The Punisher viewership drops 40 percent for season 2

The past few months have been tough for Marvel characters over at Netflix and a huge drop in viewership for The Punisher’s second season continues that trend.

With three Marvel-Netflix shows already canceled, most didn’t have high hopes for The Punisher. Iron Fist, though it improved in its shortened second season, didn’t have great ratings so it was understandable why Danny would get the ax. When Luke Cage was canceled, though it had better ratings, most weren’t fans of the quality itself so that wasn’t a huge sign. However, when Daredevil was canceled, after what might have been the best season of any live-action superhero show, the writing was on the wall. Netflix is moving away from its partnership with Marvel and doing so in dramatic fashion.

According to a report from Slash Film, The Punisher viewership dropped 40 percent from season 1 to season 2. This was likely a factor in the 40 percent drop in viewership of The Punisher‘s second season. Since there was no schedule for future Marvel releases, there was no urgency to watch the series. As a fan myself I waited several weeks before watching an episode and dragged the series out over the course of two weeks.

Quality could also be a factor. The reviews for the second season have been mixed, and without the surge of a viral, eye-popping, season like Daredevil‘s, there was little word-of-mouth push for the new season either.

It’s incredibly unfortunate for all involved. While the show may not have wowed everyone, Jon Bernthal’s turn as The Punisher has been iconic. The one thing the Netflix shows did amazingly was casting (Danny Rand being the exception) and any iteration of the Punisher that isn’t Bernthal isn’t going to feel authentic for the foreseeable future.

There is still no word on the status of a Season 3 for The Punisher at Netflix. Personally, if one show was going to stay with Netflix I would have expected The Punisher to be the one due to it’s inherently violent content. Still, it would likely come as a surprise to most if the show was renewed. The showrunner has publicly mentioned that he’s hopeful for another season and he already knows where he wants to go with the show. Many would like to see The Kingpin featured if there is a third season. There’s also the increasing possibility that Hulu could be the place that we next see the Defenders characters as the next phase of the Marvel-Fox merger begins to unfold.

We’ll keep you in the loop whenever there is news on the Punisher front. Until then, both seasons are currently still streaming on Netflix.