Spider-Man 4: Jon Benthal Made Sure Punisher Won’t Feel Different in PG-13 MCU Movie
Jon Bernthal has just given Punisher fans the best update possible regarding the Marvel character’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Bernthal’s Frank Castle/The Punisher first appeared in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil. His portrayal was so well-received that the streamer greenlit a spinoff series, The Punisher, which ran for two seasons. Following The Punisher’s conclusion, Bernthal wasn’t seen as the character again until Daredevil: Born Again, which premiered on Disney+ in March 2025.
Given that Daredevil, The Punisher, and Daredevil: Born Again were all rated TV-MA, allowing for more mature content matter, some fans were worried that the character may be watered down for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is expected to receive a PG-13 rating.
However, Bernthal recently shared with Screen Rant that he worked with the Spider-Man team to make sure that The Punisher felt like the more R-rated version that fans have come to know and love in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What did Jon Benthal say about appearing in Spider-Man 4?
Addressing The Punisher appearing in his first PG-13 MCU project, Bernthal told Screen Rant, “Around that same time, there will also be this Punisher special that’s coming out that I think will be as sort of high-octane kind of Punisher as you’ve ever seen. And I think what was really important to me and to Destin [Daniel Cretton] and to Tom [Holland] is that we believed that the Punisher that could walk off of the Spider-Man set could walk on to the special set. I do believe that we achieved that.”
Check out the exchange between Bernthal and Screen Rant below:
Announced in February 2025, the untitled Punisher special was co-written by Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green, the latter of whom also serves as its director. Plot details are under wraps, although the special will take place after the events of Born Again Season 1.
Based on Bernthal’s comments, the Punisher special will arrive on Disney+ around the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is slated to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.
Originally reported by Lee Freitag for SuperHeroHype.
Source: Comingsoon.net