Jon Bernthal Says That He Trained With Thomas Jane For Punisher’s Return

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is, to an extent, integrating the stories and characters of the Netflix era Marvel shows. The shows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher and The Defenders were all made in a partnership between Marvel Television and Netflix before Disney decided to create their own competing streaming platform. 

Originally believed to have been wiped from continuity due to possible legal issues surrounding the shows’ ownership, it has been confirmed that both Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher will be returning. 



However, whenever you leave a role behind for a little while, you are bound to get rusty. That is why many actors tend to train for a period of time to get back into the role. Bernthal is no different. For him, getting back into character was a big priority. 

But what was surprising is that over the past year, Bernthal has been training with one of his predecessors. The role of “The Punisher” has been assumed by multiple actors over the years. Dolph Lundgren played him in a 1989 adaptation, and the late Ray Stevenson played him in the 2008 film Punisher: War Zone. However, one of the most well-known adaptations was the 2004 The Punisher starring Thomas Jane. And Bernthal has apparently been taken under his wing.



According to ScreenRant, Bernthal revealed at this year’s GalaxyCon Releigh that over the past year he and Jane had been training together. In 2023 a video was posted on Instagram via @tarantactical of the two at a shooting range. What wasn’t known is that the two were training and not just shooting for fun.

The knowledge that the current Punisher actor is being trained by a former Punisher is reminiscent of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Tom Holland worked with former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. It is a symbolic passing of the torch in working with your successor. 

Sources: ScreenRant, CBR