'Daredevil': Check out who was just cast as the Punisher
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
It looks like Daredevil will have a new character to face off against 鈥撀爋r join forces with.
According to , the company behind the Netflix TV series 鈥淒aredevil,鈥� actor Jon Bernthal of 鈥淭he Walking Dead鈥澛爃as been cast as the character the Punisher.聽
鈥淗e is a vigilante who aims to clean up New York City鈥檚 Hell鈥檚 Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results,鈥� Marvel writes.
鈥淸Actor] Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences," said聽Marvel's head of TV, Jeph Loeb, in a聽. "Castle鈥檚 appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock, and nothing will be the same.鈥�
(Spoilers for the first season of 鈥淒aredevil鈥� follow鈥�)
The central villain in the first season of 鈥淒aredevil,鈥� which stars actor Charlie Cox as blind lawyer and superhero Matt Murdock, was the Kingpin, portrayed by Vincent D鈥橭nofrio. D鈥橭nofrio鈥檚 performance was mostly praised by critics, with Alan Sepinwall of writing that 鈥淒鈥橭nofrio is everything the show could ask for in an arch villain鈥� and writer Hank Stuever calling the actor 鈥渁 convincingly sinister presence.鈥� But the last episode in the 13-episode first season found the Kingpin, also known as Wilson Fisk, in prison. It remains to be seen whether he鈥檒l be kept on the sidelines during the second season or whether he鈥檒l quickly break out or be released. (One clue: According to , D鈥橭nofrio is returning for the new episodes.)
In the comics, the Punisher, also known as Frank Castle, is a veteran who fights crime like Daredevil but uses torture and murder to do so. Will his extreme methods make him Daredevil's latest enemy or newest ally?
writer James Whitbrook is betting he鈥檚 a new foe, writing that it 鈥渟ounds like the Punisher will probably find himself at odds with Matt Murdock and friends.鈥� writer Joshua Rivera agrees that the Punisher would begin as an enemy, predicting that 鈥渨e鈥檒l likely see a brutal showdown between the two characters鈥� before an 鈥渦neasy team-up鈥� later on.聽
The Punisher has appeared on the big screen before, including in a little-remembered 2004 movie of the same name that starred Thomas Jane of 鈥淭exas Rising鈥� as the title character.
