First Look at Jon Bernthal’s New Punisher Costume in Marvel's Special Presentation
Marvel fans just got a sneak peek at Jon Bernthal's return as Frank Castle thanks to a new behind the scenes photo from the set of Marvel’s upcoming The Punisher special presentation. It shows off a bearded, battle-ready version of the iconic antihero, complete with a sharp new suit that screams war-hardened and ready to throw down.
The project was born during the production of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. It marks the next step in Castle’s evolution in the MCU, and Bernthal isn’t just strapping on the skull-branded vest, he’s also co-writing the special with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who’s directing the project.
Green’s known for powerful character-driven films like Monsters and Men, King Richard, and most recently, Bob Marley: One Love. He also made his mark on television directing We Own This City for HBO.
Photographer Steve Sands gave fans their first real glimpse at this new Punisher when he shared the image via his Instagram Stories.
While Marvel is keeping plot details under wraps, we do know that Jason R. Moore is returning as Curtis Hoyle alongside Roe Rancell in an undisclosed role. But it’s clear that Bernthal is all in on making this version of The Punisher raw and real.
“He exists very strongly inside me, and I care about that character deeply,” said Bernthal. “I also know that it’s absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right, and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank.”
He added, “I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has. In the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe. I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me and I care about that character deeply.”
That passion is fueling what sounds like a hard-hitting return to form. “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness,” Bernthal teased. “It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”
Fans of The Punisher will remember Bernthal first suited up as Frank Castle in Season 2 of Daredevil back in 2016. That led to two intense seasons of The Punisher on Netflix from 2017 to 2019. After a six-year break, he returned in Daredevil: Born Again and is now set to make another major MCU appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, sharing the screen with Tom Holland's Peter Parker, Michael Mando's Scorpion, and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner.
Marvel hasn’t announced an exact release date yet, but this Punisher special is expected to hit Disney+ sometime in 2026.