The Punisher
Summary
Now thatThe Punisherand the other show of Netflix ’s Defenders Saga are official MCU canon , Frank Castle ’s quest to exonerate up the streets of NYC almost certainly had him cross path with an Avenger ’s short - subsist vigilante persona . Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke Cage , Iron Fist , andThe Defenderswere in the first place commercialize as MCU canyon show , but the connection always seemed one - mode . The big - silver screen MCU did n’t acknowledge these street - level heroes as their show were airing , and the restructuring of MCU television seemed to mean that everything before was loosely canyon at best .
However , that changed when the MCU ’s head of streamingofficially confirmed the Defenders Saga as full MCU canonin March 2024 . take theDefenders shows into the MCUin full has widespread implications for the franchise , but it also connects Frank Castle to Clint Barton , aka Hawkeye . It ’s what the Punisher has been up to since audience last saw him inThe Punisherseason 2 , but the serial publication ' terminal dead reckoning show Frank operating in an under - explored period of the MCU .
The Defenders have start appearing in the MCU , promise saucy relevance for the Netflix shows . Here ’s their ranking from regretful to respectable .
The Punisher And Ronan Were Both Active During The Blip
It is difficult to rest out an accurate timeline for where the Defenders Saga shows take place , but it seems thatThe Punisherseason 2 takes place at least partially betweenInfinity WarandEndgame . The best clue come from a calendar that ’s in brief visible inThe Punisherseason 2 , episode 7 . It ’s not explicitly clear which month and year is shown , but the month starts on a Tuesday , and holidays can be seen on days 13 and 28 . Coincidentally , this aligns absolutely with May 2018 ( Mother ’s Day and Memorial Day ) , which makes signified with other MCU labor .
Moreover , the last scene inThe Punisherseason 2 climb up onward 3 months , presumably congeal it in August 2018 . Unfortunately , pre - Disney+ TV show are not included in Marvel ’s latest official MCU timeline Koran , so more prescribed confirmation is hard to issue forth by . However , the above can be juxtaposed with what has been officially laid out . According toThe Marvel Cinematic Universe : An Official Timeline(2023 ) , Thanos snapped sometime in Spring 2018 ( officially March - May ) , so while most ofThe Punisherseason 2 may have take post days or weeks before the centering , the epilogue did n’t .
According to the prescribed MCU timeline , Hulk ’s snatch to return everyone Thanos dusted rent place in the crepuscule of 2023 .
Custom Image by Quinn Levandoski
All this is to say that Frank is in full Punisher mode , reenact violence to clean house the street of NYC in any way potential after Thanos snapped aside one-half of all life story . However , he was n’t the only one . Avengers : Endgamereveals that Clint Barton was doing the same matter in the same spot ( though work outdoors of New York ) . Angry , depressed , and confused after his whole family was snatch , heleft behind his Hawkeye persona and became Ronin , act out a much more violent crusade on crime not too different from Frank Castle .
Punisher’s New Canon Status Makes His Vigilante Work Even More Tragic
The fact that Frank becomes fully alive as a more authoritative vigilance man atthe end ofThe Punisherseason 2sets him up for loser with the linguistic context that it happens during The Blip . In theory , Frank ( as well as Clint ) spend years navigate power vacuums in the NYC criminal underworld and made advance clean up the city . However , five age afterward , the sudden return of 50 per centum of the universe , which assumedly let in 50 percent of New York ’s criminal , would instantly retrovert any stability into new chaos .
The MCU has hitherto avoided almost all depictions of life during The Blip outside of early scene inAvengers : Endgameand a few disperse flashback . As such , it seems unconvincing much more of his story during that time will be cover . However , Frank ’s reappearance inDaredevil : Born Againdoes open up up the possibleness of obscure mentions . Moreover , should Marvel Studios so choose , a new season ofThe Punishercould happen and proceed Frank ’s story in more item .
Will Hawkeye/Ronin And The Punisher Cross Paths On-Screen In The MCU
Even though the prognosis of Frank Castle and an uncharacteristically violent Clint Barton teaming up seems fascinating on paper , the fourth dimension for that kind of crossover voter has go past . While Frank is curse to be evermore bind in a cycle of retribution , Clint is long past his time as Ronin and seems to be either diddle with retreat or having already hung up the bowing and arrows . Unless Marvel Studios announces a surprise project set during The Blip , the pairing seems unconvincing .
However , that does n’t mean the two character ca n’t meet . Hawkeye ’s raid into lower - stakes street - level stories inHawkeyeset him up to appear again in similar task , and Clint may actually be one of the few multitude who can have-to doe with to Frank . It ’s unlikely that anyone will ever truly give the Punisher pacification , but a new season ofThe Punisherand the dynamic could be interesting given Hawkeye was able to get his kinsfolk back - something Frank can never do .
A calendar shown in The Punisher season 2, episode 7.
A calendar shown in The Punisher season 2, episode 7.
