Jon Bernthal, who starred in The Punisher, has shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Frank Castle's logo. Bernthal made his debut as the Marvel antihero in Netflix's Daredevil, before going on to headline his own show soon after. Like in the comics, Bernthal's Punisher is a vigilante with a military background. Despite the character's popularity, The Punisher was cancelled by Netflix after only two seasons. There have been calls for Marvel to revive that show and others featuring the Defenders characters, though nothing is confirmed at this point.
Last week, the Punisher made headlines following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Several people who stormed the building were seen sporting the Punisher's skull logo, with many images making their way online. As a result, Marvel is under pressure to retire the Punisher's logo, with some saying the character himself should no longer be used as well. A few prominent people in the comics industry spoke out about it, including Mitch Gerards, who worked on the Punisher comics for 20 issues.
On Tuesday, Bernthal, the most recent actor to portray the Punisher in live-action, expressed his feelings on the matter. Bernthal retweeted a piece of fan art by user KZ the Writer celebrating the character. He then echoed the artist's sentiment by saying the rioters "have nothing to do with what Frank stands for or is about."
This isn't the first time the Punisher logo has been a source of controversy. Over the summer, police co-opted the logo in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests. At the time, Marvel said it was taking the matter seriously. Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway made his feelings clear as well, starting a new charity campaign in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Coupled with its use during the Capitol riot, it's clear the Punisher logo now has a lot of baggage associated with it, meaning some won't be able to look at it, or the character, the same way again.
Based on Bernthal's post, he feels differently about the matter. It seems he's of the mindset Punisher still belongs to the true fans, not the terrorists who wore his logo while participating in the violent riot. However, it remains to be seen how Marvel feels about their character's presence at the Capitol. It's easy to imagine the company either changing the logo or embarking on a campaign similar to the one Conway started in order to take back the logo and use it for good again. Either way, it seems likely Bernthal's comments will factor into the decision about Punisher.
Source: Jon Bernthal, KZ the Writer