Jon Bernthal’s 13-Episode Action-Packed Thriller Is a Start to Finish Masterpiece

Published Nov 5, 2026, 7:02 PM EST

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's tackled a wide variety of articles.

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Jon Bernthal is one of those actors who feels tailor-made for action. Whether it's slaughtering zombies in The Walking Dead, dispatching scores of foes in The Accountant movies, or serving in the Call of Duty franchise, Bernthal has made a career out of playing hardened killers. Yet the role most people will probably remember him for is Frank Castle, aka the Punisher. Bernthal first played Castle in Season 2 of the original Daredevil and immediately won fans over by showing that Castle's hardened exterior had layers. Soon after, Bernthal led his own spinoff series, The Punisher.

When The Punisher starts, Castle has tracked down and killed the gangsters responsible for his family's deaths. However, he struggles with nightmares about losing his family and a loss of purpose. Things start heating up when a mysterious figure named "Micro" (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) reveals that Castle's family was killed due to the fallout of a mission he undertook in Afghanistan. Castle immediately starts tracking down the men behind the conspiracy, allying himself with Micro while also trying to stay one step ahead of Homeland Security agent Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah).

'The Punisher' Is A Bloody, Tragic Character Study

Image via Netflix

Anyone who watches The Punisher won't be surprised to learn there's plenty of bloodshed, as Castle uses his military skills and seemingly unlimited weaponry to slaughter criminals. What is surprising is the deep dive the series takes into Castle's mental state, showcasing that his war on crime is really all he has left to live for. Another tragic element is the reveal that Castle's former friend, Billy Russo (Ben Barnes), is the architect of his suffering. Marvel Comics fans will immediately recognize Russo as Jigsaw, the Punisher's heavily scarred archenemy, but Netflix's take on The Punisher fleshes him out into a compelling character—which makes his betrayal sting all the more.

This tragic element is what makes The Punisher stand out. Most people wrongly see the character as a power fantasy or write him off as a mere psychopath, but this series goes the extra mile to show that Castle's life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Years after The Punisher wrapped up its run on Netflix, Jason Aaron summed up Castle's character perfectly in the afterword to Punisher: The King of Killers — and how the Netflix series nailed that aspect.

"At the end of the day, despite the complicated nature of the character, despite the changing times and disperate viewpoints, the story of Frank Castle is fundamentally one very simple thing: a tragedy...The long, bloody tragedy of the Punisher will never be finished."

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Six heroes on file

Movies/Marvel/Hero Match

Spider-Man

Daredevil

Iron Man

The Punisher

Thor

Captain America

COLLIDER COMICSNo. 1

Collider · Marvel Which MCU Hero
Are You? Ten questions · six heroes · one destiny

Six heroes. One destiny. Ten questions to work out which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, your values and your fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly or thunder your way to glory?

Find your hero

Page01 / 10

Question 01 of 10MOTIVATION

01 What drives you to do what is right? Pick the one that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility. I protect the people who cannot protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience. Justice has to be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, if I am honest. But I learned that other people depend on me now. DThe system failed. Somebody has to make sure the guilty pay. EDuty to the innocent and honor to my name. I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with: freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

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Page02 / 10

Question 02 of 10YOUR CITY

02 It is 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you would think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighborhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading the suit with a cold cup of coffee going to waste nearby. DStaking out a target I have been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run. I was up at four. Could not sleep.

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Page03 / 10

Question 03 of 10CONFLICT STYLE

03 How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What is yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police. Again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their whole operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure there is no third escape. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honor demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, bring them in by the book even when that is harder.

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Question 04 of 10SECRET IDENTITY

04 How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask, or the lack of one, says everything.

AEssential. The people I love would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical. The mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated. I announced myself to the world and I would do it again. DI am a ghost. The less anyone knows about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There is no hiding it. FI do not hide, though I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

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Question 05 of 10LOSS AND GRIEF

05 You lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away. It pushes me to do better every single day. BI channel it into purpose. Their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I am only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I am not the same person I was before. EWith a warrior's grief. I honor them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

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Question 06 of 10TEAM DYNAMICS

06 What is your role when you work with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you really are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work, and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI do not do teams. I am more effective on my own, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter. I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of the battle. FThe leader. I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure nobody gets left behind.

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Question 07 of 10MORAL CODE

07 Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly. I do not kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, though I have come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically. I do what is necessary to protect people, including the hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice. The system just will not admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned rather than automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles we become the thing we fight.

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Question 08 of 10EVERYDAY LIFE

08 When you are not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

AJuggling school, a part-time job, and trying not to let my friends down. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the street. CRunning a global company, attending galas, pretending I sleep enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world. Coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

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Question 09 of 10FEAR

09 What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful information, as long as you are honest about what yours is.

AThe people I could not save, and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming, and whether my tech is good enough for them. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I made my choices. EWhether I am truly worthy. Of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where nobody stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

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Question 10 of 10FINAL STAND

10 The battle is lost. You are outnumbered, outgunned and exhausted. What do you do? This is the tiebreaker. Choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat, and keep going. CTrigger the emergency protocol I built for exactly this. Always have a plan. DI do not accept that it is lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. As long as I can stand, it is not over.

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Reveal my hero

Identity confirmedYour MCU hero is

Spider-Man Queens, New York Responsibility is not something you chose. It found you, and you never put it down.

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders younger than they should have to be: funny, loyal and endlessly self-sacrificing. You do the right thing not because it is easy but because nobody else will. Whether it is a mugging two streets over or a crisis across the multiverse, you show up. Great power demanding great responsibility is not a slogan to you. It is the code you live by, even when it costs you everything. Why this is you

• You show up for the small stuff nobody is watching.
• You joke through fear rather than letting it stop you.
• You take the loss personally, every time.

