Star of 2004’s The Punisher Admits He Was Miscast as Frank Castle: I’m Not That Guy

Thomas Jane is looking back at his skull-wearing days and, to his credit, calling it like he sees it: he wasn’t the guy for The Punisher.

Jane’s take: good gig, wrong fit

Talking to ComicBookMovie.com’s Josh Wilding, Jane said he never really matched Frank Castle on a fundamental level. He pointed to the character’s roots and look as a mismatch for him, and admitted he had to change himself to try and fit the part.

"I was miscast as Frank Castle."

"I’m not that guy."

His reasoning: the comics paint Castle as an Italian-American with black hair and a backstory steeped in 70s-era anti-mob storytelling. Jane, blond at the time, literally had to dye his hair and essentially reshape his vibe to get there. He says he had fun, did the best he could, and is grateful for the job, but he’s happy the role now belongs to someone who feels more right for it.

How the 2004 movie landed

Jane starred opposite John Travolta, who played crime boss Howard Saint in 2004’s The Punisher. The movie didn’t exactly set the world on fire: it pulled in about $54 million at the box office and sits at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jane did return as Castle in an easy-to-forget tie-in, the 2005 PS2 shooter The Punisher, but that was basically it for his run.

Who picked up the skull next

Marvel tried a fresh start in 2008 with Punisher: War Zone, this time with Ray Stevenson under the logo. Later, Jon Bernthal came in hot on Daredevil season 2 and then spun off into his own Netflix series, making the character feel properly mean, tragic, and grounded in a way fans connected with.

Where the character is now

Bernthal’s Punisher has since been folded into the MCU. He shows up in Daredevil: Born Again, has his own Disney Plus special on the way, and is set to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Odd quirk of scheduling: he’s not appearing in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.