There are a lot of Marvel Studios titles to look forward to in 2026. That's good, because 2025 was pretty quiet in terms of the TV front, as there were just two live-action Disney Plus shows. This year, we have three - plus three animated outings and one highly-anticipated Special Presentation that fans are looking forward to seeing. And that's not even taking the game-changing films Spider-Man:Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday into account!
But let's go back to the Special Presentation for a moment because it holds real potential to be one of Marvel's most intriguing upcoming titles. After all, it's centred on The Punisher, with Jon Bernthal reprising the role. Why wouldn't it deliver?! And with that, we may have just gotten the first significant update on it in some time - one that fans have been waiting for.
The Punisher Special Presentation reportedly receives a title, potential release window
Are you tired of saying "Untitled Punisher Special Presentation", like the rest of us? If you are, you'll be happy to know that it has received something of a tentative title - one that could very well end up beign the primary title going forward. Yep, from this moment on, it shall be known as Punisher: One Shot Special.
The announcement comes from veteran Marvel insider MyTimeToShineHello, who took to social media to share the new title. They also revealed that it has a release window of summer 2026, which Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm.
While some consider this title as cumbersome as the working one (it is a lot of words when The Punisher probably would have sufficed), others appreciate the nostalgia of using the words "one shot" in the headline as it is a reminder of when Marvel Studios used to produce one shots throughout Phases One and Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yes, One-Shots were shorter films set between multiple MCU films that helped fill in the gaps early on. From Agent Carter to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, they helped widen the world of the MCU while telling confined, character-driven stories. Taking that into account, it almost feels fitting that the Punisher Special Presentation adopt the term too.
As for why Marvel seemingly hasn't opted for the more simple, more direct The Punisher, that's likely down to the fact that the Netflix series, which also starred Bernthal as the character, took that one. And now that we know it is officially tied to the MCU, it wouldn't have made sense for the special to copy it (think Daredevil: Born Again for the Disney Plus revival to differentiate it from the original Netflix series).
Bernthal has been a fixture of the wider MCU for over a decade, although it wasn't actually clear if his adventures were set in the franchise's main Earth-616 timeline. He debuted in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil back in 2016 before going on to headline his own spinoff series, which ran for two seasons between 2017 and 2019. The cancellation of the Marvel Netflix franchise left the character's fate up in the air - particularly because it was never made clear as to whether the Netflix shows were actually canon to the MCU movies.
Finally, with the debut of Disney Plus' Daredevil: Born Again in 2024, the events of that franchise were officially canonized, as Bernthal returned as Frank Castle, starring opposite Daredevil star Charlie Cox once more. Now, he once again gets to headline his own project - and we can't wait to see it happen.
As always, it's important to reiterate that Marvel Studios has not yet confirmed any of this, but given the scooper's consistency and the likelihood of a summer release window (especially given that Bernthal is also set to appear in this summer's Spider-Man; Brand New Day), it's worth keeping this report in mind.