Thomas Jane, who famously portrayed Frank Castle in The Punisher, has expressed interest in returning to the Marvel Universe—but not as his iconic character.
As Marvel Studios dives deeper into its Multiverse Saga, we’ve seen several legacy actors reprising their roles. Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Patrick Stewart, and Anson Mount have already made appearances, with Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, and Dafne Keen returning as Elektra, Blade, and X-23, respectively, in the much-anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. Even Chris Evans stole the show with a brief return as Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, as did the debut of Channing Tatum as Gambit.
With more legacy cameos rumored for upcoming Avengers films, Thomas Jane was recently asked in an interview with The Direct if he’d been approached to make a cameo as his version of Frank Castle in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Was Thomas Jane returning as Punisher in Deadpool & Wolverine?
“Nope,” Jane candidly responded. “I like [Jon] Bernthal‘s Punisher. I think, you know, for me, it was always a little bit of a stretch. Frank Castle is supposed to be an Italian American. I’m not. I’m an Irish American. So for me, I had to dye the hair and sort of take on a persona, but Bernthal wears it so well, so I think they should stick with him.”
While Jane seems content to pass the torch, he did express interest in potentially returning as a villain opposite Bernthal’s Punisher. “Hey, that wouldn’t be bad. I like that,” Jane said, leaving the possibility up to Marvel.
Jon Bernthal embraces fan support for his MCU debut
Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal, the current Frank Castle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently shared his excitement about returning to the role. Speaking at the recent D23 for Daredevil: Born Again, Bernthal commented on the overwhelming support from fans that has fueled his journey to the MCU. “Genuine, genuine excitement,” he shared. “I think if you’re a fan of the show that you saw before, you’re going to be a fan of this. I think we’re just taking it a step further.”
Bernthal also highlighted the camaraderie, emphasizing the shared enthusiasm among the returning cast. “We’re all here, we’re all enormously happy to be with each other. We’re proud of what we did, and I think if you’re a fan of the show, you’re going to be enormously happy,” the Frank Castle actor teased, building anticipation for his return as The Punisher next March.
Thomas Jane’s last stand as The Punisher
Jane first brought Frank Castle to life in the 2004 action movie The Punisher, released by Lionsgate. Though the film didn’t perform well critically or commercially, a sequel was planned with Jane set to return. However, creative differences led Jane to exit the project, and Lionsgate ultimately rebooted the franchise with 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray Stevenson.
In 2012, Jane reprised his role in the unofficial short film The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, part of Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe. The 10-minute film also featured Ron Perlman, known for his portrayal of Hellboy in the 2000s.
As for the future, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is set to return in Daredevil: Born Again, premiering on Disney+ in March 2025.
