The world of the Punisher TV show is slowly being fleshed out, with a slew of new casting announcements hitting the web. There are a few familiar names from the comics among them, but Frank Castle fans might notice that there’ have been a few twists in their transition to Netflix.
Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Amber Rose Revah have joined the show as Billy Russo, Micro and Dinah Madani. Madani, described as a “highly-trained and sophisticated” Homeland Security officer who crosses paths with Frank appears to be an original character for the show, but Russo and Micro are familiar names to comics fans.
Micro (or Microchip, as he is called in the comics), real name David Lieberman, is the closest thing Frank has to a friend. He’s an informant and hacker who helped Punisher procure weapons and info throughout his career. In the show, he appears to have a similar role, at least in terms of information gathering — he’s described as an Ex-NSA analyst who has secrets of “great value” to Frank.
Meanwhile, Russo is a major nemesis for the Punisher in the comics as the gunman hired to cover up the botched assassination that killed Frank’s family. After failing to kill Frank, Russo gets violently disfigured by the Punisher, his shredded face leading to him taking on villainous persona of “Jigsaw”. In the show, however, he has an even more personal connection to the Punisher; he’s described as Frank’s best friend from his time in the Marines, who is now the owner of a PMC called Anvil. While it’s a possibility this version of Russo stays friendly to Frank, it’s more likely he’ll end up being a major villain on the show.
The Punisher is expected hit Netflix sometime in 2018 (or even beyond).