The Punisher actor Thomas Jane may be teasing his Marvel comeback in Avengers: Secret Wars with his staggering new physique. Over a decade before The Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal became Frank Castle in Netflix's Daredevil, Thomas Jane brought the criminal-slaying vigilante to life in 2004's The Punisher. The Marvel Legacy actor reprised Castle in The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, a 10-minute fan film, and the closest he ever came to a sequel. The Punisher was played separately by Rocky IV star Dolph Lundgren in 1989 and by the late Ray Stevenson in 2008, before Bernthal got his turn in the skull.
The Punisher star Thomas Jane sparked theories that he might be reprising Frank Castle in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars after posting a new photo on X. The 57-year-old showed off an impressive physique right as Secret Wars prepares to shoot, and Jane has no publicly announced projects lined up.
The actor bulked up heavily for his first go-round as the Navy SEAL-turned-vigilante, gaining 22 lbs in just five months with two workouts and eight meals daily. As such, a potential return in Secret Wars would require Jane to go all-in again, perhaps explaining his new-and-improved physique and return to martial arts training (based on the white hand wraps that he is wearing in the photo).
Jane only got the chance to play Castle once in 2004's The Punisher, as he walked away when Lionsgate turned down creative pitches involving Jigsaw, believing that they were eager to rush out a sequel. The Punisher's solo franchise was just recently rebooted in the MCU thanks to the release of The Punisher: One Last Kill Special Presentation on Disney+ earlier this year.
Speaking exclusively with The Direct in August 2024, Jane confirmed that, "Nope," he wasn't asked to reprise the Punisher in Deadpool & Wolverine, despite references to Frank Castle in the R-rated blockbuster.
Still, Deadpool & Wolverine honored Jane's Punisher when Wesley Snipes' Blade wielded a rocket launcher once used by Ray Stevenson's Castle, and the Merc With a Mouth pondered, "Which Punisher, there's been like five of them."
More recently, Marvel Studios brought about the end of an era for the Punisher, as he finally got the chance to join an MCU crossover movie, and a PG-13 one at that, when Bernthal returned for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Punisher left the summer blockbuster when he accidentally hospitalized Tom Holland's Peter Parker, leaving it rather uncertain when he will appear again.
What's Next For The Punisher at Marvel Studios?
Marvel Studios hasn't commented on whether the Punisher will appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, although his chances are perhaps higher than those of other street-level heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. After all, Jon Bernthal just appeared in the MCU's second-highest-grossing movie ever with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, formally bringing him into the fold of Avengers-level events.
While there is a rising chance that Bernthal finds his way into Secret Wars, even if it is in a minor role, one has to wonder if Thomas Jane's Variant may follow suit. It's been over two decades since Jane wore the skull in an official capacity, but there's no doubt that he would pick up the phone if Marvel Studios called, even if he was limited to a small cameo or minor supporting role as part of Doom's Battleworld.
Scooper Daniel Richtman recently claimed that Marvel Studios is developing a sequel to The Punisher: One Last Kill, but is still "deciding whether to make it a series or a movie" after his Disney+ Special Presentation. Regardless, reactions to One Last Kill and Jon Bernthal's return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day have clearly raised interest in a larger solo project for the New York vigilante.
On the one hand, a Disney+ series would revive Netflix's The Punisher in a longer format and allow for a more drawn-out character arc. But on the flip side, there hasn't been a Punisher movie in almost two decades since Punisher: War Zone, and Frank Castle has all the brutality to be the MCU's answer to John Wick.
