The Punisher Special Just Set Up Spider-Man 4—Here’s How
Jon Bernthal reloads for a 2026 MCU blitz, unleashing the Punisher in a Disney+ special before crashing into Spider-Man 4: Brand New Day — with back-to-back shoots and a plan to keep his brutal edge seamless across wildly different Marvel tones.
Jon Bernthal is back in a big way. Marvel is lining up a full-on Frank Castle comeback for 2026, with a Disney+ Punisher special and Spider-Man 4 (going by Brand New Day) shooting practically on top of each other. Two very different Marvel tones, one skull-logo vigilante. Bernthal knows that could get messy, and he says they planned for it.
Where we left Frank
After years on the sideline post-Netflix, Bernthal slipped back into the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again season 1. Frank had gone to ground, only to resurface when Matt Murdock uncovered a crooked cop ring co-opting the Punisher symbol. Frank and Matt tore through Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force, Frank got hauled off, and then he broke out. That ending basically points straight at the Disney+ special.
Two shoots, one character
Right before cameras rolled on the Punisher special, Marvel confirmed Bernthal for Spider-Man 4 as well. He filmed both projects back-to-back between July and August, setting up twin Punisher storylines that will land in 2026. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is aiming for July. The Punisher special is expected to hit around the time Daredevil: Born Again season 2 arrives.
The tone question (and Bernthal's answer)
Everyone's big worry: how do you fit the Punisher's bruising, R-rated vibe into a PG-13 Spider-Man movie without neutering the character or breaking continuity? Bernthal told ScreenRant they built a bridge between the two versions on purpose and that it holds.
'Around that same time, there will also be this Punisher special that's coming out, that I think will be as high-octane Punisher as you've ever seen.'
'I think 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.'
Translation: Spidey might lighten the edges a bit, but the guy you meet in Brand New Day should feel like the same Frank Castle who headlines the Disney+ special. It mirrors how Marvel eased Charlie Cox's Daredevil back in through Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law before throwing him into heavier material.
Who is in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Tom Holland back as Spider-Man
- Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle
- Returning: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Mando
- New additions: Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman
- Marvin Jones III as Tombstone
What to expect in 2026
Brand New Day is stacking its roster, so expect Punisher to be used surgically in the film while the Disney+ special delivers the full-throttle version. The nerdy production detail that both shoots happened back-to-back actually matters here; the team treated Frank like one continuous character walking between sets rather than two separate takes.
Bernthal's comments came in an interview with ScreenRant. The broader connection between the special and Spider-Man 4 was initially reported by Devanshi Basu, and further covered by ComingSoon.