When fans saw Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock for the first time in years as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, they finally received hope that their favorite blind crime fighter would officially enter the MCU fold. These hopes only elevated when Vincent D’Onofrio returned as Kingpin in Hawkeye. Kevin Feige himself recognized Charlie Cox as his choice for Daredevil even before he returned as the character. With the rights of the Netflix characters and their respective series now back in Disney’s hands, and with Netflix’s Marvel series leaving the platform in March 2022, the belief that they could all be mixing it up with the big screen heroes soon is gaining a lot of buzz.
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However, not every one of the Netflix heroes may be up for a straight shot into the MCU. Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal in Netflix’s The Punisher is a historically violent hero, with the term “hero” used loosely. Frank leaves trails of blood everywhere he goes, which could be a concern, considering the MCU has never been a particularly bloody place. Bernthal himself has said that he would only return to the character in the MCU if the studio stayed true to his character’s violent disposition. Of course, with Cox’s Daredevil and D’Onofrio’s Kingpin both being Netflix Marvel characters officially entering the MCU, and with Hulu’s rumored new series based on The Punisher, the question everyone is asking is: is The Punisher connected to the MCU. Here’s what we know.
What Marvel TV Shows are MCU Canon?
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Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprised their roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, respectively, in the MCU, with both rumored to have other appearances lined up down the line. However, it should be noted that this does not necessarily make the Netflix shows canon. Actors from the Netflix series may remain the same, but rumor has it that the characters themselves may be rebooted to fit Disney’s lighter, family-friendly tone. After all, neither of the Daredevil characters acknowledged their arcs from the series in their most recent appearances, so they may not be entirely the same. Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones is rumored to appear in the upcoming She-Hulk series coming to Disney+ later this year, and Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher is also speculated to make some appearances in phase 4 and 5 as well.
As for Luke Cage and Iron Fist, actors Finn Jones and Mike Colter may be out of luck as their characters may be recast to do a complete reboot of their respective source materials. Understandably, they would want to redo Iron Fist. In both its seasons, the show’s ratings were poor, and Danny Rand’s character was rejected even before Finn Jones was cast. On the other hand, rebooting Luke Cage’s character would be a rather unfortunate choice as the series had a far more positive reception. It may not have been perfect, but it would have been well on its way to becoming a truly great series if it had not been canceled. Fans disappointed by this speculation need not be too worried as Kevin Feige has not ruled out the possibility of fully incorporating the Netflix series into the MCU.
Are The Punisher and Daredevil in the Same Universe?
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Fans of Daredevil already know that The Punisher was one of the core characters in the series’ second season. Not only that, but the two characters have historically butted heads regularly in the comics. The Punisher is a guy who ends criminal careers definitively by employing a vast arsenal of weapons. He believes that the only real way to stop crime is to prevent criminals from committing evil deeds altogether. It’s a part of the vigilante’s philosophy. Daredevil, on the other hand, has a strict no-killing philosophy. Being a devout Catholic, Matt Murdock believes in second chances and sincerely hopes those he administers justice to find it in them to turn their lives around.
Views on killing aren’t the only reasons they fail to see eye-to-eye, but it is the most notable aspect of their rivalry due to their natures. The Punisher is a unique adversary to Daredevil in that they disagree with each other’s methods of heroism, but at the same time understand each other more than anyone else in the Marvel universe. Frank told Matt that he is one bad day away from being him, but despite their differences, he respects and admires him and his way of doing things and hopes he never changes. Matt has similarly acknowledged that his anger drives him to dark places; fans of the TV series have seen his struggle with giving in to his rage. Matt knows how easy it is to cross the line like Frank has but understands that the world has made the both of them exactly who they are, and for that reason, he doesn’t view Frank as a monster, unlike the other Marvel heroes.
Is The Punisher Connected to the MCU?
It’s a toss-up whether or not we see Frank Castle in the MCU. Disney’s interpretation of the Marvel heroes has always been tame and family-friendly. If they can’t sell a character as a toy, they may not have a place among the Avengers or their associates. Going back to the rumor of characters being rebooted and/or recast, it could be that someone other than Jon Bernthal dons the trademark skull if they are going to be mixing it up with the likes of Spider-Man or Captain America. The actor himself has stated that he has no interest in playing Frank Castle if it will be a toned-down version of the historically violent character.
Bernthal may get his wish because it’s been reported that he will be reprising the character on Disney’s more mature streaming service, Hulu. There is no official confirmation from Disney or Hulu that this is true. Still, it would make sense for the series, as well as the others from Netflix, to go to the streamer as it would allow them to live in the MCU realm while maintaining their grittier format. Maintaining said format might not keep any of the characters, especially The Punisher, from appearing in other MCU projects as Marvel Studios already seems to be pushing the boundaries of how dark and brutal they can be. The upcoming series Moon Knight is rated 14A for dark themes, imagery, and of course, violence, although to a lesser degree than the Netflix shows. So, although nothing is confirmed, there is a very solid chance that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher will step foot in the MCU in all his guns-blazing glory, just with a bit of compromise here and there.
