So as of 2016, we’ve had three versions of the The Punisher. There was Dolph Lundgren’s version in 1989, Thomas Jane in 2004 and Ray Stevenson in 2008. Out of those three, Thomas Jane’s film was generally considered the best, while Stevenson’s portrayal of the character was considered the most accurate to the comics. And Dolph Lundgren’s version was – well.
The point of that introduction you just read is to say that we’ve yet to get a great interpretation of the character. But – this is the first time that Marvel Studios have gotten their hands on him, and when speaking with IGN, Jon Bernthal gave some new details into the character that will be making his MCU debut on Season 2 of Marvel’s Daredevil:
“I never look at things as I’m playing a villain or I’m playing a good guy. I just try to get as in touch with the character as I can and really get as familiar and try to get that character’s hurt and his story and his wants ingrained in my body,” Bernthal explained during a recent group interview. “What draws me to the character and why I enjoyed playing him so much this season is they were bold enough to let me go full out 100 percent in one direction and then go back in the other, and not have to sit there and spoon feed the audience and go, ‘Hey, I’m doing this really bad thing and this is why.’ They just let me go do the thing and then the audience will find out why later.”
He added:
“I think it’s a much more bold and nuanced way to tell a story rather than just to half step or to make it a sort of middle ground,” he continued. “There is no middle ground with Frank Castle. I think that’s great for me. That’s fodder for me.”
So, it looks like Marvel is definitely taking a different approach with the character.
“I think this guy lives in a world of darkness that no other person in this universe can compare with. My goal here was to put myself in that darkness and bring that up and to never pull punches, to never do half measures, to never be apologetic, to never pursue likability at all, to be completely unapologetic at all times,” Bernthal explained. “This is a highly personal mission that this man is on and I think that this show and what they accomplished with last season, is a perfect, fertile ground to bring a character like that to life. It’s not a superhero show. It’s a human show.”
He also mentioned that the Punisher MAX series was a heavy influence for him.
Source: IGN