Jon Bernthal said he initially turned down returning as the Punisher in "Daredevil: Born Again" because the character's story didn't "make sense" to him.
"Daredevil: Born Again" is Marvel and Disney+'s continuation of Netflix's "Daredevil" show, which was canceled in 2018 after three seasons.
Punisher appears in "Daredevil: Born Again" episode four, where Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) questions why corrupt police officers are using the Punisher's symbol as an excuse to murder criminals.
The storyline references the way real-life officers were seen sporting the Punisher's skull logo on their uniforms.
In the scene, Punisher has a haunting take on grief, loss, and retribution. But Bernthal almost didn't appear at all.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the episode, the actor recalled being unimpressed by the original plan for Punisher's return.
"Ultimately, I didn't see it. I didn't see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn't] really make sense to me and I thought would not appeal to the fans and wouldn't be congruent," Bernthal said.
"It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away."
After filming six episodes of "Daredevil: Born Again," Marvel decided on a creative overhaul and brought "The Punisher" showrunner Dario Scardapane on board. Fresh ideas and a truer take on Punisher persuaded Bernthal to return.
"They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically," he said.
Bernthal also touched on getting the chance to explore Punisher further in an upcoming special, which he's writing alongside Reinaldo Marcus Green.
"The story that we've laid out is, I think, really special. It's the visceral, psychologically complex, unforgiving, no-holds-barred version of Frank where he's going to turn his back to the audience," Bernthal teased.
"And nothing is easy and all violence has a cost, and we're going to see that cost. I'm grateful that they're letting me go to the places that I really want to go."
