The Walking Dead franchise has been responsible for spotlighting many great actors over the course of its run. From Andrew Lincoln's complex and heroic Rick Grimes to Melissa McBride's nuanced and badass Carol Peletier, we've gotten the chance to appreciate many of the characters over the years - as well as the actors who have portrayed them.
One of the best performers in the TWD Universe has undoubtedly been Jon Bernthal, who brought Shane Walsh to life across the first two seasons. His gripping performance brought attention to his fantastic acting, which ultimately led to him appearing in a lot more major projects. The most recent example of this is Netflix's His & Hers - which became a phenomenon earlier this year. Now, Bernthal is set to return to what is perhaps his most famous role outside of Shane, and now there is an update as to when that could release.
Jon Bernthal's Punisher Special is reportedly set for summer 2026
It sounds like we're about to see The Punisher make his long-awaited return to TV screens. Jon Bernthal is set to reprise his legendary role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe multiple times this year, and perhaps the most anticipated of them all comes in the form of his own Disney Plus Special Presentation. Now, we have an idea of when that will come.
According to well-established industry insider MyTimeToShineHello, the project - which is now reportedly known as Punisher: One Shot Special - will premiere on Disney Plus in the summer of 2026. If that's the case, it means we'll be getting a double dose of Bernthal's anti-hero this summer, as he is also scheduled to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which arrives in movie theaters on July 31.
The Punisher, real name Frank Castle, has been a part of the Marvel Comics lore since his debut back in 1974. A hardened vigilante who often finds himself on the wrong end of a multitude of Marvel heroes, he seeks out criminals and offers them no chances at redemption, killing them for their crimes. The death of Frank's family at the hands of criminals prompted him to take up this life of vigilantism, which is undoubtedly one of Marvel's most tragic backstories.
Bernthal made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the character in 2016, appearing in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil and his performance was met with instant acclaim. Although the two were enemies in the beginning, they eventually became unlikely allies as The Punisher helped the Devil of Hell's Kitchen take down The Hand. And after that, he was the lead of his own spinoff series, which ran for two seasons.
The end of the Marvel Netflix saga threw the fate of The Punisher into question, and it remained unclear for a long time if the events of those shows were actually canon to the MCU. When Marvel Studios began producing its own shows for the Disney Plus streaming service, it eventually greenlit Echo and Daredevil: Born Again - which made all of the Netflix shows officially canon to the franchise. And with that, Bernthal was able to return when he appeared in two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.
It has since been confirmed that he won't be back in the second season, as he has other MCU appearances lined up instead. Considering his most recent appearance - in the post-credits scene of the first season - essentially set up his Special Presentation, it's probably a safe bet that it will release before Spider-Man: Brand New Day. After all, The Punisher has some major plot threads of his own to wrap up before he appears in a more light-hearted adventure like that one - and we know that the Special Presentation will be as gritty as the character is known to be.
Bernthal is a heck of a performer who got his long overdue flowers for his performance as Shane in The Walking Dead but it was his role as The Punisher that introduced him to a whole new audience. We're thrilled that he's once again playing that role in a more regular capacity and can't wait to see him on both the big and the small screens this year!