Does Frank Castle Find Peace and Love Again

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[This story contains spoilers from season two, including the finale, of Netflix'south The Punisher.]

The second season of The Punisher — at present streaming on Netflix — takes Jon Bernthal'southward Frank Castle on a new journey, one that's a 180-degree plow from his fourth dimension as a reformed everyman in flavour one to the most tearing and nihilistic version of a vigilante.

Having finally laid the ghosts of his slain family to residuum by taking down those responsible for their deaths, Frank opens season ii having spent a year on the route rolling from town to town enjoying music, beer and a break from violence. The season premiere even sees the character make a 18-carat connection with a unmarried mother (Alexa Davalos) and her son — as he sees, for the showtime time, a real future for himself.

Only of course, the peace can't final. After Frank steps in to protect a teenage girl (Giorgia Whigham) from mysterious assassins, his tranquility life is quickly shattered. He's soon drawn back to New York and into a brutal standoff with a pair of villains: a Christian fundamentalist hitman (Josh Stewart) and Frank's deranged sometime best friend Billy Russo (Ben Barnes). By the end of the grueling season, Frank has definitively called to cover his darkest impulses, and he commits himself to a life as The Punisher, much to the chagrin of those close to him.

Below, leading human Bernthal speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about season two's bleak final scene, Frank's choice to comprehend his trigger-happy mission at the expense of man connection, and The Punisher'southward uncertain future amid Netflix's wave of Curiosity cancellations (RIP Iron Fist, Daredevil and Luke Muzzle).

Coming into season 2, where did you want to accept Frank?

It's always interesting to see him uncomfortable. What'south more interesting to me than putting him in a situation that he can fight his way out of is a state of affairs where he can't — non because the odds are confronting him, but because that's just non an choice. And so putting him together with a 16-yr-old daughter [Giorgia Whigham's Amy Bendix] is precisely that. These people are forced together in a mode that echoes the relationship with Micro and Frank in season one, but matching him up confronting a teenager puts him in a more than uncomfortable situation in many ways, and I call back somewhen a real bail is fabricated, a real love is formed, and it actually reminds him of his daughter and everything he'due south lost.

Midway through the season, Frank says violence has always been in his nature, and that his married woman knew information technology when she was alive. And so maybe it wasn't losing his family that turned him into the Punisher?

That was a line that I came up with and I've always been pushing that with Frank. The kernel of that is very much in the comics, and it'due south this idea of: Who is this guy really? Is he the guy who lives in the suburbs with his married woman and kids? Or is he the guy overseas, standing neck deep in blood and mud? What is his purpose, and where is he most comfortable? It's something that plagues him, the sense that he brought this on himself, and this is truly who he is, and no thing where he goes or who comes into his life, danger, expiry, despair, destruction, violence is e'er around the corner. Information technology's e'er been that way, and that'south where he feels most comfy, and anybody around him suffers for that. That's always been fascinating to me.

His motivations in the get-go flavour were a lot more most the loss he'd suffered, but now he'southward removed from that, and all the same gets pulled into violence.

That's information technology, and that's what's interesting about starting the season with him dipping his toe in the waters of peace and human contact. He'southward going down that route a bit, and so suddenly, blast, people are getting killed, and the person that he connected with gets shot, and he takes responsibility for that. Information technology's these feelings of: My God, again, I started to potentially get close with somebody and await at what happened. And is this going to be with me forever? Has it been with me forever? Have I always been this person? What is my purpose? Do I deserve to even be here? And if I am gonna be here, how practice I cope with that fact? And that's where you get into the world of existent darkness that I call back the graphic symbol's gotta live in.

Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) returns briefly to brand the opposite statement, trying to persuade Frank that he can still choose the calorie-free and have a existent life. But it doesn't seem like he can, correct?

Certainly non now. I wish there could accept been more of Karen and those two together. If in that location'southward i person in this globe that I think that has the fortitude to handle anything Frank'south got to give, and vice versa — I mean, they've both been to some dark and ugly places, only it'southward nothing either one of them can't handle, and they truly accept each other for who they are. I remember if there's ane person he could actually connect with, it would be her. And that she could sort of get him out of information technology, if there is any getting out of it. But you have to pay homage, at the end of the twenty-four hour period, to the source material, and to me, the Frank Castle that'due south always resonated with me from the comics is the guy who's not looking for whatsoever light. He's not looking for any light or happiness or peace, he's accustomed this globe of darkness and he feels like he's got a purpose, and that's what keeps him on mission. That'south what keeps him sane.

