The New 'Punisher' Season 2 Trailer Is Violently Intense, So Buckle Up

Despite the cancellations, Marvel and Netflix aren't done yet. With the second season of The Punisher due to arrive in a couple of weeks, this will make it five Marvel series the streaming service has released in the space of eleven months, sixty-two episodes altogether. It's been over a year since fans last checked in on Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), but the new Marvel's The Punisher Season 2 trailer suggests the story will be picking up not long after the first season left off, and Castle's nemesis Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) will be coming back for revenge.

The date announcement trailer that arrived last week introduced Russo's new look as Jigsaw. But unlike the comic book version, where Jigsaw is an over-the-top insane villain, this variation of the character seems far more human and grounded, in keeping with the tone set by the Marvel show The Punisher was spun off of, Daredevil, which is now canceled.

The new trailer, which is more than double the length of the date announcement teaser, gives a much better look at where The Punisher Season 2 is heading, and how he accidentally gets involved in his new adventure.

Check out the trailer:

The girl Castle saves in the bar, Amy Bendix, is played by Giorgia Whigham, a face who will be familiar to Netflix fans. Whigham is best known for her role at Kat in 13 Reasons Why, another series that is no stranger to controversy. She's one of the show's significant second season additions, along with her pursuer, John Pilgrim, played by Josh Stewart. Also, there's a new love interest for Castle, if the clip in the trailer of Bernthal making out with Floriana Lima is any indication. Lima plays Krista Dumont, described as "a smart, compassionate psychotherapist for military veterans."

But the showdown fans are eager for is between The Punisher and Jigsaw, even though, according to Barnes, his villain isn't the main antagonist this time around.

Speaking to io9, Barnes said:

We’re talking about a deeply narcissistic character—in season one—whose mask of appeal in terms of doing his hair and the nice suits and all that kind of stuff has been stripped away from him. It’s about what he sees when he looks in the mirror rather than necessarily what other people see, because we didn’t want [Billy’s story] to be a horror show. It’s something more internal.

He also lets fans know, like Kingpin in Daredevil, Jigsaw won't be referred to as "Jigsaw."

We don’t refer to the character as Jigsaw in the series, but he very much has a jigsaw puzzle in his brain. It’s not about his face, it’s about the psychological, which is really something we wanted to focus on this season.

Meanwhile, fans are wondering if this will be the last round of episodes for the series, or if there will be a Punisher Season 3. So far, Netflix has chosen to cancel three out of the five active Marvel series on their roster in the last four months. It remains to be seen if Punisher becomes the fourth.

Marvel’s The Punisher Season 2 arrives on Netflix with 13 episodes on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.