In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum compared the special to other standalone entries like Werewolf By Night or The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special. “It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story,” Winderbaum said. “It’s so exciting.”
Bernthal has felt a strong affinity for the character since assuming the Punisher mantle in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil, which led to two seasons of a spin-off series on the streamer. Speaking with The A.V. Club in 2017, Bernthal said he felt “protective” of Frank Castle when the character migrated over to his own show. “I loved the Frank Castle that they created. It was really an origin story. It was really a guy healing and unhinged from this personal trauma,” he said of his early appearances on Daredevil. Tapping into the loss of Frank’s family “starts a spiral of fear and insanity and rage in me that takes me to some really scary places,” he explained. “And it’s always been my theory in my career that if something scares you, you run right toward it. And that’s what Frank Castle has been for me.”
“Bernthal is a generational actor,” Winderbaum told EW. “He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.”
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