The Punisher star Thomas Jane is ready to return to the Marvel Universe, just not as Frank Castle.
Marvel Studios has been bringing back a lot of Marvel legacy actors for its Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Patrick Stewart, and Anson Mount just a few to appear in the first few years of the saga. More recently, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, and Dafne Keen returned as Elektra, Blade, and X-23, respectively, in Deadpool & Wolverine, which also featured Chris Evans’ scene-stealing reprisal of Johnny Storm/Human Torch.
With more legacy actors expected to appear in the upcoming Avengers movies, The Direct asked Jane during a recent interview if he had been approached to cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine as his version of Frank Castle/The Punisher.
“Nope,” the actor stated. “I like [Jon] Bernthal‘s Punisher. I think, you know, for me, it was always a little bit of a stretch. Frank Castle is supposed to be an Italian American. I’m not. I’m an Irish American. So for me, I had to dye the hair and sort of take on a persona, but Bernthal wears it so well, so I think they should stick with him.”
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With Jane not interested in returning as the title character, The Direct pitched the idea of him playing a villain for Bernthal’s Punisher. “Hey, that wouldn’t be bad. I like that,” Jane said, placing the ball in Marvel’s court to turn the idea into a reality.
When did Thomas Jane last play The Punisher?
Jane first appeared as Frank Castle/The Punisher in the action movie, The Punisher, which was released by Lionsgate in 2004. Although it wasn’t a critical or commercial success, Lionsgate began development on a sequel, with Jane set to reprise his role. However, after the actor left the project over creative differences, Lionsgate turned the sequel into the 2008 reboot, Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray Stevenson as the titular vigilante.
In 2012, eight years after last playing Frank Castle, Jane appeared in the unofficial sequel short film The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, the first installment in Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe. The 10-minute short film also stars Ron Perlman, perhaps best known among comic book fans for playing Hellboy on the big screen in the 2000s.
The Punisher, played by Bernthal, will next be seen in Daredevil: Born Again, which is slated to hit Disney+ in March 2025.
