While it has been no secret that Jon Bernthal, of The Walking Dead and Wolf of Wall Street fame, has been slated to play Frank Castle/The Punisher in season 2 of Netflix’s Daredevil series. In an interview with IGN Bernthal has given a more nuanced description of the character and his relationship with the Daredevil, feeding into the ongoing debate about justice vs retribution which has fueled the series.
“I think this guy lives in a world of darkness that no other person in this universe can compare with…to never pull punches, to never do half measures, to never be apologetic, to never pursue likability at all, to be completely unapologetic at all times,” Bernthal elaborates regarding Matt Murdoch’s relationship with the Punisher “”He looks at this man and he looks at the public view on this man and he can see the similarities between him and this person. I think that causes an immense emotional conflict inside of him and forces him, yet again, to question what he’s capable of. What right does he have to engage in vigilante justice and all those things?”
Bernthal finishes by saying it’s entirely possible that audiences will be switched off the character by episode 2, his hardest job being grabbing our sympathy back. Either way, it looks like we’re in for one Hell’s Kitchen of an experience in the coming season!
