Marvel Studios has only released two Special Presentations, and both were superb. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Werewolf by Night received rave reviews but two and a half years after they first hit Disney+, we're still waiting on more.
What looked like it might have been a failed experiment for Marvel Studios (neither was cheap to produce and we're not privy to streaming numbers) is now making a grand return according to Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum.
Talking to ComicBook.com about Jon Bernthal's return as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, he revealed that "[Bernthal] is working on a special presentation with us about that character."
Yes, we're finally getting a solo The Punisher project in the MCU!
There's no word on who will write and direct the special, when it will be released, or what it's about. Common sense says it will boast the same TV-MA rating as the Man Without Fear's Disney+ debut and chances are it's going to set the stage for a new series revolving around the vigilante (assuming he factors into Marvel Studios' plans for multi-year TV shows).
The Punisher Special Presentation could also lead him into another Marvel movie or TV show as Frank is a big part of Spider-Man's world, for example. Remember, there have also been vague hints about The Punisher being in Spider-Man 4.
"I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has," the actor previously said of The Punisher's long-awaited MCU debut. "In the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe. I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me and I care about that character deeply."
"I also know that it’s absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank," Bernthal continued. "I’m gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right."
A Special Presentation for The Punisher should be relatively cheap to produce and could even be shot while Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is in production. Hopefully, it's being fast-tracked because the more of Bernthal's Frank we see in the MCU, the better.
It's unclear how connected to the wider MCU these street-level characters will be; they may start showing up in movies or be what Marvel builds its streaming projects around, similar to when they were on Netflix.
Either way, the future now looks bright for Daredevil and The Punisher...