Jon Bernthal To Alt-Right Punisher Fans: F’ Them

Marvel’s Punisher stars Jon Bernthal as the one man rampaging machine seeking vengeance for the death of his family.

The show has a more conservative slant than most comic book shows and movies (which it pays for in its liberal critic reviews unfortunately), as Frank Castle is a military veteran.

I happen to have lots of friends and family that are active and former military as well as police, and they all loved Marvel’s Punisher, as did I, and I consider it the best to come out of Marvel TV and Netflix.

In a new interview with Esquire, Jon Bernthal discusses Punisher and the controversial topic of gun control, particularly as Punisher followed the recent Las Vegas and Texas shootings.

“I’m a gun owner,” Bernthal said. “I have a gun in my house to keep my family safe. I’m trained in that gun’s use. I know how to keep it away from my kids, and I know how to use it if I need to. Should there be a way that a guy with mental issues like the asshole in Texas can’t get guns? Absolutely. We have to have a dialogue, and that’s not happening.”

The interviewer also points out that Punisher’s skull symbol has been spotted on military helmets in Iraq and other places, which Bernthal has no qualms with. 

“I feel honored to play a guy who people putting their life on the line identify with,” Bernthal said.

However, Jon Bernthal draws the line when racists and white supremacists associate with the Punisher. 

“f–k them,” Bernthal said.

And speaking of the f-bomb, earlier in the interview saw Jon Bernthal recount a story how he had a run in with director Oliver Stone while filming World Trade Center which saw Bernthal play a police officer.

Eventually, Stone walked over from the video village and shouted at Bernthal and a few other actors. “You are all so f–king vain,” Stone said. He turned to Bernthal and jabbed a finger in his face. “And you are the worst.”

Bernthal slapped the director’s hand away.

“Let me tell you something, dude. You might be Oliver Stone, but I will beat your f–king ass right here on this set. In front of everybody here, I will beat your ass. You got that?”

Stone retreated. Nicolas Cage, one of the stars of the film, wandered over and said, “Wow, man, there was adversity and you threw more adversity at it.”

Bernthal told me that he felt like a jackass when he learned that he’d fallen for an old Stone trick. “He was just trying to get me out of my comfort zone,” he says now. “I was young and stupid.” (The two men later became good friends.)

If you can’t get enough of Jon Bernthal, the good news is that Jon Bernthal will be back as Frank Castle for Marvel’s Punisher Season 2.