Summary

• Thomas Jane confirms he was never going to cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, and praises Jon Bernthal as the Punisher in the MCU.
• Jane acknowledges he had to stretch to play Punisher due to ethnicity, and believes Bernthal wears the role well.
• Jon Bernthal will play the Punisher in the MCU's Daredevil: Born Again series.

Thomas Jane discusses the rumors of him appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine and his thoughts on Jon Bernthal being the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again's story.

While speaking with The Direct, Jane made it clear that he was never going to have a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. He is candid about why he was not the ideal actor to play the Punisher, despite playing the role before Bernthal. Jane also compliments Bernthal's portrayal of the character, and explains why Bernthal is better-suited to continue the role in Daredevil: Born Again and moving forward in the MCU. Check out Jane's comments below:

Nope. 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.

Jon Bernthal Was The Only Viable Choice For The MCU's Punisher

Bernthal's Punisher Was A Major Part Of Netflix's Marvel Series

With Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Wilson Bethel all reprising their Daredevil roles as part of the MCU's Daredevil: Born Again cast, it only makes sense that Bernthal is also reprising his role as the Punisher. While the series will not be Daredevil season 4, the MCU has already shown with D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin that it will incorporate key elements from the Netflix series. Bernthal's Punisher was particularly integral to the arcs of Karen Page (Woll) and Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Cox), making his return all the more essential.

It would be jarring to have a different actor suddenly playing the Punisher while he interacts with characters from Daredevil and potentially from the other Netflix Marvel series as well.

In addition to looking the part and significantly impacting other characters' arcs, Bernthal brought a much-needed sense of humanity to the Punisher. Without this, the Punisher becomes an empty vehicle for over-the-top violence and the essence of the character is lost. In both Daredevil and in the Punisher series, Bernthal grounded the character as someone consumed by tragedy and longing for the loved ones he had lost, which added more weight behind his violent actions.

His portrayal of the Punisher was considered to be one of the best parts of Netflix's Marvel series, including in Daredevil season 2. It would be jarring to have a different actor suddenly playing the Punisher while he interacts with characters from Daredevil and potentially from the other Netflix Marvel series as well. Bernthal's return is one of the many elements that makes Daredevil: Born Again one of the MCU's most exciting projects.

Source: The Direct