Marvel's The Punisher has cast three new characters for season 2. After three tepidly-received movie treatments, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle aka The Punisher appeared in season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil and promptly stole nearly every scene he was in. The anti-hero's own Netflix series debuted to general acclaim in 2016 and was promptly renewed for a second season, which is expected to return in 2019.
While star Jon Bernthal has been outspoken on the villains he wants to tangle with in season 2 - not to mention denouncing some of The Punisher's more controversial fans - hard news on the the new season's content and storyline has been scarce. We've been able to glean a bit of information from character descriptions included in casting calls for the new season, and we know production is set to begin very soon.
Related: The Punisher S2 Character Descriptions Offer Story Hints
Marvel TV has now announced three more cast members for The Punisher season 2, with brief character descriptions that seem to correspond with those previously seen. Josh Stewart (Shooter) joins the cast as John Pilgrim, a man who has moved on from a violent past, but "circumstances will force him to use his old skills and bring him into Frank Castle’s world."
Floriana Lima (Supergirl) will play Krista Dumont, "a smart, compassionate, and driven psychotherapist for military veterans." Giorgia Whigham (13 Reasons Why) rounds out the new cast as Amy Bendix, "a street-smart grifter with a mysterious past." The new additions join (presumed) returning cast members Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as David "Microchip" Lieberman.
These newly revealed characters and descriptions are not exact matches for those included in the previous casting call, but they're close enough to invite speculation. All three new characters are played by actors that may not be household names, but will be familiar to fans of Supergirl - wherein Floriana Lim had a recurring role as Detective Maggie Sawyer - and Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, which feature Giorgia Whigman in two episodes. Josh Stewart played Chechen sniper Solotov on USA's Shooter series, but also had a prominent role as one of Bane's lieutenants in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.
These are established names, and their casting might be a strong indication that these will be three major new characters. The unretired tough guy and the street-wise grifter descriptions might indeed point toward The Punisher adapting Garth Ennis' The Slavers storyline for season 2, which is the current popular theory. Given how unflinching season 1 proved to be when it came to the subjects of PTSD and the psychic scars of veterans, Lima's character - a military psychotherapist for veterans - sounds like she will be integral to Frank Castle's ongoing internal battle. All three characters sound like they would fit into The Slavers storyline, but we most likely won't truly know what Netflix has in store until much later this year.
More: Jon Bernthal Wants Kingpin & Barracuda on The Punisher
The Punisher season 2 is expected to debut in 2019 on Netflix.
Source: Marvel TV