An episode of Netflix's R-rated The Punisher series received a title change for its release on Disney+.
Marvel Television developed two seasons of The Punisher for Netflix in 2017 and 2019, with Jon Bernthal stepping into the leading role.
The series has since made its way to Disney+ and been officially canonized into the MCU timeline ahead of Frank Castle's 2025 return in Daredevil: Born Again.
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Netflix's The Punisher Episode Receives New Title for Disney+
Upon its release on Netflix on January 18, 2019, The Punisher Season 2, Episode 10 was called "The Dark Hearts of Men." However, the episode received a new title following its move to Disney+ and official canonization into the MCU.
The fourth-to-last episode of The Punisher is now marked on the streaming service as "The Hearts of Men," unexplainably dropping the "Dark" from the title.
The episode sees Frank Castle launch an attack on Ben Barnes' Billy Russo, aka Jigsaw's territory. He then takes a brutal beating in his pursuit of the villain before bringing down the entire ambush.
The retitling of "The Dark Hearts of Men" isn't the first change Disney+ has made to one of the Marvel Netflix series. The series once named Jessica Jones was changed to AKA Jessica Jones in the title screen for its three seasons, but strangely, the update was not reflected on the Disney+ home page.
Credit to Reddit user notanewbie for discovering this title adjustment.
Why Did Disney+ Retitle The Punisher Episode?
Much like the renaming of Jessica Jones, it's tough to tell exactly why Disney+ may have decided to rename an episode of The Punisher.
One could speculate the cold and cruel connotations of "Dark Hearts" may have been considered too much for the Disney streamer, but that's tough to imagine given the violence, language, and brutality contained in the series anyway.
Alternatively, there's a chance that what appears to be an intentional title change may have been an accident when the R-rated show was added to Disney+.
Regardless, it will be intriguing to see how The Punisher may become relevant to Daredevil: Born Again and other future MCU projects when Jon Bernthal reprises the anti-hero role on Disney+ next year.
The Punisher is streaming now on Netflix.
Read more about The Punisher on The Direct:
The Punisher Rumored to Get His Own Disney+ Show
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