The Punisher's Disney+ special just got an official runtime update, but it may be too soon to get excited. Having been reintroduced to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 for the first time since his two-season Netflix show, Jon Bernthal is coming back as Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in a big way this year. Beyond his supporting role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the murderous vigilante will star in a Disney+ Special Presentation akin to 2022's Werewolf by Night.
An official listing on the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) website listed The Punisher's Disney+ Special Presentation with a runtime of 60 minutes (1 hour). While the listing initially appears to confirm that the upcoming special will be the MCU's longest yet, there is an unfortunate catch.
Marvel Studios' first venture into one-off Disney+ specials, Werewolf by Night, is also listed with a 60-minute runtime on the WGA site despite only clocking in at 55 minutes (with the credits rolling just over the 48-minute mark).
The MCU's other Special Presentation, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, has no listed runtime on the WGA directory, but comes in just shy of 45 minutes on Disney+ (39 minutes without the credits).
That news, unfortunately, paints the picture that the WGA's 60-minute runtime listing for the Punisher's high-octane special is merely an estimate. The Special Presentation's actual runtime will likely be akin to an average episode of a live-action MCU series, coming close but not quite reaching the one-hour mark.
King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green is directing the Punisher's currently-untitled Special Presentation, which he co-wrote with Bernthal himself. Marvel Studios will make history with the Punisher special's release plan by dropping it on Disney+ "around the same time" as July's Spider-Man 4, reportedly leading into Frank Castle's first leap to the big screen in the MCU.
Why Fans Shouldn't Worry About The Punisher's Special Runtime
The upcoming Special Presentation will be the first solo Punisher content in over seven years since the Netflix series ended. Fans will be eager to see Jon Bernthal slay criminals in brutal fashion for as long as possible, but it would be surprising if the special ran much longer than 50 minutes, excluding credits.
While some may worry whether under an hour is enough to revisit the Punisher's world in any meaningful way and tell a story worthy of the iconic vigilante. That said, Werewolf by Night earned strong reactions from just 45 minutes and had the much tougher task of introducing a new supernatural world and cast.
It seems likely that the Disney+ special will explain why the Punisher isn't returning for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, what Frank Castle was doing instead, and set up his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the Punisher is expected to go head-to-head with mob boss Ma Gnucci.
Fans may only be getting one special worth of solo Punisher goodness for now, but a strong performance on Disney+, combined with the popularity generated by his big-screen role in Spider-Man 4, could launch a full-fledged revival series or even a John Wick-esque action movie if Marvel Studios is smart.
