‘Who’s Getting Punished?’ Fans Out There Asking The Relevant Questions After Jon Bernthal Showed Sick Gym-Earned Abs

Jon Bernthal in Wind River
(Image credit: The Weinstein Company)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to new projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled when Jon Bernthal returned as Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again, and he's got a number of other projects coming down the line. The Walking Dead alum recently showed off his ripped abs in a shirtless photo, and fans are asking the important questions about upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

What we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day is extremely limited, but fans are hyped that Jon Bernthal's Punisher will be included. He'll also have a role in Born Again Season 2, so it looks like Frank Castle is here to stay. The 48 year-old actor took to Instagram to show how yolked he is lately, check it out below:

Damn! I definitely wouldn't want to be on The Punisher's bad side if I was a villain in the MCU. On top of the character's penchant for killing his foes, clearly he could to a ton of damage with just his fists. And I personally can't wait to see what's coming next for the brutal, fan favorite character.

The comments section is filled with folks thirsting after Bernthal, as well as fans wondering about what he'll do in various MCU projects. Even Billy Russo/Jigsaw actor Ben Barnes joined the discourse, check out some popular responses below:

Clearly there's interest in Frank Castle, and fans want to see him pop up in a variety of different projects. While some are hoping we get another season of The Punisher, others are wondering who will get "punished" when he pops up in Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The latter will mark the first time Bernthal's take on the character goes from TV to film, and it should be fascinating to see how he interacts with Tom Holland's Peter Parker.

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The comments listed above mentioned both Spider-Man and Daredevil, and I'm eager to see what Punisher's interactions with both of those heroes will be like. While he's got a love-hate relationship with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, we've yet to see him meet Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Will the wall crawler's naivety jive with Frank Castle's brutal philosophy? Only time will tell, but with that ripped body I hope Spidey doesn't get into a conflict with the gun-wielding vigilante... even if Punisher doesn't have superpowers.

All will be revealed when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but it's expected to arrive sometime in March. And Bernthal is clearly going to look ripped AF in both titles.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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