2026 is shaping up to be a great year for Jon Bernthal, who has truly come a long way from his breakout role in The Walking Dead. His time in the series was relatively brief, but it established his reputation as a go-to actor for casting intense, gritty, morally complex characters. He showcased his range this year as a deeply troubled investigator in His & Hers, as Frank Castle in The Punisher: One Last Kill and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and as part of an all-star ensemble in a film that continues to dominate theaters 97 days after release — Bernthal now shares credit for starring in an epic that just eclipsed a billion-dollar superhero tentpole at the US box office.

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