Jon Bernthal is gearing up for a rare MCU milestone in 2026, appearing in two major Marvel projects releasing within months of each other. He will not only star in his own Disney+ Punisher special, but also appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’. This marks the most interconnected MCU moment for Frank Castle to date.
However, as opposed to other heroes who jump between tones, universes, and genres, the Bernthal’s Punisher comes with a unique challenge: How do you maintain the brutal authenticity of Frank Castle while fitting him into a PG-13 Spider-Man film? The trick, according to Bernthal, was to ensure that the Punisher did not feel that he was in two different universes simultaneously. And now he has revealed how he made it work.
How Jon Bernthal’s Punisher Bridges 2 MCU Roles Without Breaking Continuity
Over the years, fans have been asking themselves whether the Punisher, who is emotionally damaged, morally torn, and unstoppably violent, could ever be integrated into the broader MCU in a natural manner. The Netflix series was, after all, gritty, violent, and notoriously R-rated, whereas the primary MCU was more family-friendly. However, Bernthal’s new remarks show Marvel did not want him to water down Frank Castle; they asked him to unify him.
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In an interview with ScreenRant, Bernthal revealed that he, Tom Holland, and director Destin Daniel Cretton collaborated to ensure that the character was consistent across the projects. “What was really important to me and to Destin and to Tom is that we believed that the Punisher could walk off of the Spider-Man set and could walk onto the special set, and I do believe that we achieved that.”
This was not merely a matter of consistency, but respecting the emotional and moral gravitas that makes Frank Castle who he is. The question that has been on fans’ minds is how Castle could fit in ‘Brand New Day’ alongside Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. But Bernthal has a major advantage. He already filmed both projects back-to-back, allowing the character’s emotional continuity to stay intact.
This is similar to how Charlie Cox’s Daredevil was handled. He initially reappeared in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ with a more light-hearted and comedic approach. However, he then returned to his original vigilante mode in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’. The MCU has demonstrated that it can adapt characters to fit in various tones without necessarily altering their core essence.
Hulk Joining ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Marks A Huge Shift
While Punisher’s return would be big news alone, ‘Brand New Day’ carries another historic moment: Hulk will appear in a Spider-Man movie for the first time ever. Since Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man, the Hulk has never appeared in a Spider-Man story, until now. And set photos revealed a troubled Bruce Banner instead of the Smart Hulk we’ve been seeing.
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Mark Ruffalo does not simply come back in a cameo. In the initial set photos, Bruce Banner is on a stretcher, confused and perhaps post-transformation. This implies that ‘Brand New Day’ will delve into a more volatile version of the Hulk. It could finally give fans the Savage Hulk who has come back after years of Smart Hulk rule. The introduction of Hulk suggests that ‘Brand New Day’ will be a street-level story, but not small-scale.
