Re-Reviewed: Netflix’s Punisher series absolutely nailed it

Netflix’s The Punisher is undoubtedly the definitive version of the character.

There have been a few attempts to bring The Punisher to the big screen, each one of them not getting the character quite right. They each had a few positives in addition to a lot of negatives. Like, an overwhelming number of negatives in some cases.

While the movies haven’t exactly been great, the MCU-adjacent series on Netflix was nearly perfect. It may have been the best interpretation of the character ever produced, which made it even more difficult when it was canceled.

The Punisher arrives again and again

Frank Castle made his debut in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1974. He was hunting the Web-Slinger and was associated with one of his most nefarious enemies, the Jackal. In the 1980s, The Punisher rose to become one of Marvel’s most popular heroes.

This extended into the 1990s when anti-heroes like Wolverine, Venom, and Lobo were all the rage. Castle absolutely excelled throughout the ’90s, eventually heading up several titles. That being said, the early 2000s were not as good for him.

It was during this era that Punisher fell on hard times with fans. He had long since killed off everyone associated with the murder of his family. Now, he’s more viewed as a mass murderer than he is a vigilante or an anti-hero.

In addition to this, attempts to translate the character into feature films simply did not work. Dolph Lundgren (1989), Thomas Jane (2004), and Ray Stevenson (2008) all played the character. Ultimately, every movie was a box office bomb.

Netflix and Punisher were a match made in heaven

The advent of Marvel’s Netflix series was a game-changer in superhero storytelling. Focusing on grittier, street-level heroes like Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Daredevil was, for the most part, incredible. Iron Fist completely crapped the bed, unfortunately.

Daredevil Season 2 was used as a backdoor pilot for a series focused on Frank Castle. His plotline was key to the first half of the season, introducing fans to Jon Bernthal’s interpretation of the character. And it’s safe to say that fans loved it considering they made two seasons.

What worked about the character was that he was deeply conflicted about his place in society. After he avenged his family, Castle tried to move on from being a Punisher. He honestly did his best to build a new life and deal with his inner demons.

The universe always seems to have other plans, though, as he kept getting dragged back into a world of violence and savagery. Fans responded to the action but also the inner turmoil that came from dealing with the death of his family.

Punisher fades away

In its heyday, Marvel‘s Netflix series were all tangentially related to the rest of the MCU at best. Since the beginning of Disney Plus and the end of those shows, it has been confirmed that they are definitively no longer considered canon.

This means that the adventures of all the aforementioned characters were erased from the history of the MCU. It’s too bad since there were a lot of great stories and characters created during that time, not to mention how great Bernthal was as The Punisher.

Fortunately, there has been talk that some of the actors from these series may be reprising their roles in the MCU properly. That hopefully will include Jon Bernthal as the Punisher as he is now the definitive actor to play that character.

Thanks to Marvel’s Netflix series, Punisher has become more prominent in recent years outside of the comics. This series was huge for Marvel, even if they no longer acknowledge it as part of the MCU anymore. And even if Marvel doesn’t, the fans still do.

Did you enjoy Netflix’s The Punisher? Let us know in the comments below!