It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of the Frank Castle, aka The Punisher in live-action Marvel television now that Jon Bernthal has made such a success of the character. Somebody different could have become the renowned anti-hero however, as it turns out Bernthal wasn't always interested in becoming a part of a superhero franchise.

Jon Bernthal stars as Frank Castle aka The Punisher in Marvel's Netflix series collaborationJon Bernthal stars as Frank Castle aka The Punisher in Marvel's Netflix series collaboration

Though the cautious nature surrounding the character would be understandable following the less-than-positive reviews each of the live-action adaptations of The Punisher have been in the past, it does raise some eyebrows when an actor turns their nose up at a chance as big as this one. Bernthal though had different reasons, saying that some of his heroes in the industry had avoided the genre altogether.

Speaking with Variety on the Remote Controlled podcast, the actor revealed: "Fully candid, being part of a superhero franchise was not something that I really had an ambition towards; it wasn’t really on my radar. A lot of the people that I really admire, actors that I really look up to have avoided that whole thing."

It would be his research into the character of Frank Castle that changed his mind however, as he explained: "He didn’t have any super (powers); he didn’t have a mask. He was a grieving father and husband who was reeling from this unbelievably traumatic event. There was something about that that scared the you-know-what out of me and left me intrigued."

Now, with Bernthal's portrayal of Frank the definitive live-action adaptation following his highly successful debut back in the second season of 'Daredevil', it seems clear that he'll never escape the superhero world, despite playing a character who works simply through his hardened grit and determination. Thankfully, Bernthal seems to relish the role and seems right at home in a genre he never thought he'd even be a part of.

Talk will of course now turn towards whether 'The Punisher' gets a second Netflix season or not. Middling-to-positive reviews surround the first season, and it would seem that discussions are already taking place as to how to move the character and his companions forward if given the opportunity, so we'd expect an announcement and a second season of 'The Punisher' sooner rather than later.

More: Marvel's 'The Punisher' Showrunner Wants Second Season On Netflix

'The Punisher' season 1 is available to stream now in its entirety on Netflix.