The reemergence of the Punisher on Netflix
Having binge watched the first season of Marvel Comics Daredevil when it was released on Netflix, I have since become a fan of yet another character I could have cared less about back in the days when I used to read comics. In fact, Daredevil was a character I found to be quite annoying due to his belief that every criminal regardless of their crime deserved to stand trial in a courtroom. That said, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the only time I actually read anything to do with Daredevil was when he crossed paths with my favorite character in the Marvel Universe, that being none other than the Punisher.
The history shown between Daredevil and the Punisher on the pages of the comics has been anything but friendly, and often results in violent confrontations. That said, when looking at this volatile relationship it could be surmised that Daredevil’s dislike of the Punisher stems from all the violence and murder, or is it really that Daredevil himself is only a step away from becoming a killer just like the Punisher.
With last week’s news from Marvel revealing the Punisher’s arrival in season two of Daredevil it’s now only a matter of time before this popular vigilante gets a most deserved reemergence into the live action Marvel Universe. How exciting is it for fans to be able to see their favorite characters physically appear on screen butting heads as they typically do on the inked pages of comics, or possibly grudgingly working together for the greater good.
As for Frank Castle’s arrival to Hell’s Kitchen this not only raises the stakes for criminals, it also opens the door for some of Daredevil’s other enemies and allies to stop on by, namely Bullseye and Elektra, the latter having already been subtlety mentioned in season one. Also one can’t forget about the Kingpin who undoubtedly has a score to settle with the man without fear. But most importantly and speaking as a fan of the Punisher, this appearance in the Daredevil series creates an opportunity for Marvel and Netflix to capitalize on the popularity of the Punisher.
While it’s no secret that three previous attempts to create a successful Punisher film all failed, one has to keep in mind Marvel didn’t own the rights to the property during this time, meaning it was fair game for those who did to do whatever they wanted with the character, hence fail miserably. Since reacquiring the rights to the Punisher, why wouldn’t Marvel want to continue building and expanding after the characters appearance in Daredevil? For quite a while fans have been vocalizing their desire to see this idea take off. From Marvels point of view it should be looked at as a means to market yet another popular character, which in turn creates more revenue opportunities while also expanding the MCU and growing their fan base.
As for the Punisher reappearing in film which would be the next logical step either after or in conjunction with a solo series, the character could conceivably make an appearance in Marvel’s upcoming film – Captain America: Civil War. During this MCU conflict the Punisher stood alongside Captain America as the patriot opposed his former allies who stood in favor of the hero registration act.
While the odds of the Punisher making a cameo in the upcoming Captain America film are realistically slim to none, the door to the MCU remains open presenting Marvel with the opportunity to focus their aim and pull the trigger on the aforementioned Punisher series and a return to film.
Incineration Road 