The Marvel Netflix shows were the birthplace of many fan-favorite stories and characters, and fans have been hoping against hope that some of those characters can be integrated into the larger MCU. If Marvel is indeed looking to bring the characters introduced in the five Netflix shows into the mix, it should forego The Defenders and start with Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher.
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, who together would appear on The Defenders, make up a very different type of superhero than the MCU has on its lineup right now. Yet neither of them presents the contrast that Frank Castle, aka The Punisher would. This is particularly true of the Frank Castle embodied by Jon Bernthal, a fan-favorite character who wasn’t even meant to get his own show, and yet after an appearance in Daredevil season 2, bewitched fans in such a way that he ended up with his own two-season series. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what Bernthal’s Frank Castle could bring to the MCU.
In general, Marvel’s Disney+ shows have shown both a desire and a willingness to go darker, something that would benefit an anti-hero like Frank Castle. WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and even Loki have explored much darker storylines than the MCU has touched upon before. With Moon Knight now filming, and Blade coming in the near future, it’s clear that Marvel wants to diversify its lineup and bring in a different brand of heroes. Frank Castle is the kind of character who provides that possibility, and also – with Bernthal’s version, brings a certain tenderness and kindness to a character that has often been presented as just a brutal killer.
The number one reason fans were taken with the Frank Castle that appeared in Daredevil season 2 wasn’t just his tragic backstory, that’s a common Punisher storyline, but the way Bernthal imbued the character with both a sense of righteous indignation and vulnerability. Frank Castle was both a victim of circumstance and a man unwilling to let the world dictate how he handles his pain. Yet, where they could have leaned into the violence expected in a character like this, they chose to highlight the dichotomy between the loving family man and the broken shell he became after losing everything. Bernthal’s The Punisher wasn’t just one thing, he was a combination of both at the same time, something that made him much easier to root for.
People respond to broken characters, after all. People especially respond to broken characters when the storyline allows them one other character that brings out the best of them, whether that a romantic connection or not. And another reason Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle worked as well as it did was his chemistry with Deborah Ann Woll, who played Karen Page in both Daredevil and, later, in the two seasons of The Punisher. The two of them were never meant to be romantic endgame. If anything, Karen was just meant to humanize Frank a little. But just as it happens with the best relationships, sometimes things just work.
Frank Castle and Karen Page worked. In fact, it could be argued Karen Page always worked better around Frank Castle than she did around Matt Murdock, the character she first had a romance with on Daredevil. Woll and Bernthal’s chemistry made what was meant to be a fleeting connection into one of the emotional foundations of both Frank Castle’s character, and Karen Page’s, as well. That promise was not paid off before Marvel moved on from the Netflix shows, and that means that, if Marvel were to bring back The Punisher, it would have not just an interesting character, but a ready-made ship.
Ships have been one of the weak spots of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony and Pepper carried the weight of all the romance in the MCU for years, but now Tony is gone. So is Vision – even if White Vision is still around, so the central romance of WandaVision seems, if not doomed, complicated going forward. Speaking of complicated, Peter Quill and Gamora are the definition of that right now, and it's better to not even go into Loki and Sylvie’s issues.
Peter and MJ are set to be the flagship couple going forward, with Hope and Scott also an established unit. Considering how much relationships create not just internet chatter, but translate into actual ratings and merchandise sales, Marvel would be smart to bring in a character with an already established romantic interest into the MCU. Frank Castle's Punisher provides not only that but represents exactly the kind of character the MCU is lacking, an anti-hero with a dramatic past and a big heart. If Marvel truly intends to integrate the Marvel Netflix universe in the MCU, this is probably the best place to start. It’s a win-win all around. And Marvel is probably smart enough to realize it.