Before Tom Holland was web-slinging as Spider-Man and Jon Bernthal was the ruthless Punisher, the two actors crossed paths when auditioning for their respective Marvel Cinematic Universe roles.
Both Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal have become fan-favorites in their Marvel roles. Of course, Holland needs no introduction. His portrayal of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, over three solo movies and other ensemble pictures, has been electric over the years. He’s already signed on for another solo outing. And as for Jon Bernthal, he began his Marvel journey in The Defenders saga, in both his own series and as a key character in Daredevil.
After a hiatus from playing The Punisher, Bernthal recently reprised his role in Daredevil: Born Again. His return was triumphant, back to his brutal, intense, unwavering best. As a fully-fledged Marvel Cinematic Universe character, fans are hoping to see Bernthal’s Frank Castle show up elsewhere in the franchise.
In a recent interview, Bernthal looked back at the origins of his role, which he landed in 2016. At the same time Bernthal was auditioning for The Punisher, an 18-year-old Tom Holland was also vying to become the next Spider-Man. Turns out, the two actors were already working together on action movie Pilgrimage. Between takes, they’d practice reading lines together.
“He read with me for Punisher and I read with him for Spider-Man and we both got cast,” Bernthal told IMDb.
Looking back now, both of them seem like inspired casting decisions. Like Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the roles.
Both Spider-Man and The Punisher have a rich history together in comics. It’d be great to see them opposite each other on our screens one day — perhaps in one of the upcoming Avengers ensemble movies. Fingers crossed!
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