Norman Reedus Played The Punisher Before The Walking Dead Co-Star Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal ducked out of “The Walking Dead” at the right time (the end of season 2). He stayed on long enough to prove his talent without winding up tied down to the show. Of the series’ original main cast, Bernthal has also had easily the most prolific film and television career since.

One of his most popular roles was in another comic book-based television series: Frank Castle/The Punisher on “Daredevil,” and then a two season “Punisher” spin-off. Bernthal’s Punisher is easily the highlight of “Daredevil” season 2; the season suffers whenever it pivoted to the less compelling Elektra/Hand storyline (Elodie Yung never steals a scene like Bernthal does). Even with the controversies surrounding the Punisher character (read: racist cops appropriating his skull insignia, without understanding he’s not a hero), Marvel Studios has chosen to bring Bernthal back for revival series “Daredevil: Born Again.” Welcome back, Frank!

In a funny coincidence, Bernthal is not the only “Walking Dead” alum to have played the Punisher. So has Norman Reedus, albeit in a very different way. On “The Walking Dead,” Reedus played breakout (and TV-original) character Daryl Dixon, the zombie-slaying, crossbow-wielding redneck biker. In 2013, two years before Bernthal debuted on “Daredevil” near the height of popularity for “The Walking Dead,” Reedus voiced an animated rendition of the Punisher in “Iron Man: Rise of Technovore.”

Animated by the prolific Japanese studio Madhouse (“Death Note,” “Perfect Blue”), “Rise of Technovore” features Iron Man locked in a globe-trotting battle with Ezekiel, son of Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger (played by Jeff Bridges in the 2008 “Iron Man” film). In a loose adaptation of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s comic arc “The Five Nightmares,” “Rise of Technovore” sees Ezekiel trying to avenge his father’s death by eclipsing Tony Stark with bio/nano-technology.

“Rise of Technovore” is not canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it was released to tie in with “Iron Man 3” and uses MCU aesthetics/costume designs. (The film’s original Japanese audio track even casts the same seiyuu who dubbed the MCU films, like the late Keiji Fujiwara as Tony Stark.) Punisher shows up for a brief sequence halfway through the film, while Iron Man is investigating a lead in Pakistan. He runs into Frank, who helps him dodge his S.H.I.E.L.D. pursuers Black Widow and Hawkeye. The whole sequence feels like when, in Marvel Comics, a character will pop in for one issue of another series. Once the issue ends, they go on their merry way even as the story keeps chugging along.

Just like Punisher is the guest star in a story he doesn’t belong in, Reedus is the film’s celebrity voice actor. His name stands out in a cast list filled with career voice actors like Matthew Mercer (Iron Man), Kate Higgins (Pepper Potts), and Eric Bauza (Ezekiel). And that’s the point; Reedus was cast to drum up some extra publicity for the movie. He only gets two dozen lines, so it’s a bit unfair to fully compare his performance to Bernthal’s, but Reedus does a solid job with what little he’s given in “Rise of Technovore.”

One only wonders which “Walking Dead” alum will play the Punisher next. Andrew Lincoln? Steven Yeun? Laurie Holden? Ross Marquand has been one of Marvel’s go-to voice actors lately, and Khary Payton (who played a very different Ezekiel on “The Walking Dead”) is experienced in voiceover too. For now, though, I’d say Marvel will be sticking with Bernthal.