Marvel Comics has revealed a new ongoing Punisher series, written by Benjamin Percy with art by José Luis Soares and inker Oren Junior (Daredevil), will begin in February. Picking up from Percy and Julius Ohta‘s current miniseries Punisher: Red Band, the first arc will see Frank face off once more against his nemesis, Billy Russo, aka Jigsaw.
The Punisher #1 (2026) cover by David MarquezAs unflinching and uncompromising as ever, Frank Castle’s memory is damaged, and he’s hunting for answers and criminals alike! He’ll get more than he bargained for of both when the notorious and bloodthirsty JIGSAW returns… with THE PUNISHER dead in his sights!
Percy states, “Red Band was a new beginning for Frank Castle — and an unrelenting assault. The book was polybagged, because it was a biohazard, dripping with blood. Now that you know we aren’t fooling around, we’re entering a new phase of storytelling that will serve both as a continuation of Red Band and a fresh start for new readers.”
He adds, “José is stretching his incredible art in a new direction, channeling all the grit and scars and shadows you’d expect from Frank’s cracked-window view of the world. You’ll be amazed and disturbed by the grounding detail and physical menace and brutal action he’s bringing to this story. And who better to cast as our villain — in a story about Frank picking up the broken, jagged pieces of himself — than one of the greatest Marvel baddies: Jigsaw. Get ready. This is gonna hurt.”
The book cements a return to prominence for Castle, whose last ongoing ended in 2019, and had become an increasingly toxic property thanks to his popularity with cops and right-wing extremists, including the Capitol rioters on January 6, 2021. The character was written out in the following year’s maxiseries by Jason Aaron, Jesús Saíz, and Paul Azaceta, while a new incarnation, Joe Garrison, was introduced in David Pepose and Dave Wachter‘s series, that ran in late 2023 and 2024.
However, the tide evidently turned with Jon Bernthal‘s return to the MCU as the Punisher in this year’s Daredevil: Born Again, which tackled the issue of corrupt cops idolizing him head-on. Bernthal will reprise in the role next year in (deep breath) Born Again season two, an untitled Disney+ special (also written by the actor), and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (hitting theaters July 31, 2026), so overall, it really was high time Marvel revived the main Punisher comic.
The new Punisher #1 will be released on February 25, with a main cover by David Marquez. Issue #4 of Red Band will arrive beforehand on December 31, and the series will wrap up with part five on January 28.
English (US) · 