Punisher Season 3 – Why Did Netflix Cancel the Series?

The Punisher is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series created by Steve Lightfoot for Netflix. The show has run for two successful seasons, after which Netflix decided to bench the show instead of renewing it for a new season.

If you are completely clueless about the show and its plot, let us hint at that first. The series follows Frank Castle; a former Marine who becomes a vigilante after his family is killed in a mob hit. The series initially premiered in 2017 and the show was cancelled in 2019.

This article will explore all that you need to know about Punisher Season 3, the reason behind its cancellation, and the possibilities of a release later.

When is Punisher Season 3 Releasing?

Punisher, which initially premiered in 2017, became an instant hit among the MCU fans but it couldn’t sustain itself in terms of viewership.

The majority of the fans who watched the first season reported that the second one didn’t live up to the hype, which translated into poor viewership. However, besides the viewership, it was also legal rights that made Netflix cancel the show.

Following the release of Disney+, the majority of the MCU shows have migrated to that platform, and the streaming rights were reverted to Marvel Studios, which ignited some hope in the minds of the viewers. 

Will the production end up bringing back the series for a third season? That remains a mystery. What we do know for a fact is that the show won’t be returning on Netflix at least. Since the show contains mature themes, releasing it on Disney+ where the majority of the viewers are kids doesn’t seem like a good choice.

What can we expect from Punisher Season 3?

If the writers and showrunner decided to revive Punisher Season 3, we will most likely witness the series take off from where it ended in the second season.

The last season witnessed Frank Castle still on the run from the authorities. We could have witnessed Frank’s relationship blossom with Microchip and a significant character development happen in the new season.

However, all of this is mere speculation at this point and there’s no way of knowing or confirming what would happen. Also, we might have been introduced to new characters in Season 3 but that has been benched too.

Who is returning to Punisher Season 3?

If Punisher Season 3 was happening, we could expect the main cast to return. This would include:

• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle

• Ben Barnes as Microchip

• Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani

• Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle

• Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page

• Josh Stewart as John Pilgrim

We could have had other new characters and cast join in the third season as well.

Conclusion

Punisher Season 3 has a lot of potential in terms of the storyline. But, with Netflix canceling the show in 2019 and no update since then, we can pretty much confirm that it’s not returning for a new season, which is quite disappointing.