Daredevil might be the most popular show from Netflix's foray into Marvel, but The Punisher was a close second. It's an open secret that Jon Bernthal is coming back to reprise his role as the titular vigilante in the MCU after Charlie Cox came back as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, followed by Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as Kingpin, in Hawkeye. However, it appears that when Bernthal does head over to the MCU with his show, he and the others won't be coming to Disney+.
According to a report from Small Screen, Bernthal's The Punisher series' new home will be on Hulu in the United States and Disney Plus STAR everywhere else. Although this isn't an official confirmation, the site claims that the information is "confirmed" after they reached out to their sources over at Disney and Marvel.
Having said that, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Disney+ isn't going to air The Punisher and Netflix's other Marvel shows. While they were fan favorites, they are R-rated, which is a big no-no for the House of Mouse's popular streaming service. On the other hand, Disney's more adult-oriented shows have found success on Hulu, lending further credence to the earlier report.
A huge reason for the popularity of Netflix's Marvel shows was their depiction of violence and gore. This isn't to say that the shows relied on blood to entice fans, but all the nitty-gritty was certainly part of the package. Naturally, fans were worried that any attempt at a revival of the shows by Disney would hurt the quality. Such fears popped up again when eagle-eyed fans spotted that Netflix's Marvel shows were going to leave the platform on March 1.
If we assume that the report is true, then it's certainly good news. The only downside is that subscribers will have to shell out extra for a Hulu subscription, but that's a small price to pay to see The Punisher and Daredevil back in action. Not to mention, there's always the Disney Bundle that includes Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ for a lower price.
In other news, the MCU is starting to ramp up the hype meter for its upcoming shows and movies. After confirming the premiere date of Moon Knight last month, Marvel Studios dropped a new trailer for the show as well as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at Super Bowl LVI. The latter was arguably the star of the smorgasbord of trailers as it seemingly confirmed all the rumors about the Illuminati showing up with Tom Cruise as Superior Iron Man and Patrick Stewart as Charlie Xavier.
