Netflix renews Marvel's The Punisher for season 2 less than a month after the show's debut, but it's unclear when exactly the series will return. In 2015, Marvel and Netflix launched their joint venture with season 1 of Daredevil kicking off a smaller corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that focuses on street-level heroes based in New York City. Since then, Netflix has unveiled freshman seasons of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, the team-up mini-series The Defenders, and an additional outing from Daredevil. However, while these series were all planned from the start of Marvel and Netflix's partnership, they recently unveiled the first spinoff in The Punisher.
Continuing the story of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), who debuted in the second season of Daredevil as a semi-antagonist to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), The Punisher season 1 dove deeper into the character's history. Over the course of the first season, Frank evolved into the fully-formed Punisher as he tracked down the people responsible for the deaths of his wife and children, and crossed paths with characters fans know from the comics. Although reviews of The Punisher were decidedly mixed, Netflix and Marvel are bringing Frank back for another season of the solo series.
Related: The Punisher Doesn’t Really Fit Into the MCU
Announced on the official The Punisher Twitter, Marvel and Netflix revealed season 2 of the series is officially coming - but don't specify when exactly the show will return. With five solo Marvel series currently ongoing - plus the possibility of The Defenders reuniting - Netflix has a number of comic-inspired shows in its lineup and it remains to be seen how The Punisher season 2 will fit into their slate.
Time to reload. #ThePunisher Season 2 is coming. pic.twitter.com/J76ksLfDqx— The Punisher (@ThePunisher) December 12, 2017
With season 1 essentially wrapping up Frank's quest for revenge on those who killed his family, there are plenty of directions in which The Punisher season 2 could go. Certainly, there are a number of storylines from the comic books that showrunner Steve Lightfoot could adapt - perhaps even the recent The Punisher's War Machine storyline - or the series could go in a completely new direction altogether. In terms of villains, The Punisher set up Billy Russo to become Jigsaw, an antagonist of Frank's from the comics, and he will no doubt be a bigger foe in season 2.
Still, it remains to be seen when The Punisher will return. We know Jessica Jones season 2 is the next Marvel series to hit Netflix, with the premiere date set from March 2018. Plus, further seasons of Luke Cage and Daredevil are also expected to debut in 2018. If Marvel/Netflix stick to only releasing three new seasons a year, the earliest The Punisher season 2 could debut is 2019 - and likely not until the summer or fall because Iron Fist season 2 will likely hit in the early part of that year.
So, while fans of The Punisher will need to wait some time before Frank Castle's solo series returns, they can at least take comfort in the fact that a second season is officially confirmed.
Next: When Will Punisher Season 2 Premiere?
Source: The Punisher