Could We See An R-Rated Punisher Show From Marvel?

By Nick Tylwalk | Mar 31, 2015

I’m not a big believer that movies need to be R-rated just for the heck of it. Even though TV shows don’t have ratings per se, that same thinking applies there too. For instance, the upcoming Daredevil series on Netflix looks plenty dark and violent, though it probably stops short of anything that would get an ‘R’ rating if released in theaters.

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There are a few comics characters, though, who need the freedom to approach that no holds barred level of violence and carnage that our hypothetical ‘R’ would allow, and the Punisher is one them. We’re talking about a guy whose M.O. is to leave criminals full of holes, and while he can be (and has been) written in entertaining ways while showing more restraint, if he’s the star of the show, you shouldn’t put any restraints on him.

Would Marvel ever consider unshackling the man with the skull on his chest? If Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight has his way, it sure would, and relatively soon. Here’s what he told SciFiNow in an interview published earlier today:

"I’ve been a huge fan of the Punisher comics for years. I’d love to see him get his due on a platform like this. Nothing would delight me more than to see the Punisher get his own show and maybe we could convince Marvel to go Hard-R rating. If any character deserves an R rating, it’s the Punisher."

That same piece has Daredevil star Charlie Cox giving the idea a thumbs up, so maybe this is the kind of idea that starts out small and becomes a groundswell of support. It would be easy enough to have Frank show up in any of the Netflix shows Marvel has in the pipeline — all four deal with street level heroes — and spin him off into a series of his own for the probably inevitable next round of Marvel series.

So how about it Marvel? We’d watch.

Next: Might Daredevil end up in his red costume on Netflix?

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