The Punisher Season 2: Release Date, Cast, News, Villain, and Story

Marvel’s The Punisher on Netflix was a big success with fans. While critical reviews are mixed (as they tend to be with Marvel’s Netflix shows), fans devoured Jon Bernthal’s intense, emotional performance as Frank Castle. So it should come as no surprise that Netflix wasted no time in moving ahead with The Punisher Season 2.

Here’s everything we know so far…

The Punisher Season 2 Release Date

The Punisher Season 2 has wrapped filming, so this means we’re going to be waiting a while before it makes its Netflix premiere.

This new Netflix teaser that reveals everything dropping in January sure does seem to indicate that The Punisher Season 2 will premiere in January. Unless, since it isn’t dated and it comes like a “post-credits scene” they’re actually teasing it for February…

See you in 2019, Frank.

We’ll update this when we have confirmation of that date.

The Punisher Season 2 Cast and Characters

Of course, Jon Bernthal will return as Frank Castle and Amber Rose Revah will be back as Dinah Madani. But this season will also feature some new characters. 

further reading: Complete Guide to Marvel Easter Eggs on The Punisher Season 1

Josh Stewart is playing John Pilgrim, described as “a man whose calm exterior belies a ruthless interior.  Despite having left behind a life of violence, circumstances will force him to use his old skills and bring him into Frank Castle’s world.” 

Supergirl alum Floriana Lima is Krista Dumont, “a smart, compassionate, and driven psychotherapist for military veterans.”  

Giorgia Whigham is Amy Bendix, “a street-smart grifter with a mysterious past.”

“Josh, Floriana and Giorgia are all remarkable talents and we can’t wait for the audience to see what we have in store for them in the second season of Marvel’s The Punisher,” said Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer and Head of Marvel Television in a statement.

“We are incredibly excited to have Josh, Floriana and Giorgia joining the cast of Marvel’s The Punisher and seeing them bring their talents to the next chapter in the Frank Castle story,” added Steve Lightfoot, Showrunner and Executive Producer.

Corbin Bernsen is Anderson Schultz, described as “an extremely wealthy man who’s grown accustomed to getting his way.  His power and legacy are of prime importance, and he’ll implement less-than legal means to further those ends.”

further reading – The Punisher: The Bloody Legacy of Marvel’s First Superhero Movie

Smallville vet Annette O’Toole will play Eliza Schutz, described as “a conniving, wealthy woman, cut from the same manipulative cloth as her husband, Anderson.”

“We are delighted to have Annette and Corbin join the remarkable talent this season,” said Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer and Marvel’s Head of Television in a statement, “Our audience will enjoy them in very unexpected but perfectly cast roles.”

“I’m very excited to have actors of this caliber and talent of Corbin and Annette joining us on Marvel’s The Punisher,” added Showrunner and Executive Producer Steve Lightfoot.

But perhaps the most exciting piece of this news is that Ben Barnes is going to return as Billy Russo, and we know what that means…

The Punisher Season 2 Villain

When The Punisher Season 2 happens, Ben Barnes is ready to return as the villain. “I think it’s really interesting after having everything that you have made your foundations on in terms of the way that you come across to the world: his looks, the business that he’s built up…that’s all been literally shattered,” he told us in an interview. “We’ll literally see it on his face. And so I think that there’s great opportunity to explore what that does to his mind and what it is that he even remembers. I have no idea what kind of parameters they’re going to give me to toy with it but I’ve certainly got lots of ideas about he could be.”

But Jigsaw isn’t the only possibility. “One of the villains I love is Barracuda [from Garth Ennis’ Punisher MAX series]. I think he’s great fun,” Steve Lightfoot told The Hollywood Reporter. “I also really like O’Brien [also introduced in Ennis’ Punisher MAX run]. I thought she was always really cool. Certainly those two jump out at me initially, but there are so many great characters there. It’s a very fun sandbox to play in.”

We have some more details on Jigsaw’s arrival right here.

The Punisher Season 2 Story

So what’s next for Frank Castle on The Punisher Season 2? We speculated on several tracks the story could take right here.

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.