25 Things You Need to Know about The Punisher on Netflix
By Shawn Lealos
16. Thomas Jane Was The Second Man To Portray Punisher In A Movie
The second Punisher movie received critical disdain when it hit theaters but still had more going for it than many fans give it credit. Thomas Jane portrayed Frank Castle, taking the role of the antihero after rejecting numerous attempts to sign on to a superhero movie before that.
According to Jane, he wasn’t interested in superheroes, but when he read the script for Punisher, he realized this was a tragic antihero who had nothing in common with the Marvel Comics characters that he associated in the comic books.
Punisher hit theaters in 2004 and this movie slightly stuck with part of the origin from the Dolph Lundgren movie. Much like that one, Frank Castle was a law enforcement officer (this time a member of the FBI), and he resigned after Bobby Saint, the son of a corrupt businessman named Howard Saint (John Travolta), died.
Saint blamed Castle for his son’s death and ordered the hit that left Castle’s family dead. This lead to Castle becoming The Punisher and seeking revenge on Saint for his family’s death. Frank Castle is a terrible person in this movie, but Jane remains the best representation of The Punisher on the big screen.