From the Collider file

• Tom Holland was introduced mid-fight in Civil War in 2016, with no origin story needed.
• No Way Home passed 1.9 billion dollars and became the biggest release of the pandemic era.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in 2026, his fourth solo outing in the MCU.

Shows up Carries the guilt Jokes through it

Daredevil Hell's Kitchen, New York You looked into the dark and decided not to become it. That decision gets made again every night.

You fight in the space between law and chaos, steered by a moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk. You use every tool you have, your mind, your body and your faith, to protect the people the system overlooks. You have come close to the edge and stepped back from it more than once. Matt Murdock's split, champion in the courtroom and devil in the alley, mirrors your own: relentless, conflicted and unwilling to stop. Why this is you

• You work the problem legally first and physically second.
• You hold a line you have genuinely wanted to cross.
• You take the cases nobody else will touch.

From the Collider file

• Charlie Cox's 2015 series opened with a one-take hallway fight that reset the bar for TV action.
• Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin crossed into Hawkeye and Echo before the two reunited on screen.
• Daredevil: Born Again brought the pair back, and a second season followed in 2026.

Fights the dark Keeps the faith Never stops

Iron Man Stark Industries, Malibu You started out protecting yourself. Somewhere along the way the world became your problem.

Brilliant, driven and occasionally insufferable, but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem. You lead with your mind and back it with resources, invention and a stubbornness that edges into heroism. You began looking out for yourself and ended up carrying everyone else. Tony Stark's arc from ego to sacrifice is your arc too. You build, you plan, and when the moment comes you are willing to give everything. Why this is you

• You solve it with the thing you built last night.
• You would rather be useful than liked.
• You have a contingency for the contingency.

From the Collider file

• The 2008 film launched the entire MCU on a casting choice the studio considered a real risk.
• Much of Robert Downey Jr.'s dialogue was improvised, the closing line included.
• Announcing himself at that press conference threw out the secret-identity rulebook for a decade of films.

Builds the answer Ego to sacrifice Always has a plan

The Punisher New York City What is left after the fire is not broken. It is narrowed down to one thing.

You went through something that would break most people, and it did change you, completely. What remains is unyielding and operates by a code forged in grief. You do not ask forgiveness and you do not expect thanks. You looked at a corrupt, broken world and decided to do something about it whatever it costs. Frank Castle's war comes out of love bent by loss, and so does yours. The world may never agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute. Why this is you

• You finish what you start, with no appetite for ceremony.
• You keep your circle small and your mission smaller.
• You accept being the villain in somebody else's telling.

From the Collider file

• Jon Bernthal arrived in Daredevil's second season in 2016 and earned a two-season show of his own.
• The character was created in 1974 by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, as a Spider-Man antagonist.
• Bernthal returned in Born Again, with a Disney+ special following on from it.

Forged in grief No forgiveness asked Absolute

Thor Asgard, the Nine Realms Worthiness is not a thing you are given. It is a thing you keep earning.

Powerful, proud, and on a long journey toward being worthy of the legend you carry. You lead with strength, and you learned, sometimes painfully, that the real thing comes from humility and growth instead. You are larger than life and more vulnerable than you let on. Thor's story is a long transformation, from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to someone people genuinely love. You bring the storm when it is needed and the warmth when that matters more. Why this is you

• You go first, and loudly.
• You take the lesson, eventually.
• You are the morale of the room as much as its muscle.

From the Collider file

• Chris Hemsworth nearly missed the part. His brother Liam got further in the process at first.
• Taika Waititi's Ragnarok reinvented the character through heavy on-set improvisation.
• Hemsworth has headlined four Thor films, from 2011 through to 2022.

Brings the storm Still earning it Warmer than he looks

Captain America Brooklyn, New York Strength was never the point. Refusing to move was the point.

You believe in something bigger than yourself, and you fight for it even once the world has moved on and nobody else will. You do not bully the small guy and you do not stop when it gets hard. Steve Rogers did not become a hero when he got the serum. He already was one, and so are you. Your strength is not in your fists, it is in refusing to compromise what is right whatever that costs. In a world of people taking the easy road, you are the one who stands back up. Why this is you

• You say the unpopular thing in the room where it costs you.
• You hold the plan together when it starts coming apart.
• You get back up. That is the whole trick.

From the Collider file

• Chris Evans turned the role down more than once before finally taking it.
• The Winter Soldier recast the series as a political thriller and is still held up as its best.
• Anthony Mackie took over the shield and led Brave New World in 2025.

Holds the line Stands back up No compromise

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Jon Bernthal Recently Returned to the Role of The Punisher

The Punisher lasted only two seasons on Netflix before being canceled, yet many fans felt Season 2 was a step down from Season 1 because of a pair of less-than-menacing antagonists and a scattershot plot. However, it wasn't the end of Jon Berenthal's time playing the character. Bernthal would return as Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, reuniting with former Punisher writer Dario Scardapane in the process. The best was yet to come, as Bernthal also co-wrote and starred in The Punisher: One Last Kill, which hews closely to The Punisher Season 1 in terms of emotional heft and action.Bernthal also plays the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and, surprisingly, is one of the best parts of the movie. A large part of that is due to the vitriolic back-and-forth between Castle and Tom Holland's titular web-slinger, but there's also a moment that highlights Castle as being more than a lean, mean, criminal-killing machine. When he admonishes Peter Parker for choosing to stay hidden from his former girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), Castle says, "Kid, this is a sentence." That single line highlights how tortured of a character he is, and gives the kind of depth The Punisher was aiming for.

While The Punisher had its ups and downs, it's arguably worth watching to see Jon Bernthal bring one of Marvel's most complicated characters to life. The blood and violence are just the cherry on top.

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  David Lieberman / Micro

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  Billy Russo / Jigsaw