Chris Pratt Reveals the Unexpected Marvel Hero He Wants to Tackle Next

If you think Chris Pratt is satisfied just being Marvel's wisecracking Star-Lord, guess again. Not only is he game to keep piloting the Milano, but he's got his eye on a way darker side of the Marvel universe. And when I say darker, I mean 'gun-toting vigilante from a dystopian future' kind of dark. Really, this is not a guy content to keep saving the galaxy on Guardians protocol.

From Star-Lord to… The Punisher?

The usual Marvel press cycle is all about sequels and cameos. But Pratt just threw out a left-field choice during a recent Dexerto interview. When asked about his dream role in all of fiction, he bypassed the obvious and went straight for The Punisher. Yep, that Punisher. He explained, 'He was my favorite comic book hero growing up so I’ve always loved Punisher.'

Honestly, seeing Pratt ditch the jokes and trade in his Walkman for a skull-logo tee sounds weirdly perfect. But he also knows people have already seen him go extra violent in Amazon’s The Terminal List—his words: 'I get to kind-of play a version of The Punisher with James Reece... but yeah The Punisher. He was so good.'

But Not THAT Punisher

Here’s the curveball: Pratt isn’t gunning for Jon Bernthal’s role as Frank Castle—the Punisher we've already met in Marvel shows. He wants the Punisher 2099 version. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone; it’s a strange little branch of Marvel lore, set in a super-dystopian cyberpunk future, and it's about as far from the Guardians' cosmic disco as you can get.

• Punisher 2099 first hit comics in 1993
• The main guy here is Jacob Gallows, not Frank Castle
• Gallows starts as a cop whose family is murdered, then he ditches the badge and becomes the city’s most hardcore vigilante
• Think less 'mobsters in New York, lots of trench coats' and more 'surveillance state, evil corporations, future tech, and seriously brutal justice'

To sum it up: Chris Pratt wants the Punisher—just not the one you’ve seen, and with a mean cyberpunk twist. Also, can we just say, Punisher 2099 getting name-dropped at all is wild. Who had that on their Marvel bingo card?

Will Star-Lord Return? (Yes, Eventually...)

If you’re sweating that Pratt’s ditching his signature space outlaw gig, don’t. He knows there are still loose ends for Peter Quill. After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel made a point of teasing that 'The legendary Star-Lord will return.' Pratt seems just as eager as the fans to see that actually happen, admitting, 'We made a promise with Guardians of the Galaxy that Star-Lord would return – I think I'd really like to make good on that promise.'

So, long story short: Chris Pratt still wants more Star-Lord, but if the Marvel bosses are reading, maybe don’t rule out letting him go full-blown Punisher 2099 on screen someday. The guy’s got range—and apparently, a genuine need to settle some dark, cyberpunk scores.