Recent The Punisher casting news teased the possibility that the Netflix show’s second season might take up Garth Ennis’ “The Slavers” storyline, but some new information has cast doubt on that assessment. Apparently, the show is also casting for a group of small-town cops, leading some to theorize that the show might actually draw from the “Suicide Run” arc.
The theory revolves around the character Amy Bendix, who will be played by Giorgia Whigham. Bendix has a history with Frank Castle that began back in “Suicide Run.” The story starts off with Frank bombing a skyscraper to try and take out some of New York City’s worst criminal offenders. Of course, being Frank Castle, he ends up in the rubble and is presumed dead.
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This leads Frank to the small town of Laastekis, Pennsylvania, where he is nursed back to health by Amy until her father finds him hiding out in her treehouse. As it turns out, Amy’s dad is the sheriff of Laastekis, which means he does the right thing and calls in Frank’s whereabouts to the FBI. This leads to all hell breaking loose on Laastekis as several factions descend on the town, all looking for The Punisher.
The casting details, which come from That Hashtag Show, reveal that the small-town police squad will, in fact, be set in Ohio, meaning things likely won’t play out exactly like they did in the comics if The Punisher Season 2 does adapt the “Suicide Run” story. Here are the police roles currently being cast for the second season:
[Sheriff Bonnen] an authoritative male in his early 40s.
[Deputy Willis] a female, 33-37, who is a good cop but looks out for #1 above all else.
[Deputy Creamer] a 25-28 year old male who is described as optimistic and professional.
[Bob] a male in his early 50s who works at the desk at the sheriff office.
The going theory is that Sheriff Bonnen will end up being Sheriff Bendix in the end, but that’s not all. The “Suicide Run” arc also led into a series of stories that saw other characters take up the mantle of The Punisher, like Jimmy Pierce and Lynn Michaels. This would be an interesting twist if Netflix were to go down this rabbit hole, as it would have the potential to turn a superhero identity into a title, rather than a persona firmly attached to a single person. That’s nothing new for comic book readers, but it would be quite the departure for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans.
Available now on Netflix, The Punisher Season 1 stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Micro, Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Daniel Webber as Lewis Wilson, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Farah Madani and Paul Schulze as Rawlins, with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marion James.