Marvel and Netflix were expected to present a panel for The Punisher on October 7th for New York Comic-Con, but after the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, which killed 58 people and injured hundreds more, the two companies have decided to cancel the panel for the upcoming series.
In a joint statement, Marvel and Netflix said:
We are stunned and saddened by this week’s senseless act in Las Vegas. After careful consideration, Netflix and Marvel have decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for Marvel’s The Punisher to participate in New York Comic Con. Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and those affected by this tragedy.
Given the gun-heavy violence which will likely make up much of The Punisher, it's easy to understand why Marvel and Netflix have elected to be sensitive in this case. We still don't officially know when The Punisher will debut on Netflix, but it was expected that that information would have been revealed during the New York Comic-Con panel.
Audiences quickly embraced Jon Bernthal's take on Frank Castle after he made his debut during the second season of Netflix's Daredevil, and we're now on the verge of witnessing Bernthal taking center stage in his own series. After exacting revenge on those responsible for the death of his wife and children, Marvel's The Punisher will find Frank Castle uncovering a conspiracy which runs far deeper than New York’s criminal underworld. Now known throughout the city as The Punisher, he must discover the truth about injustices that affect more than his family alone.