The Punisher Ben Barnes IS Jigsaw

[Web-Head]

Frank Castle, meet thy enemy?
Netflix’s latest Marvel spinoff, The Punisher, has cast English actor Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) in a series-regular role opposite Jon Bernthal’s titular vigilante, TVLine has learned exclusively. Character info is sketchy, but one rumor making the rounds has Barnes — who will next be seen in HBO’s big-budget Westworld — portraying antagonist Bobby Saint, the corrupt crime prodigy played in the 2004 film by James Carpinello.

http://tvline.com/2016/09/12/the-punisher-ben-barnes-cast-marvel-netflix/

Marvel confirms it

Ben Barnes (“The Chronicles of Narnia&#8220 joins the cast as Billy Russo, Frank’s Castle’s best friend from his days in the Special Forces. He runs a successful private military corporation called “Anvil.”

http://marvel.com/news/tv/26831/net...nnounces_three_new_cast_members#ixzz4MMiJMfnD

 

[Astro13Zombie]

Still think he could be jigsaw.

Using the Saints would be weird.
There's really no reason for it.

 

[chamber-music]

There are numerous mobster types from the comics he could be so it would be an odd choice if he was a film character.

 

[BatsDC]

Ben Barnes is Jigsaw!

Ben Barnes (“The Chronicles of Narnia&#8220 joins the cast as Billy Russo, Frank’s Castle’s best friend from his days in the Special Forces. He runs a successful private military corporation called “Anvil.”’

Marvel

 

[Astro13Zombie]

I knew it!

 

[MbJ]

Hopefully we get this iconic scene.
[YT]urxM2BDl1P4[/YT]

 

[Web-Head]

Hopefully a mod can update the thread title. Just catching up on all this news now

 

[Iron_Stark]

I wonder why they were calling him Bobby Saint? Or did they have him as Jigsaw all along and the person that wrote the story assume it was Jigsaw from the videogame?

Anyone remember the PS2 videogame? iirc, Jigsaw, was Bobby Saint, or John Travolta's character's son in that game and became Jigsaw in that game. (It's been a while since I played that game)

 

[Slick]

Yeah I remember lol. Love that game. I'm glad he's Billy Russo even though his backstory is different from the comics.

 

[chamber-music]

The Costa crime family that had Frank's family killed were renamed the Saint family in the movie. If the Costa's turn up in this Punisher show then I think they would use the comic name rather than the movie one.

 

[Rorschach2012]

They haven't gotten the casting wrong on a Netflix villain so far. I have faith in this choice

 

[The Overlord]

The Costa crime family that had Frank's family killed were renamed the Saint family in the movie. If the Costa's turn up in this Punisher show then I think they would use the comic name rather than the movie one.

Is there any reason for the Costa family to show up if Punisher already avenged his family?

I think Ennis changed the criminals who killed Frank's family in the Max series, so really the guys who killed Frank's family were more of a plot device then anything else, they are not really iconic characters.

I have to admit, I never really found Jigsaw compelling in the comics, Punisher doesn't need an arch nemesis and the reasons he constantly survived Frank's attacks didn't make much sense, he seemed to come off as a joke after a while (the 2008 film did him no favors) and just didn't seem very menacing. I think I preferred the Max villains to Jigsaw, mainly because Ennis has a talent for writing a variety of repulsive villains.

But hey, maybe this show will make Jigsaw more compelling then he is in the comics, most of Luke Cage's villains were revamped in his show.

I do hope Punisher kills him though, I agree with Ennis, criminals can only take on Frank so many times before they get unlucky and Frank finishes them.

 

[TheVileOne]

I wonder why they were calling him Bobby Saint? Or did they have him as Jigsaw all along and the person that wrote the story assume it was Jigsaw from the videogame?

Anyone remember the PS2 videogame? iirc, Jigsaw, was Bobby Saint, or John Travolta's character's son in that game and became Jigsaw in that game. (It's been a while since I played that game)

It was probably a fake name for the casting sides sent out to acting agencies.

Matt Lanter said he went in for Star Wars Clone Wars reading for a character named STARKILLER, who turned out to be Anakin Skywalker.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Hopefully they go full Mason Verger with his appearance

 

[TheVileOne]

Gary Oldman Mason Verger or Hannibal TV series Mason Verger?

 

[Astro13Zombie]

I can't wait to see what they do with the makeup.
I actually really liked what they did in War Zone.

I'd kinda like to see the exposed left eye that he's usually drawn with. Doubt it'll happen though.

 

[chamber-music]

Is there any reason for the Costa family to show up if Punisher already avenged his family?

I think Ennis changed the criminals who killed Frank's family in the Max series, so really the guys who killed Frank's family were more of a plot device then anything else, they are not really iconic characters.

