The Punisher: Vigilante Vengeance Hits Netflix!!!

I’ve always felt a connection to those who punish villainy, especially those who seek revenge because they've lost their families and perhaps for a time, their will to live because of it. That these broken souls are able to conjure the determination to pick themselves up, pursuing truth and justice in spite of their deep, dark woe, makes them all the more endearing to me.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson fall into that category; so does Mad Max Rockatansky. And then of course, there’s Frank Castle: the skull-chested Punisher, whose bereaving pain leads him to put his life on the line so that others may live. 

As fans know, Castle lost his loved ones to a system that allowed villainy to thrive with impunity, at least for spell. Castle set forth to remedy that wrong and boy, did he ever succeed. 

Now, Jon Bernthal takes on the role of Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and John Romita Sr.'s famed vigilante in Netflix's latest, Marvel online series. To reinforce its chances for success, it's produced by Steve "Hannibal" Lightfoot: an ideal choice for Marvel's most brooding character and an actor as intense as Bernthal.

Bernthal gave a stunning performance as Castle in “Daredevil: Season 2”--and was equally stunning in “The Walking Dead”, “Mob City” and just about every other production he’s occupied. He has that rare talent for conveying rage, guilt and sadness (often at the same time). Castle's time in Afghanistan will also be referenced in this solo-titled outing, and no doubt Bernthal will make such count with incensed precision.  

Bernthal is joined by a number of quality, supporting performers, including Deborah Ann Woll  as “Daredevil’”s Karen Page; C. Thomas Howell as Carson Wolf; Amber Rose Revah as Dina Madani; Daniel Webber as Lewis Walcott; Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle; Michael Nathanson as Sam Stein; Ebon Moss-Bachrach as David Lieberman/Micro; Jamie Ray Newman as Sarah Lieberman; Paul Schulz as the adversarial (William) Rawlins; and Ben James as the belligerent Billy Barnes/Jigsaw (a character previously portrayed by Dominic West in Lexi Alexander's "Punisher: War Zone"). 

For better or worse, Netflix has stayed secretive about whom Castle will combat beyond (or in addition to) Rawlins and Jigsaw, but so be it. We’re sure to find the main culprits, as well as any possible cohorts, comparable to those real-life cretins we read about or see on the evening news: you know, the types who get off the hook (or receive lame excuses from the snowflake sect) for their godforsaken atrocities. Unfortunately, we may not be able to fix or erase what these loathsome perpetrators perform, but in a symbolic turn, the Punisher can; and we'll experience it all through Bernthal's aggressive actions. 

I predict "Punisher" will be a stand-out for Netflix, though considering the Marvel adaptations it's fashioned thus far, it only goes to reason. 

"Punisher" begins November 17, with all thirteen episodes loaded for our immediate and unapologetic indulgence. Awright!!!

Daredevil (Season 2): The Punisher Enters...

Netflix's first season of "Marvel's Daredevil" emerged as a fierce, brooding success, with visually impaired but sense empowered Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) facing off against Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio), in a sprawling Hell's Kitchen showdown.

The second season, which begins March 18, promises an even more layered landscape, ushering the entrance of vengeance-craving vigilante, Frank Castle (Jon "Walking Dead" Bernthal), otherwise known as the Punisher. The shapely and lethal Elektra Natchios (Elodi "Gods of Egypt" Yung) also swings on board, while last season's Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) reunite with their favorite "Man Without Fear" attorney in his continued crusade for justice. From what's implied, we may even get lucky with re-entries from Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), Stick (Scott Glenn) and (by gosh by golly) D'Onofrio's Fisk. (Some are also predicting a Bullseye reveal, but we'll see. Whether this season or another, the villain is bound to appear.)

At any rate, advanced footage insinuates that the Punisher will greatly impact the plot, setting up a pre-"Batman v Superman" and "Cap America: Civil War" clash of the titans. I can't say I believe the adversity will last forever, but for better or worse, rifts between superheroes remain the in-thing now, and I imagine Netflix will nurture the concept for all that it's worth.

This season's projected conflict does, in truth, fit with the initial season's sinister (and often cynical) tone, which also characterizes Netflix's "Jessica Jones", but somewhere along the line, there's got to be a light at the end of the tunnel, right? Let's face it, these folks aren't fighting just for the fun of it. They want something better for their world and therefore, for people like you and me. Let's hope that the culmination of their melees allows them--and us--to achieve it. After all, there's nothing quite as fulfilling as good triumphing over evil.