8 Little Known Tics In Jon Bernthal's Performance That Made MCU's Punisher Awesome

6. The Difference In Flashbacks

For years, one of the biggest questions that has dominated the character of Frank Castle has been this: at what exact moment did he become the Punisher? Did he go to war inherently drawn to violence; or was it the death of his family that truly put him on the path to vigilantism?

The TV show, much like the comics, refuses to come down on one answer, although it does depict the transformative effects of Frank's deployment on his psyche in Season 1. Whatever the real truth behind the character, one of the most interesting things about Bernthal's portrayal is the way he manages to so accurately convey the dichotomy of Frank's life both before and after his family's murder.

In flashbacks, you can see just how vulnerable he is. He's a family man, and his posture is completely different - open, and loving.

Seeing Frank in these moments serves an important purpose in hammering home the tragedy of his journey, and given we only get minutes devoted to them, Bernthal's performance is only more impressive.