The Punisher Special release date is a big talking point among MCU fans. Jon Bernthal’s anti-hero first appeared in Netflix’s Daredevil in 2015. He then received his own stand-alone series on the platform, which ran from 2017 to 2019.
Now, after many years, he joined the MCU with the latest reboot, Daredevil: Born Again. With another appearance reportedly set for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he’s first expected to feature in his own special presentation. So, here is all you need to know.
What is The Punisher Special release date estimate?
The Punisher special release date estimate is early 2026. This is based on the character being scheduled to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the second half of the same year.
In February 2025, it was announced that Bernthal would return as Punisher in a special presentation. He is set to co-write the same, with Reinaldo Marcus Green set to helm it. It was reported that the special will drop in 2026 alongside Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
Given, showrunner Dario Scardapane announced that the second season will come out in March 2026, the Punisher special could be expected to drop around the same time.
The Punisher Special news and updates
In April 2025, showrunner Green took to Instagram to share his thoughts on Daredevil: Born Again Season 1’s wrap. He also provided a potential release date for its upcoming season.
He shared a clip of Daredevil’s finale, with a caption which read, “It’s all led up to this… Such a mix of emotions as we close out S1. So grateful for the cast, crew and studio for their confidence and indulgence. Biggest of thanks to Sana, Brad, Kevin, Lou, Aaron, Justin, Charlie, Vincent, Deb, Jon and the whole mad circus. And yeah, Season 2 March 2026.” So, it’s likely the special might drop sometime around the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2’s release.
Marvel’s Brad Winderbaum earlier shared details on what the special presentation will be like in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said, “It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting.”
Alternatively, Bernthal also revealed how the current special will stand out from his Netflix series in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He said, “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out of the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”
