The Hilarious Story Behind The Punisher's Sickest Moment In That Finale Fight
Major spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched all 13 episodes of Netflix's The Punisher.
While comic book fans likely suspected The Punisher's end game would involve an epic faceoff between Frank Castle and Billy Russo, the latter wasn't even revealed to be a villain until that mid-season twist. But the carousel brawl became immediately inevitable after that reveal, and it was indeed one for the ages. The most horrifyingly violent moment came when Frank dragged Billy's lovely face through all the glass shards of that broken mirror, but there's actually a funny story behind it. Here's what Punisher star Ben Barnes told CinemaBlend after I'd asked him more about that crazy moment.
Ha! It appears Ben Barnes should have been paying more attention to Col. Morty Bennett's S&M habits with his mistress, since both of them could have maybe explained to the actor that safe words sometimes work better when they're out of context and aren't as simple as "Stop." But then it would have been kind of hard to understand anything that Barnes would have been saying in that moment, considering his screams were nearly as jagged as the glass shards going into his face-mask. Based on that scene alone, he should be allowed in as an honorary Scream Queen.
I'd love to know what was going on in Jon Bernthal's head just then, too. His headspace was clearly on Frank Castle getting another slice of long-awaited retribution, and everything about that scene was incredibly intense. So I wonder how much of his attention span was focused on listening in for Ben Barnes' ragged howls to get "real" on the off chance that he'd actually be hurt. Anybody who's watched The Punisher knows just how fully Bernthal inhabits Frank during hectic sequences, so while I do wonder what he was thinking, I'm just glad nothing actually went wrong and that he didn't misinterpret Barnes' screams.
That finale battle was as good as it got in The Punisher -- check out our ranked list of fight scenes -- but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park to make it happen. Plus, Ben Barnes told me the fight was somewhat bittersweet, because as an actor, he'd really wanted to work more with Jon Bernthal over the course of the season, though he definitely understood how difficult it is to have two enemies in the same room without them trying to kill each other. But Barnes at least got to train with Bernthal for the brawl, and he said that was a one-of-a-kind experience. Here's what else the Westworld vet told me.
I think I'll be okay with going the rest of my life without that particular experience, but it does sound like a special one. The Punisher Season 1 is currently available to stream in full on Netflix. Stay tuned for more exclusive stories from Ben Barnes and other Punisher stars. For those already finished the binge-watch and are looking to dive into more TV shows, head to our 2017 Netflix schedule, as well as our fall TV premiere schedule, to see what's left to debut this year.
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.