Throughout its decade-plus stint, AMC's Walking Dead franchise has featured some serious star-power. Even today, years after the original show's conclusion, the spinoffs continue to pack powerful punches with some high-profile stars - both from The Walking Dead itself and from other legendary TV shows and movies (look no further than Stephen Merchant's appearance in Daryl Dixon or Jeffrey Dean Morgan's continued presence in this franchise through Dead City). But, a number of times, the franchise itself has produced the star.
The TWD Family is literally that - a family - as many familiar faces have come and gone over the saga's 16-year run. And the show is responsible for turning some of them into household names. Now, one of the biggest of them all is set to grace the silver screen next month, by returning to his most famous role. And just to give you an idea of how big this star has gotten over the years, we're not talking about his Walking Dead role.
Jon Bernthal brings Frank Castle back to TV in next month's Punisher Special
Walking Dead legend Jon Bernthal is officially set to bring The Punisher back to TV screens next month in the first of his two appearances as the character this year. Marvel Studios confirmed in March that Bernthal's hard-hitting no-nonsense Frank Castle would officially headline his long-awaited Disney Plus Special Presentation on May 5.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe Special Presentation since 2022 and anticipation is particularly high for this one given how much fans have been waiting to see Bernthal's vengeful vigilante back on TV screens. And it all came about when the star reprised his role as the character in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again last year, allowing him to play Frank for the first time in four years.
Bernthal previously played The Punisher in the Marvel Netflix shows, debuting in Daredevil season 2 back in 2016 and eventually going on to headline two seasons of his own spinoff. It was unclear at the time whether those shows were canon to the MCU - although they behaved as though they were, Marvel Studios' MCU movies had never acknowledged them. When the Netflix deal ended and those shows were cancelled, Marvel eventually found a way to bring Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin to the Multiverse Saga, confirming that the events of the Netflix shows were indeed canon all along. Daredevil: Born Again was the official confirmation and that allowed The Punisher to return.
Although he won't be appearing in Born Again season 2, the Disney Plus Special Presentation will stream the week after the Daredevil finale - which just feels extremely fitting considering how closely Daredevil and The Punisher's original shows were tied. And while plot details are scarce right now, the special is expected to focus on Castle's attempts to live life without being The Punisher, only for him to get roped back into that world. It's also expected to feature infamous Punisher villain Ma Gnucci.
And what's even better is that this isn't the only MCU appearance of the year that he will be making, as he will reprise the role again in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He already appeared as Frank in the film's first trailer in a widely acclaimed scene that has audiences eager to see him share the screen with Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
That won't be his only film with Holland this year, as the pair will star in Christopher Nolan's upcoming The Odyssey, which also promises to be one of the biggest movies of the year - capping off what is shaping up to be a massive year for Bernthal. And we haven't even talked about the fact that he has already made his presence felt on the small screen this year. His most recent TV appearance earlier this year in Netflix's His & Hers, starring alongside another Marvel star in Tessa Thompson. That show took the streaming world by storm and very quickly became an addictive hit. With those two headlining it, it's not surprising.
It goes without saying that Bernthal is one of the biggest stars on both screens today as he is renowned for his intense, committed performances. But it all started for him with an equally intense and committed performance as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead - which is widely recognized as the role that garnered the phenomenal actor the mainstream attention that would ultimately lead to roles like that of The Punisher.
Shane's highly-dysfunctional run on TWD is considered both legendary and infamous as he quickly evolved from Rick Grimes' best friend to his most dangerous enemy across just two seasons. The downward spiral saw Rick eventually have to kill him to spare his own life - as well as the lives of those in their group of survivors that Shane was willing to put at risk. And with that, Bernthal departed the show only to find more career-defining opportunities. He did, however, find time to cameo in Rick's final episode as a series regular character, showing up in a dream sequence ahead of the hero's exit.
Bernthal is no stranger to larger-than-life roles over the course of his career, and now he's back on the small screen - and the silver screen - as his most iconic character. Prepare yourselves: Frank Castle is back!
The Punisher: One Last Kill streams on Disney Plus on May 5, 2026.