The Punisher season 1 hit Netflix on Friday, November 17, and fans are already looking ahead to season 2. Here’s what we know so far.
Make sure you’ve finished The Punisher season 1 before continuing, or risk being spoiled! (And then read our review.)
Frank Castle’s solo outing continued to unravel the conspiracy behind the killing of his family on that fateful day in Central Park. We met several new characters, like Micro and Billy Russo, and visited with holdovers from Daredevil, like Karen Page and Brett Mahoney.
While season 1 finally laid Frank’s family to rest, there are still a few ghosts ready to knock on his door. When we leave Frank in the final moments of the show, he admits that he’s scared. He doesn’t know what to do when he doesn’t have a war to fight.
If The Punisher gets picked up for season 2, however, he won’t be getting much of a vacation from the horrors of his past.
As of the conclusion of The Punisher season 1, Netflix has not announced that there will be a season 2. According to showrunner Steve Lightfoot in an interview with EW, Netflix has yet to approach him.
Considering the studio’s initial excitement over the Frank Castle story during Daredevil season 2, however, it would be surprising if The Punisher didn’t find his way to a second season.
But if that happens, what can we expect?
By the end of season 1, Frank has wrapped up his business with those who killed his family and has been given a new identity from he authorities. The Punisher is still technically at large, which means the authorities won’t hesitate to take him in if they see him again, so Frank will be laying low for a while.
The biggest clue to season 2 comes in the form of Billy Russo. In their final scene, Frank let him live after carving up his face by dragging it down a broken mirror. For someone who valued his looks as much as Billy did, this doesn’t bode well for his future.
Comic-savvy fans will know Billy will soon be donning the Jigsaw persona. In The Punisher’s source material, Jigsaw’s origin is a bit different from what we see in the show, but he ends up in the same place — after recovering from his injuries, he becomes Punisher’s archenemy.
We don’t know which arc the creators of The Punisher season 2 will choose, but there’s plenty of material to pull from.
“I think we left both Frank and Billy in places where there are so many ways to jump off from if that second season comes,” says Lightfoot. “We can do anything with them, in truth.”
If The Punisher doesn’t get a season 2, fans can at least appreciate that Frank’s war is over. It’ll be a disappointment not to see what Ben Barnes does with Jigsaw, but Castle’s story feels complete, at least for now.
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