Some fans want to see Frank fully comprehend the darkness, and others want to run into him become some kind of happy ending. Are you conscious of that split in the fandom?

Admittedly, and at the end of the solar day, you have to take the material that's given to y'all and everything that you've learned about the character in the past, so you take to throw it all out and brand it completely your own equally much as y'all peradventure tin can. But information technology is very of import to me to have this character ring true to the comic book fans, and the sort of Punisher loyalists and enthusiasts, and sometimes that's difficult.

The final scene felt like the nigh hardcore Punisher version of Frank we've seen on the show withal: just unloading a firearm on a warehouse full of gangsters. How did you feel almost that catastrophe?

It'southward a pretty tragic statement. Information technology'southward saying: I practise serve a purpose in the globe, and that's to be a blunt, common cold instrument of war. Information technology's saying he's tried this homo connection thing, and he's gone down this route now with this immature woman that he's come to really care about as a daughter, and he as well knows that the but way frontwards is to proceed her, and Curtis, and everyone that he cares nearly absolutely away from him. In a way, for the first time it's different from the Punisher yous saw before because it'southward not self-serving. Information technology's not that he has this unbelievable hurting and anger from having his family stripped away from him. Now it's something different, it's almost staying separate from everybody because he doesn't desire to injure anybody expert. And he'southward able to serve the community, in his mind, past taking out the people that are bad. The character has evolved in that sense, and has become more than truthful to where we observe him in about iterations of the comic.

Information technology felt like an incredibly bleak catastrophe.

Big time. I mean, information technology'south a mass shooting. That's how it goes out. Again, I call up there'south something really truthful in that location in regards to who he is in the comics, and it's all coming from what he feels similar he deserves, and what he feels like he manifested by being who he is.

Earlier in that scene, Madani (Amber Rose Revah) calls to offer Frank a task equally a hired gun for the CIA. Why is he and so quick to turn her down?

Information technology comes downwards to this idea of solitude, and the fact that the only institution that Frank has any trust in is himself. Between the authorities and the police and his friend Billy (Ben Barnes) he'south been severely let down left and right, and I think that he tin't be an agent for any sort of institution. He has to go off of his own sense of right and incorrect, I remember he'due south now admittedly committed to this line of work — to vigilantism — and he's gotta be the judge, jury and executioner. He can't just be a weapon that gets pointed in a direction. He actually understands how dangerous that can be.

Were y'all surprised when the Marvel cancellations started happening at Netflix?

I was. They happened one correct later the other, and with Daredevil particularly, [season three] was such a wonderful season and it was so critically hailed. [Editor's note: The Punisher started as a spinoff from Daredevil.] Only look, all these decisions happen in rooms that I'yard definitely not invited to. Similar all things Marvel, I feel like I'm the last to detect out, so I guess nothing really should surprise me. But this did. It definitely did. I came into this thing with Charlie Cox, and I loved existence on Daredevil. Playing Frank every bit a supporting graphic symbol offers yous the opportunity to go the uttermost with him. You can truly abandon any sense of likability or reliability and you can just let him exist Frank, and I enjoyed that. I thought that was a really proficient fit. I'm enormously grateful to the Daredevil folks, I loved my time there, and none of this would have happened if it wasn't for that.

How do you experience well-nigh the possibility that you won't play this character once more?

There'southward and so much about this business organisation that you only never know about, and I try to live my life just worrying about the things that I tin control. When I take a job, I put absolutely everything that I have into making it the absolute best that I can, but in social club to do that, I take to waste no energy hoping or caring or even thinking near things that I tin't control. It's a character that'southward existed for decades, it's a character that has touched and then many people and information technology'south a character that'south resonated in the law enforcement and war machine community. Information technology was an absolute honor to play him, and I know that there will be more Frank Castle one style or the other, and no matter what it is, everything that I've gotten to do so far I'm eternally grateful for. I'g honored that I got to article of clothing the vest.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/punisher-season-2-finale-explained-jon-bernthal-season-3-1176798/

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