The Punisher is returning to the MCU in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. Played by Jon Bernthal, the character previously appeared in the MCU in Marvel's Netflix series, initially in Daredevil and later in his own series, The Punisher. While those series' canonicity has been confirmed by the return of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, first in Spider-Man: No Way Home and then in She-Hulk, they generally adopted a more adult tone than the rest of the MCU. With Daredevil: Born Again set for release on Disney+, it seems unlikely the series will continue to portray the Punisher's violence to the extent seen in the Netflix series.
As more of an antihero than a hero, the Punisher has always been better suited to a more adult audience and fits neatly into an R or TV-MA rating. However, the upcoming Disney+ series won't be the first time the character has had to be adapted for a format aimed at a more general audience. It's currently hard to judge just how adult or how family friendly Daredevil: Born Again will be; Deadpool 3 is currently in the works at Marvel Studios, showing the studio is ready to embrace the R rating. But whatever direction the new Daredevil series takes, it is unlikely this iteration of the Punisher will need to be quite as toned down as the one seen in 1994's Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
The Punisher Met Spider-Man in the Age of Censorship
Spider-Man: The Animated Series lives in infamy as an example of the 1990s' heavy censorship of children's animation. The series famously had to avoid characters breaking glass, had to make it clear that Spider-Man wasn't landing on any pigeons when he swung onto a building, replaced all firearms with high-tech laser guns, and couldn't use words such as "die," "kill," or "death." For a character such as the Punisher, who eschews traditional superheroics in favor of using lethal force against supervillains, these restrictions obviously posed a few problems.
The Punisher was introduced in Spider-Man's second season, subtitled "Neogenic Nightmare," in the episode "Enter the Punisher." The episode saw Spider-Man being blamed by the media for a spate of attacks at Empire State University, with the Punisher arriving in New York to hunt down the wall-crawler. While vague allusions are made to the Punisher's typically more violent methods, he is convinced by his partner, Chip, to bring in Spider-Man alive to help rebuild his reputation. He agrees to stick to non-lethal methods on this occasion, donning battle armor decked out with various gadgets.
What The Punisher's Animated Past Means for Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel's Disney+ output so far hasn't been anywhere near as heavily restricted as series like 1994's Spider-Man. While the MCU Netflix shows were noticeably darker than the rest of the MCU's storytelling, delving into more mature themes and often featuring graphic violence, the Disney+ series have shown a willingness to address complex subject matters with the dramatic weight audiences would expect from a Marvel movie. Daredevil: Born Again is likely to be more accessible to younger viewers than either Daredevil or The Punisher, but that doesn't mean the Punisher will be prevented from using lethal force again.
Ultimately, the Punisher's appearance in Spider-Man: The Animated Series should reassure Marvel fans who are worried about the character being toned down in Daredevil: Born Again. His appearance in Spider-Man managed to stay true to the essence of the character, even pushing boundaries with strict censors on the series in order to establish the character as a lethal protector, despite the fact he couldn't be shown killing on screen. If the Punisher could be adapted faithfully and effectively in a series as rigorously censored as Spider-Man, then Marvel Studios should have no problem delivering a satisfying take on the character in Daredevil: Born Again.