Lots of fans have been asking how Frank Castle, better known as The Punisher, will link up with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Recently, actor Jon Bernthal spoke about exactly that. He said the upcoming projects are tied together, so Punisher's journey flows smoothly from one story to the next.According to Bernthal, the plan was always for The Punisher to move naturally between two big MCU stories in 2026, first in his own special, then in the Spider-Man film. He told reporters that they designed the stories so,"Punisher could walk off of the Spider-Man set and could walk onto the special set."This means fans should expect the same version of Frank Castle across both works, a version that feels consistent, even though the two may have different tones.What Jon Bernthal said about the connection between The Punisher and Spider-Man: Brand New Day?Jon Bernthal sat down with reporters and spelled out how the connection works. He said that around the time the film releases, the special presentation for The Punisher will also come out. He described the special as "as high-octane Punisher as you've ever seen." He added that it was important to him, and to the film's director Destin Daniel Cretton and actor Tom Holland, that Punisher's character remain the same across both projects.The idea is that after shooting Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Bernthal could "walk onto the special set" as the same character. That suggests continuity, even if the film and the special have different styles, they will share a consistent character, background, and likely story logic.Also, insiders say that the special is meant as a kind of bridge between previous stories like Daredevil: Born Again and the new Spider-Man film.What could this connection mean for fans and the MCU?Fans can expect some really good and very gradual changes in the character of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. As for how Frank Castle will be portrayed in the series versus the film, the web series will likely show a more gritty, darker side to Frank Castle and, therefore, a more traditional Punisher storyline. However, in the film version, there may be a chance that he will have a less brutal and more subtle persona due to his connections with Spider-Man and thus will fit with the mainstream superhero storyline format.The studio's intention is to balance both of these tones by aligning both properties, which allows for The Punisher to maintain the same essence/identity and guidelines throughout these projects. Also, this alignment allows for greater connection between the different facets of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like turf-war style stories like the Daredevil and Punisher shows, as compared to the more universal superhero style stories like Spider-Man.For those fans who have connected to The Punisher over the years, this combined Universe creates a sense of excitement because it gives this universe a real feeling and cohesiveness.What is still not known?Jon Bernthal has provided some insight; however, there is still a lot of information that remains undisclosed. One example of this is that we do not know the date that the special will premiere on the streaming service, but according to speculation based on comments and reports, that may occur around the same time Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled for theatrical release in mid-2026.It is also unknown how long The Punisher will appear on screen; although some reports say he has a "major supporting role," it is uncertain how extensive that involvement really is. The tone will also be re-shaped into a more appropriate narrative. The Punisher has been described as having a dark and extremely violent approach to what he experiences, so how much of that will possibly be present to a mainstream audience through the theatre and/or streaming services? They state that they are going to continue to produce The Punisher character in the same way, while allowing for variations to the way the character relates to each individual element of the story.Marvel's "The Punisher" Los Angeles Premiere - Red Carpet - Source: GettyAt this point, Marvel has not provided any information about the plot of the movie, and therefore, we have no idea as to how the Punisher's story will continue from the special and into the film. We also don't know how the events in either of those versions of Punisher's character will be related to each other. Therefore, fans are going to have to wait for the official announcement to learn about the details of how they interrelate.As we get closer to 2026, we can expect to receive additional information. For the time being, the comments made by Jon Bernthal give some hope, as he mentioned that he would be walking from one set to another, thus indicating that fans may be able to expect a connected and consistent arc between his special and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.