Jon Bernthal’s Punisher special is coming to Marvel next year and he has given a promising update for fans. Bernthal assures fans that the series will not compromise on violence and that the Disney+ version will be as dark as Netflix. The Punisher actor’s promise gives huge hope to Marvel fans regarding the second season of Moon Knight.
Oscar Isaac plays a mercenary-turned-superhero with mystic powers in Moon Knight, which has a darker tone just like Bernthal’s series. Bernthal is involved in the creative process of the new television special, co-writing it with Reinaldo Marcus Green. The show will debut in 2026 alongside a second season of Daredevil: Born Again.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher special paves the way for Moon Knight Season 2
Jon Bernthal is currently reprising his role as Frank Castle aka The Punisher in Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again. Besides his appearance in the Charlie Cox series, Bernthal will play Castle in a Marvel Television special. THR exclusively reported that Bernthal is co-writing and directing the special.
When he appeared at the SXSW Festival to promote his film The Accountant 2, Bernthal opened up about his new Marvel special. Bernthal shared with THR that the new special would be dark and added that it was not an easy task to undertake. However, he promised that the new series will not be “Punisher-lite” just because it is happening on Disney+. He shared:
It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.
Bernthal’s update about the new project is promising for Marvel’s Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac‘s series came out in 2022 and received a positive response among critics and audiences. The most significant flaw in the series was the Disneyfication of the superhero, who has a violent arc in the comics.
Fans wanted to see a more brutal version of Moon Knight, and Bernthal’s promise meant that Season 2 could adopt some darker themes. However, the series will have to figure out how to keep the budget in check to get another season made. The budget per episode of the first season was $24.7 million and the total budget was $147.9 million.
Will Moon Knight return for a second season?
Moon Knight has a Tomatometer score of 86% and a Popcornmeter score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Two years have since passed without any significant update about a second season of the show. The reason is most likely the creative overhaul on Marvel’s television side of things.
Last year, Brad Winderbaum shared with EW that Marvel TV shows will follow the format of traditional TV and run for multiple seasons. While some fans would love to see Moon Knight take this approach, it appears that many have forgotten the existence of such a character in the MCU.
Isaac’s character rarely appears in discussions surrounding Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Endgame. It could be a hint that the Marvel heads could be focusing on other projects instead of Moon Knight. Fans still carry hope that the series will be back for Season 2.
Both The Punisher and Moon Knight are now available for streaming on Disney+.
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