Joe and Anthony Russo, better known as the directing team the Russo brothers, previously hinted during a DVD signing back in 2014 that the Marvel Comics character The Punisher had a secret cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While Joe Russo casually suggested that Frank Castle appears within two scenes of the film, it was never confirmed whether or not the vigilante truly made an appearance in the Captain America sequel or if the comment was simply a teaser for fans of the Punisher.

Captain America and The Punisher are two Marvel Comics characters who are led by their ideals, and while the two heroes are governed by their fixed values, those values couldn’t be more opposite. Frank Castle acts unrestricted by any moral code and is open to using immoral methods, including murder, in order to reduce crime. Captain America, however, has strong moral convictions and always protects “the little guy” as long as the methods are honorable. The Punisher has been clashing with Captain America since the violent vigilante exchanged his origins from the Spider-Man comics to appear in the Captain America issue #241. While Captain America and The Punisher appear like the perfect cinematic pair, they have never officially appeared onscreen together, unless Russo’s comment about the cameo is to be believed.

Related: Yes, Marvel's Punisher Is A Serial Killer (Not a Hero)

During a DVD signing held at Amoeba Music in Hollywood, Joe Russo suggested that The Punisher has a cameo as a Penske truck driver twice throughout the film when asked by Coming Soon if there are any cameos within Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Joking that the character would be a great subject for a Marvel One-shot, Russo never explicitly states that the truck driver is in fact The Punisher, but his description of the driver matches the vigilante. “The man who drives that truck is very highly trained,” said Joe, during the event. “He thinks on his own terms. He’s got a plan and a very specific skill set.”

Penske truck in Captain America The Winter Soldier

The two scenes in which The Punisher makes his supposed cameo occur during two separate car chase scenes. The Penske truck first appears when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is being pursued by Hydra agents posing as police officers. As Fury hits the breaks and the police car zooms into traffic, a Penske truck drives through the intersection and smashes into the police car, taking out the Hydra agent.

While The Penske truck makes a short second appearance, it is just as memorable as the first. When the Winter Soldier, or “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), is pursuing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), he pulls Agent Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández) out of the car and throws him into oncoming traffic, where the secret Hydra agent gets run over by the Penske truck.

While it’s never been confirmed whether or not The Punisher really does make a cameo in the film, one need only view the minor scenes involving the Penske driver to know that Joe Russo was simply making a joke. The purpose of a cameo is to act as a fun Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans of a franchise to uncover the surprise appearance for themselves. However, the Penske truck moves so quickly in each scene that it’s nearly impossible to make out the identity of the driver. Unfortunately for fans of The Punisher, it seems that while the action of the Penske driver - bulldozing into oncoming traffic to take out a member of a criminal organization - is definitely something The Punisher would do, the character doesn’t appear to make a real cameo in the Captain America sequel.

If any motive exists beyond a fun teaser for fans, Russo’s comment may have been a way to drum up fan interest for the character to return to the screen since Marvel reclaimed the rights to The Punisher character from Lionsgate a year prior to the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While the antihero didn't officially appear in the Captain America sequel, there's still hope for a Punisher cameo in the future. After the cancelation of Netflix's Marvel properties, including The Punisher, Marvel left the door open for Jon Bernthal to reprise the role in a future Marvel Studios production.

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