The Punisher's Special Presentation will make history for Disney+ and the MCU when it premieres alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day. a Having already revived one beloved Netflix-Marvel project in Daredevil: Born Again, the street-level reboot will continue with a one-off Disney+ Special Presentation starring Jon Bernthal's Punisher. The special, co-written by Bernthal, was shot in New York last year and follows his two-season Netflix series, The Punisher, and his return in Born Again's first outing. But that won't be his only appearance this year, as it will be the end of an era for The Punisher on July 31 when he returns alongside Tom Holland's Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
During an interview with ScreenRant, Jon Bernthal narrowed the release window for The Punisher's Disney+ Special Presentation, confirming it will be released "around the same time" as Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As such, Bernthal will appear in both the big and small-screen MCU within a few months of each other.
The Netflix reboot's release plan makes history as the first time Marvel Studios has intentionally timed a Disney+ project to debut at the same time as a blockbuster movie, allowing the mediums to connect on a deeper level.
Spider-Man 4 won't be the only close connection found in The Punisher's Disney+ Special Presentation, as Marvel Television promised it will "connect into the time and place that Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 takes place."
The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez may have shed some light on the reasons behind The Punisher reboot's historic release plan, stating that "It establishes how he gets to where he is when Brand New Day kicks off." As such, it will likely hit Disney+ before the July blockbuster but after Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, perhaps premiering at some point between May and early July.
One could argue that the Special Presentation's strategy mimics the days of Agents of SHIELD, in which the ABC series released loosely connected tie-in episodes to the latest MCU movies. From depicting the fall of Hydra to an Asgardian romp with Sif, Agents of SHIELD made a point of linking the big and screen Marvel releases, and yet its canon status remains in dispute to this day.
That said, Marvel Studios has released six other Disney+ projects that tied closely into MCU movies, albeit while debuting much further apart...
Marvel Studios' 6 Biggest Movie/Disney+ Crossovers
WandaVision / Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
In many ways, WandaVision was the precursor to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, establishing the Darkhold, finally transforming Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff into the all-powerful Scarlet Witch, and debuting her two sons.
And yet, the two releases came around a year and a half apart, with Doctor Strange 2 director Sam Raimi famously skipping out on watching WandaVision, much to the movie's detriment in the eyes of many.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier / Captain America: Brave New World
Before Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson finally received his big-screen spotlight with Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel Studios showcased his journey to finally picking up the star-spangled shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
However, the six-episode Disney+ epic was released almost four years before last year's Captain America 4 flopped at the box office amid mixed reactions, keeping one of the MCU's new faces off screens for an unjust amount of time.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings / She-Hulk
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featured a confusing cameo as Benedict Wong's Wong faced Tim Roth's Abomination in a Chinese cage match.
That strange crossover wouldn't be explained until around a year later, when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law confirmed the face-off was part of Wong's training to become the Sorcerer Supreme.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special / Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Due to his temporary firing from Marvel Studios and a brief stint working on DC projects that later earned him the top job at the blue brand, there were six years between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.
The release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special slightly eased that wait, taking Drax and Mantis on a fun adventure with Kevin Bacon. Despite slightly teeing up the MCU trilogy-capper, the two were released around six months apart.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever / Ironheart
Marvel Studios may have marketed Ironheart as a "direct sequel" to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, produced by the director of Riri Williams' big-screen debut, Ryan Coogler, but they were released almost three years apart.
While Ironheart was once meant to hit Disney+ in 2023, within a year of the Black Panther sequel, it was left on the back burner at Marvel Studios for some time, and ultimately didn't premiere for several years.
Ms. Marvel / The Marvels
Ms. Marvel didn't just link into The Marvels through the introduction of Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, but through the Kree Quantum Bands that triggered the young hero's powers and drove the titular trio's place-swapping shenanigans.
Despite Ms. Marvel ending with a post-credit scene straight from The Marvels featuring Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, the wait between their releases was well over a year.
