10 Comic Book Characters Who Were Better On TV Than In Movies
3. The Punisher
In terms of how many tries it took to get it just right, Frank Castle has had a longer journey to a definitive on-screen version than most other Marvel characters.
Frank's first live-action appearance came in the 1989 Dolph Lundgren film The Punisher. It's your standard, over-the-top '80s action flick. It's not exactly good, but it's enjoyable enough if you're into that sort of thing. The character saw a reboot in 2004's The Punisher, which is somehow even more bombastic that the 1989 version, but does have a solid Thomas Jane performance going for it. Finally, there's 2008's Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson, which was designed to launch a separate Marvel Knights film franchise as an alternative to the MCU, though plans fell through when the movie underperformed.
The thing about the Punisher movies is that while none of them are outright terrible, none of them are particularly great either. The Thomas Jane movie is probably the best of the bunch, but even that one is far from perfect.
Jumping to the small screen proved to be the best thing for Frank Castle, with Jon Bernthal's portrayal on Netflix not only being great, but downright perfect. He made his debut in Daredevil Season 2, the first four episodes of which combined can be considered - no joke - the best Punisher movie that has ever been made or ever will be made.
If you want to talk about a comic book actor absolutely owning their role, it's tough to hold a candle to Bernthal's Frank Castle. His raw anger, pain and emotion in Daredevil Season 2 are palpable, with the two seasons of his own Punisher spinoff series offering even greater insight into what exactly makes the deranged vigilante tick, as well as containing some provocative sociopolitical commentary that is uncomfortable, but very much relevant. When Netflix canceled The Punisher, we lost something truly special.