Thanks to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, we’ve come to expect Marvel’s Netflix series to have more of an edge than the brighter heroes of the big screen. These shows have been as close to an R-rated movie as we’ve ever gotten from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least until The Punisher‘s first trailer dropped today. And there were so. Many. Headshots. Why, it’s almost as if the Punisher takes his crusade personally! Today’s Nerdist News is looking at what may be Marvel’s darkest show to date and what it could mean for the future of the MCU on Netflix.
Join host and Secret Defender, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the some of brutal moments in The Punisher trailer and its unrelentingly bleak tone. If we didn’t already know this was in the MCU, it would be pretty hard to tell that this is a world with superheroes in it. Frank Castle’s road goes to places few other heroes can follow. But that doesn’t mean the Punisher is the only Marvel character who could benefit from the same approach.
If Marvel and Netflix are so inclined, The Punisher could pave the way for characters like Moon Knight or possibly even supernatural horror characters, like Blade. More than anything else, we’d love to see Netflix snatch up Ghost Rider from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for his own series. Some of our favorite ’90s crossover stories had the Punisher teaming up with Ghost Rider and Wolverine. And while ol’ man Logan is still pretty damn unlikely to show up in the MCU, it really isn’t out of the question for Castle to meet Ghost Rider at some point. As Jeph Loeb loves to say, “it’s all connected.”
The Punisher also stands as an example of Marvel’s ability to feature characters with wildly different tones within the same shared universe. As ugly as it is, Frank Castle’s world does remind us of our own. And it brings the MCU down to Earth in a way that we didn’t expect. Marvel and Netflix still haven’t let us know when The Punisher will premiere, but we’re thinking that a November debut seems likely.
Should Netflix go even darker with its next phase of Marvel TV shows? And which characters do you want to see get the Netflix treatment? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Need More Punisher?
- Here are our thoughts on the first trailer.
- Did you know they released the series’ episode titles IN MORSE CODE?
- And here are some of the other cast members and characters, if you want to speculate!
Images: Netflix/Marvel TV
