The Punisher won’t go soft in Spider-Man: Brand New Day despite the PG-13 rating. It’s been revealed that fans won’t be left disappointed with Jon Bernthal‘s portrayal of the dark and grim, R-rated character.

What did Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal say about Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Ahead of the film’s release, many fans might be wondering about The Punisher’s depiction in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Similar to Deadpool, The Punisher can’t do without R-rated elements in the MCU. At the same time, Spider-Man movies are known to be PG-13 to stay family-friendly.

However, Jon Bernthal and the leading star of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland, have cleared doubts regarding The Punisher’s on-screen portrayal in the awaited superhero flick. “I know that there are concerns about taking a sort of R-rated character and putting him into one of these movies, but the way that we’ve designed the world around him feels very authentic to the Frank Castle we know,” said Holland while speaking to Empire. “There are fun ways to get around the fact that he swears all the time and kills people,” he added.

(Photo Credit: Marvel Studios)

Bernthal also assured fans that Frank Castle would retain his brutal edge in the film. “Frank Castle is perfectly at peace in a world of absolute darkness,” said the actor. “He’s not looking for a buddy, he’s not looking for a friend, he’s not looking for a hand to pull him out of the hole that he’s in. He’s fine living in there. In fact, all he wants to do is dig deeper.”

Bernthal was recently seen in his own Special Presentation featuring The Punisher on Disney+ ahead of Brand New Day’s arrival. Helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton, it will be the fourth solo Spider-Man film in the MCU, featuring Holland as the titular character.

The movie also includes Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Michael Mando, Jacob Batalon, Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III, and more.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will release in theaters on July 31, 2026.

Originally reported by Mintu Kumar Tomar on SuperHeroHype.com.