I have to admit, I never really found Jigsaw compelling in the comics, Punisher doesn't need an arch nemesis and the reasons he constantly survived Frank's attacks didn't make much sense, he seemed to come off as a joke after a while (the 2008 film did him no favors) and just didn't seem very menacing. I think I preferred the Max villains to Jigsaw, mainly because Ennis has a talent for writing a variety of repulsive villains.

But hey, maybe this show will make Jigsaw more compelling then he is in the comics, most of Luke Cage's villains were revamped in his show.

I do hope Punisher kills him though, I agree with Ennis, criminals can only take on Frank so many times before they get unlucky and Frank finishes them.

The Costa Family didn't kill The Punisher's family in the TV show but I'm sure Frank will still target some organised crime like he did in the comics and Daredevil. The Costa Family are as good as any to be a target. They could always tie them in as being partners in Schoonover's drug business. Perhaps they distributed Blacksmith's smuggled drugs in New York.

They have already announced they are making Jigsaw a former war buddy of Frank's so they are changing the character for the show.

Jigsaw's strengths in the comics is that he is an exceptional strategist and tactician. His unorthodox pattern of operation makes him more difficult for the Punisher to anticipate. Similar to the Joker in a way. I sure Barnes version of Russo/Jigsaw being a former solider will be used to make him a match for the Punisher.

The best Punisher villains are the ones that are truly repulsive in my opinion. They are so despicable that by the time Frank finally kills them it is somewhat cathartic. Shows like Game Of Thrones and The Last Ship do a good job of having villains you love to hate and can't wait to see get their comeuppance.

 

[Dark Raven]

Good they managed to get all the pieces in place for Jigsaw.

Wasn't Barnes in Dorian Gray?

 

[chamber-music]

They should make another Punisher foe Hitman (Burt Kenyon) one of the Anvil private militarily contractors.

Serving alongside Frank Castle in Vietnam, Burt Kenyon saved his comrade's life by cutting down enemy forces and dragging him to safety. Kenyon was discharged for being mentally unstable. In returning to the United States, Kenyon took work for the Maggia as Hitman.

Wasn't Barnes in Dorian Gray?

yep.

 

[The Overlord]

The Costa Family didn't kill The Punisher's family in the TV show but I'm sure Frank will still target some organised crime like he did in the comics and Daredevil. The Costa Family are as good as any to be a target. They could always tie them in as being partners in Schoonover's drug business. Perhaps they distributed Blacksmith's smuggled drugs in New York.

They have already announced they are making Jigsaw a former war buddy of Frank's so they are changing the character for the show.

Jigsaw's strengths in the comics is that he is an exceptional strategist and tactician. His unorthodox pattern of operation makes him more difficult for the Punisher to anticipate. Similar to the Joker in a way. I sure Barnes version of Russo/Jigsaw being a former solider will be used to make him a match for the Punisher.

The best Punisher villains are the ones that are truly repulsive in my opinion. They are so despicable that by the time Frank finally kills them it is somewhat cathartic. Shows like Game Of Thrones and The Last Ship do a good job of having villains you love to hate and can't wait to see get their comeuppance.

But there have been several mafia families Frank has targeted over the years, ones that might be better then the Costa family, the Gnnuci family and the Carbone family, for example.

I have seen stories with him where Jigsaw is just not that threatening, like when Bendis used him in his DD run, but I suppose Bendis underwrites several villains. I notice Ennis never bothered using Jigsaw. There as story where they explained that Punisher spared Jigsaw so often, because Jigsaw was such an incompetent loser that he hurts the mobs more alive then dead and I thought, well takes any sort of menace away from the character. That is I think they need to avoid these pitfalls with Netflix Jigsaw, Frank should kill him after an epic battle.

I think like the Max villains the best, because they are a great collection of evil psychopaths.

 

[chamber-music]

The Punisher has killed Jigsaw before and he has been resurrected. Jigsaw is a a psychopath. I don't know if you read War Journal or other Punisher comics before the Max stuff but he isn't incompetent in those stories.

It is irrelevant if Bendis wrote Jigsaw as incompetent because the TV folks are going to be doing their own thing with the character.

 

[Dark Raven]

People can always pick up the pieces of Jigsaw and put him back together again.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Gary Oldman Mason Verger or Hannibal TV series Mason Verger?

The former

 

[metaphysician]

People can always pick up the pieces of Jigsaw and put him back together again.

You know, its unlikely, but that'd almost be a neat premise for a Punisher villain: a literally unkillable foe, who nonetheless needs to be "reassembled" after serious injury. If you cut off his head, he's dead until someone sticks the head back on. Blow him to pieces, and he's dead unless someone gathers them all up. Etc.

 

[chamber-music]

You know, its unlikely, but that'd almost be a neat premise for a Punisher villain: a literally unkillable foe, who nonetheless needs to be "reassembled" after serious injury. If you cut off his head, he's dead until someone sticks the head back on. Blow him to pieces, and he's dead unless someone gathers them all up. Etc.

The Punisher has an unkillable foe called Thorn that is kind of like that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorn_(Marvel_Comics)