wandavision and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law had nine). Cox has already made his MCU debut in the multiverse extravaganza Spider-Man: No Way Home and in She-Hulk, season one, episode eight, “Ribbit and Rip It,” with a new costume that incorporated yellow into the design.

Bernthal’s Punisher has been a character that fans have most wanted to see in the MCU, and now it’s finally happening. Expect some major violence to go down when he returns.

Jared Leto is not overly popular in the comic book community, and it’s not hard to understand why.

The 50-year-old actor (that’s right, the man’s 50) has now appeared in two separate comic book films, each of which are easily among the absolute worst adaptations of all time. Plenty of actors have fudged a comic book role in their lifetimes, but Leto is one of the few to do it twice. Ryan Reynolds and his terrible Green Lantern movie made it out by the skin of Wade Wilson’s teeth.

Leto may have hoped to erase the memory of Suicide Squad with his recent role in Morbius, but those hopes were dashed the moment the film arrived in theaters. The film, part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), is arguably the worst release of 2022 so far, but at least it maintains as the worst kind of cult classic. Fans absolutely love to hate it, inadvertently propping the film with high viewership numbers and a truly unprecedented number of memes.

In celebration of Leto and all that he’s failed to deliver, one Twitter took a moment to highlight his picks for the “worst comic book movie castings.” On the list are Leto as Joker—a role the fandom has largely tried to forget—Leto as Morbius, Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom (in 2005’s Fantastic Four) and Shaquille O’Neal in his oft forgotten role as Steel back in 1997.

The tweet quickly racked up likes and responses, as comic book film fans poured in their own votes for the worst castings in the genre. Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Dolph Lundgren’s Punisher also got shout-outs, as did Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, but the original tweet author, @SixthPunisher, was quick to remind people that “this tweet was mainly made [to] slander Leto so focus on that.”

The responses largely complied with @SixthPunisher’s request, focusing their energy on all the horrible acting Leto has graced the comic book world with. As one commenter aptly put it, the man truly is “one of the actors of all time.”

A good few commenters disagreed with both the Shaq and McMahon slander, pointing out that a terrible film doesn’t necessarily equal a terrible actor. The same argument was attempted for Leto as well, but quickly vanished beneath a horde of hilarious hot-takes about Leto’s lack of comic book aptitude.

The consensus from commenters appears to be that, while many of these characters are truly awful in their final forms, this is more due to bad writing and directing than due to the actors. Except in Leto’s case, of course.

Comic book film fans are very much here for the Leto hate train. While the man himself has received broad critical acclaim for some of his roles, it’s hard to argue that he and comic book adaptations simply don’t mesh. Hopefully Marvel and DC will keep it in mind next time they’re looking to cast the method actor.

As soon as it was announced that Marvel Studios had pulled Armor Wars from the Disney Plus schedule to refit the project into a feature film, the wheels of speculation instantly began turning.

After all, it would be a tall order to imagine Robert Downey Jr. returning for a TV series, but a movie? Well, that’s an entirely different proposition altogether. It’s all just rumor and hearsay at this stage, and fans may be better off not getting their hopes up for a Tony Stark return – especially when star Don Cheadle is long overdue a stint in the spotlight for a change.

However, it isn’t the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist that’s been stirring up debate among Armor Wars irers on social media, but Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. With Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio back in the canonical fold, everyone’s expecting the actor’s Frank Castle to be the latest to make the jump from Netflix to the MCU.

That being said, the prospect of him arriving in comic-accurate form by showing up in Armor Wars in a weaponized Stark Industries suit isn’t something the majority have much interest in seeing. Or at least, that appears to be the case judging by the Twitter discourse.

The Punisher generally doesn’t work in a PG-13 environment because his unflinching commitment to violence is such a key part of the character, and based on the skepticism that greeted the buildup to Cox’s arrival in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, could you imagine what would happen online were Bernthal announced to be making his own hotly-anticipated comeback in Armor Wars?

There are various new super-teams on their way to the MCU — the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Young Avengers, etc. — but one that’s bubbling under the radar somewhat is the Midnight Sons. With the influx of supernatural superheroes we’ve been getting lately, it seems likely that this group of characters from the darker end of the Marvel universe will assemble soon (if not in Phase Five, then in Phase Six).

But who could be part of the team? Redditor u/TheOneGinger1 shared some atmospheric artwork of their own making that pitched their personal dream roster for the Midnight Sons. In this fan’s eyes, the team would be almost an expanded version of the Defenders, including Daredevil, Punisher, and Iron Fist, along with the likes of Blade, Moon Knight, and the Helstroms, who have all served on the squad in the comics.

Other fans responded positively to this heavyweight roster, although one commenter had a neat idea for a streamlined take on the team that reflected the classic types of monsters. Namely, Blade, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, Scarlet Witch/Agatha, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing.

Someone else reminded us that Kit Harington’s Black Knight may end up as a Midnight Son thanks to Mahershala Ali’s audible cameo in the Eternals post-credits scene.

Doctor Voodoo is another strong contender, considering the way Doctor Strange laid the groundwork for his arrival.

Oscar Isaac has teased the coming of the Midnight Sons on multiple occasions at this point, so we’re pretty sure Marvel has got something cooking on this front. Especially with the Werewolf by Night Halloween special hitting Disney Plus this Oct. 7, which will introduce not just Jack Russell but also Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing to boot. Whether the ultimate roster will look anything like this, though, it’s too early to say.

The Punisher star Jon Bernthal has responded to the ranks of those actors turning a dubious eye to so-called “method” acting.

The immersive style of performance, favored by acting legends such as Marlon Brando and Daniel Day-Lewis, has drawn a new wave of criticism recently, with stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Will Poulter, and Mads Mikkelsen all giving the practice a resounding thumbs down.

As Bernthal explained to The Hollywood Reporter, though, the discussion may not be so cut and dried.

“These conversations are difficult for me, honestly, because every actor has a process. Having studied in Moscow at the Moscow Art Theater, I guarantee you that making everybody call you by your character name and not showering for eight months was not what Stanislavski had in mind with the method. But at the end of the day, these sacred seconds between action and cut, that’s all we got.”

Bernthal refers to Konstantin Stanislavski, famed Russian actor, director, instructor, and creator of the esteemed Moscow Art Theatre performing arts school. Stanislavski founded his “system,” often referred to as “the method,” in which actors are encouraged to characterize based on their own lived and emotional experiences.

The term is often misappropriated and used to refer to actors who insist on staying in character, both on and off set — a practice that can often become disruptive and even dangerous if employed recklessly. Robert Pattinson recently told Variety that he noticed “you only ever see people do “method” when they’re playing an a**hole.” 

Likewise, veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson told Collider that, “[acting is] a job of playing make-believe. You do it effectively and you do it in a way that’s not harmful to you because it’s a safe space. You’re supposed to be able to safely come into this space, work and give emotionally, and not be harmed by it.”

Bernthal appears to agree that one’s method, whether based on Stanislavski’s theories or not, shouldn’t be immersive to the point where they distract or prevent others on set from doing their jobs. However, he also seems to squarely the idea of maintaining a presence of mind necessary to his acting.

He stated “that means that I got to stay in proximity to that role, close to those sacred seconds, that I’m not on a cell phone or eating Chinese food or making plans for the evening.”, so there’s clearly a balance to be struck.