Posted in: Comics, Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: frank castle, punisher

The Punisher: Bernthal on Why Frank Connects with People; Garth Ennis

The Punisher: One Last Kill star/co-writer Jon Bernthal on being influenced by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and connecting with Frank Castle.

Set to hit screens on May 12th, A Marvel Television Special Presentation: The Punisher: One Last Kill spotlights Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) as he searches for meaning beyond revenge – until an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight. With a month to go until Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green (We Own This City) bring him back to our screens, we're getting some interesting insights from Bernthal on Frank Castle/The Punisher, how Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline influenced the special, and why "there's a little bit of Frank in all of us." Appropriately enough, Bernthal shared his perspectives in a special foreword he penned for the recently released "Marvel Premier Collection" edition of Ennis and Dillon's arc.

After offering his perspective on who Frank Castle is as a man, how his past has shaped his worldview, and how being able to tell his story has made him "a better father, a better husband, a better man," Bernthal explained what it is about the charater that "resonated so deeply" with first-responders, veterans, and others. "He embodies all that is righteous and good about these men and women — his commitment, his code, and his refusal to abandon the mission are the foundation of the great people who defend our freedom, and of who Frank is. They understand Frank on a profound level because his code mirrors their lived experience," he wrote. But as he dug deeper into the character, Bernthal realized that Frank Castle/The Punisher speaks to many of us.

"Frank's faith isn't in institutions or systems. It's in the memory of his family and the bond forged through shared struggle. That rawness, that refusal to look away from hard truths, that absolute commitment. We all recognize it because we've all felt it," he continues. "Parents protecting their families see themselves in Frank. People who've suffered loss and needed to channel it into action see themselves in Frank. Anyone and everyone who's taken a stand, large or small, to make things right sees themselves in Frank. We've all carried impossible weight. We've all had moments where we had to steel ourselves and push forward. There's a little bit of Frank in all of us."

From there, Barnthal shared how Ennis's vision of Frank in "Welcome Back, Frank" spoke to him because it "doesn't apologize for Frank," choosing to show "the ugly and gray side of heroism" while "finding truth in the sordid dust of desperation and anger." He notes, "'Welcome Back, Frank' doesn't ask you to love Frank — it asks you to look at him clearly, without flinching. It asks you to see Frank in all his gruesome glory and then find that same primal motivation within yourself so you can go on that journey with him. Ennis evokes that side of you that wants to go as far as Frank does for what you believe in. It's an exploration and journey of honesty."

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