Eminem Is Right - Netflix Blew It With The Punisher

CBR

By Sergio Pereira

Published Feb 25, 2019

The Punisher's cancelation hasn't delighted anyone, especially Eminem who blasted Netflix and said they blew it. The thing is, he's right.

No one was particularly happy about the news of The Punisher's cancellation, and of all of those who spoke up about Netflix's decision to ax the show, the highest profile voice came from Slim Shady himself, Eminem.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper called out the streaming service on Twitter and suggested the streaming service was "blowing it" with its latest decision. Of course, Eminem is a passionate fan of Marvel's vigilante, having appeared in the 2009 digital crossover comic Eminem/The Punisher by Fred Van Lente and Salvador Larroca, and he apparently loves the live-action series as well.

The truth is, it was inevitable that The Punisher, along with Jessica Jones, would face the music, considering all the other Marvel Netflix shows were canceled last year. It's no secret that there was a strained relationship between Netflix and Marvel for a while now, and the decline in viewership didn't bode well for the shows. Coupled with the imminent arrival of the Disney+ streaming service, which means Marvel will ideally want as many characters back under its roof as possible, and the days were clearly numbered for Netflix's MCU series.

However, it's difficult to imagine the Marvel Netflix series slotting into Disney CEO Bob Iger's vision for Disney+, since they don't exactly fit the PG-13 mold of the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While there are rumors that they might find homes on Hulu or be turned into live-action films in the future, The Punisher is a much more difficult property to find a new home than the other Marvel Netflix shows.

Even though Frank Castle was technically connected to the MCU, he shined brightest when he was un-Marvel-like. The R-rated storytelling and abundance of violence will make it incredibly tough to tie him into the larger universe, with this version of the character working best when he's on his own. In fact, you could've easily removed Karen Page from the storylines -- she was his biggest connection to the MCU in his solo series -- and it wouldn't have affected the show one bit.

While the Punisher fits into the comic book side of things (most of the time), no one wants to see a PG-13 Castle on the big (or small) screen. Everything about the show succeeded because it embraced the essence of the character, and it is largely accepted as the best adaptation the character has ever seen. Additionally, can you think of a better actor to portray the vigilante than Jon Bernthal?

The fact is, The Punisher was a Netflix show, through and through. The streaming platform proved to be the perfect habitat for the character, allowing for free and unrestricted storytelling that drew influence from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's much-lauded run in the comic series. There was no need to tone it down, or make it more appealing to sell toys. Showrunner Steven Lightfoot went full throttle and embraced the violent nature of the character. Where else will we see Castle gouge out someone's eyes while Ben Barnes' Billy Russo purrs about loving to watch him work?

Eminem unleashed his venom on Netflix, and he isn't totally wrong. The Punisher belonged on Netflix, and this is one cancellation that'll hurt everyone in the end. For too long, Marvel struggled to bring Castle to life on the screen, and after four tries, it finally got the right tone and attitude for a live-action Punisher. Now, it'll need to start from scratch again, and that's a darn rotten shame.