Really, what all the fans are gunning for with The Punisher's introduction to Daredevil is that Netflix and Marvel might finally give a proper adaptation to Frank Castle's finest hour. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon are widely agreed upon to be the best creative team ever to work on the character beginning with their first arc, Welcome Back, Frank. The Punisher had been through the wilderness, and barely made it. Nobody could quite decide on whether he was a villain, hero, or anti-hero whether Frank Castle should be admired, sympathised with, or admonished. Ennis and Dillon went with all of the above, crafting a complex character readers could get on board with. Which isn't to say his more deplorable traits weren't in effect (he still kills a lot of people), but it was within the framework of a crime story that would very much fit into the type of show Daredevil has set itself up to be. It may be a touch familiar to audiences, thanks to being the source material to the 2004 Punisher film but... John Travolta was in that. It might be a bit left-field to adapt a Punisher storyline for Daredevil's show Matt makes only a fleeting appearance in the comics but it fits the themes and structure of the first season, and would let Bernthal shine as he deserves.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
