A set video from The Punisher confirms the return of Ben Barnes’s Billy Russo, who will be plaguing the Punisher in season 2 of the Marvel Netflix show. Jon Bernthal’s Punisher has swiftly become the definitive take on Marvel’s most murderous vigilante, having become a fan-favorite character on the TV side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The character was tremendously popular when he was first introduced in Daredevil season 2, and Marvel and Netflix swiftly agreed a deal that would see a Punisher-centered Netflix show launched off the back of the series. The Punisher season 1 proved to be a tremendous success, continuing the story of Frank Castle’s vendetta against the criminals responsible for killing his family. And now, Frank Castle fans have another season of the anti-hero to look forward to.
Related: Punisher Creator Names Jon Bernthal His Favorite Version of the Character
The problem with The Punisher, though, is that, in narrative terms, his enemies don’t tend to survive very long. After all, the Punisher’s modus operandi is to sometimes wreak havoc. That means members of the Punisher’s rogues’ gallery don’t tend to have a long lifespan. According to a set video, one exception will be Ben Barnes’s Billy Russo, who’s seen on set. Take a look:
Barnes gave an electrifying performance in season 1, and the dynamic between Billy Russo and Frank Castle was a powerful one. The final confrontation between the two old friends – now bitter enemies – was every bit as brutal and terrifying as a climatic battle with the Punisher should be. It ended with Russo in a coma, but it seems he’s going to return to cause more problems in the upcoming second season.
As comic book readers will know, Billy Russo is the Marvel Netflix adaptation of a classic Punisher character, Jigsaw. In the comics, Russo was an assassin for the Maggia crime family, nicknamed “the Beaut” because of his good looks. He wound up on Castle’s wrong side and was tossed through a pane of glass head first. That left Russo with a face that was torn to shreds, and surgeons barely managed to stitch him back together. Russo’s now hideous visage led him to adopt the identity of Jigsaw, and he launched a vendetta against the Punisher. This has been the cause of many a game of cat-and-mouse between the Punisher and Jigsaw, both of whom are more than happy to take any opportunity to kill the other.
The Punisher season 1 teased that their version of Russo is on his way to becoming Jigsaw; the series ended with Russo’s face swathed in cloths, clearly setting up the next season’s direction. Given that’s the case, it’s hardly a surprise to see a set video with Ben Barnes on set, but it’s exciting to know that season 2 will indeed carry on the character arc.
More: The Punisher: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Jigsaw
The Punisher season 2 does not yet have a premiere date.
