Before we see how Bernthal's take on the character plays out, we thought we'd take a look at the long and varied history of The Punisher in the comics and on film.
Snipes was arguably the most well-received actor cast for a role in a Marvel project since Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno played David Banner and the Hulk on TV.
This isn't just a team-up; it serves to move everyone forward to a new dramatic place from which to launch the next round of Marvel Studios films, as well as providing a launching point for the starts of new franchises.
Jon Favreau approached Avi Arad with the intention of making it a comedy, but luckily opted to make Iron Man instead. Then, Incredible Hulk director, Louis Leterrier, was shown concept art and offered his services, but Marvel turned him down.
That score was markedly lower amongst White Supremacists, who objected to Idris Elba's casting as a black Norse god and attempted to organize a boycott of the film.It had no effect.
Not only is this film set six months after the first film, through later interactions with Fury, we discover that it is occurring at the same time as The Incredible Hulk and that Stark's father was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The first step on the road to The Avengers was taken in 2006, as actor/director Jon Favreau was hired to direct Marvel's first independent production, Iron Man.
Captain America was the first of Marvel's characters to get a second chance with what is, essentially, a hard reboot that completely ignores both of the television movies that came before.
