The Punisher: Origins and Evolutions

Earlier this month, Marvel and Netflix tipped their plans for Daredevil Season 2 by announcing that Jon Bernthal has joined the cast as Frank Castle, AKA the Punisher!

The Punisher is a rare example of a Marvel character transforming from a supporting player into a headliner who could carry his own story. In 1974, Frank Castle was created by Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru as an adversary for Spider-Man. Marvel Publisher Stan Lee is credited for coming up with the Punisher name, even though Lee had previously used the same name for a robot that belonged to Galactus.

After appearing as a comic book guest star for over a decade, the Punisher gradually received a higher profile and he was even the star of three simultaneous ongoing comic book series during the ‘90s. The Punisher was also one of the first Marvel creations to get a feature film adaptation. In fact, the Punisher has had three movies, but none of them were box office hits.

Putting the Punisher on the Daredevil series represents a chance to finally get the character right while inserting him within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Former Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight was extremely vocal about his belief that an R-rated Punisher series could be done on Netflix. And it appears that Marvel and Netflix may be going in that direction.

Before the Punisher returns to live action next year, ComingSoon.net has put together a comprehensive look back at the Punisher’s history in comics, film, and television. This is The Punisher: Origins and Evolutions.

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