Netflix reveals The Punisher season two release date, teaser trailer: Watch
Netflix has been chopping down its Marvel shows left and right, with Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all getting the axe (after strong seasons from each, no less). Two series still remain, however, and the next one up isn’t going down without a fight. The premiere date for season two of The Punisher has today been revealed in a tense new teaser trailer.
Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) will don the skull vest for what is likely the final time when The Punisher premieres on January 18th. The second season of the Daredevil spin-off will see Castle going up against a villain of his own creation, as Ben Barnes returns as Billy Russo. After the events of last season’s finale, though, Russo’s face and mind are shredded, turning him into the unhinged Jigsaw.
Both characters get an intense introduction in the new teaser, which you can watch below.
Speaking with io9, Barnes explained how the show will be taking a more grounded approach to his character than the comics (or Punisher: War Zone) did:
“We’re talking abut a deeply narcissistic character — in season one — whose mask of appeal in terms of doing his hair and the nice suits and all that kind of stuff has been stripped away from him. It’s about what he sees when he looks in the mirror rather than necessarily what other people see, because we didn’t want [Billy’s story] to be a horror show. It’s something more internal. We don’t refer to the character as Jigsaw in the series, but he very much has a jigsaw puzzle in his brain. It’s not about his face, it’s about the psychological, which is really something we wanted to focus on this season.”
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The Punisher season two will also star Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and Josh Stewart as John PIlgrim, a new villain loosely based on the comic character Mennonite. It’s worth sadly noting that Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who played Micro in season one, isn’t listed on any official character sheets.
Netflix still has a third season of Jessica Jones expected to drop later this year, but that will probably mark the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the streaming service. The shakeup likely has its roots in the fact that Disney will be launching its own streaming service, Disney+, this year. Shows centered on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) from the Avengers movies are anticipated on the new service, and fans are holding out hope that The Defenders find a second life on Disney+ or elsewhere.
