Marvel's The Punisher SDCC Footage Description

Marvel unveils the first footage from The Punisher during the San Diego Comic-Con panel for The Defenders, teasing the Netflix series. Marvel Studios first expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe to television in 2013 with the premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, but arguably their most successful TV endeavor arrived in 2015 when season 1 of Daredevil debuted on Netflix. The series kicked off Marvel TV's street-level corner of the MCU that has since grown to include debut seasons of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Additionally, a second season of Daredevil introduced the Marvel antihero Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), who was so well received by viewers that Marvel and Netflix ordered The Punisher to series.

The Punisher started filming back in late September/early October of 2016, with Marvel making the official annoucement at New York Comic Con, and the series wrapped production on season 1 in April. Marvel and Netflix hadn't yet unveiled any footage from The Punisher, though that isn't uncommon for Marvel's Netflix series since they generally wait until one premieres before they begin the big marketing push on the next show on their slate. However, 2017 is the first year that three Marvel series will debut on Netflix - Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher - so the studio changed up their typical marketing rollout.

Netflix held a panel for Marvel's The Defenders on Friday of Comic-Con International in San Diego and though the team up miniseries featuring Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) was the main focus, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb took some time to get attendees hyped for The Punisher. Check out Twitter descriptions of the footage below:

Punisher footage starts with cuts between Punisher playing the guitar and flashing back to teaching his daughter to play the guitar.— Screen Rant (@screenrant) July 22, 2017

3 scenes of the Punisher hunting people don't in various locations. One - he shoots with a sniper shot from a mile across the U.S. border.— Screen Rant (@screenrant) July 22, 2017

The footage is broken down into three sequences. In the first, Frank is featured in a flashback teaching his daughter how to play guitar, which cuts to the character in modern day strumming on a guitar by himself. Then there’s a series of scenes showcasing Frank running down bikers in Alabama, using his sniper rifle on a drug cartel in Juárez, Mexico - making the shot from El Paso, Texas - then choking a businessman in a New York City airport bathroom. The man in NYC pleads with Frank for his life, saying, "Please, you've killed everyone. The bikers, the cartels, the Cajuns, the Irish, they're all gone. What's it going to change if I'm dead?" Frank simply says, “Nothing.” In the final shot of the footage, Frank leaves the NYC bathroom in a typical outfit for the comic book character: black hooded sweatshirt, leather duster, and his vest with the Punisher logo.

All told, the Comic-Con footage seems to confirm The Punisher will include just as much brutal violence as Frank Castle's arc in Daredevil season 2. Frank debuted in Netflix's corner of the MCU as an antagonist, with his mission to avenge his family at odds with Matt Murdock's own aim to protect Hell's Kitchen, but they wound up being allies by the end. Still, it seems from this footage that Frank hasn't watered down his methods of exacting justice - which should be good news to fans of the comic book character.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely this footage from The Punisher will be released online to the public anytime soon. However, with The Defenders season 1 set to hit Netflix next month, fans may be treated to the first official trailer for Frank Castle's solo series shortly after - or, at least, an official premiere date for The Punisher.