In true Marvel fashion, The Defenders had a post-credits Easter egg that you might have missed if you weren’t waiting for it: the first trailer for The Punisher. The first look at the upcoming Netflix series is as dark and gritty as you might expect for a show about the character, cutting between scenes from Frank Castle’s past and shots of him hammering his insignia into a concrete floor. “Memories: They never hurt me. The past is more than memories. It’s the devil you sold your soul to,” he warns in voice-over. “He’s coming. He’s coming to collect.”
While Punisher did not in fact appear in The Defenders, the character as played by Jon Bernthal was one of the best parts of Daredevil’s rocky second season, as his readiness to kill, motivated by the death of his family, made him a good foil for the devoutly Catholic superhero. This time, Bernthal will take center stage in Marvel’s The Punisher, with Ben Barnes co-starring as Castle’s best friend from his military days, Billy Russo (aka Jigsaw), and Deborah Ann Woll reprising her role as Karen Page.
Netflix is still playing coy about The Punisher’s release date, but it will be sometime in 2017.
