Although the numbers might not indicate it, Frank Castle and the messed up cast of misfits he worked alongside and against in the second season of Netflix’s The Punisher weren’t messing around. There was violence. There was emotion. There was pandemonium. Everything you want from The Punisher.
Naturally, some characters and actors had more prominent roles, were asked to do more—maybe too much at times—all leading to certain individuals standing above the rest. Whether it’s performances in fight scenes, emotion, or believability, it all factors in. As a result, it only makes sense to rank The Best Characters from The Punisher Season 2 (spoilers ahead):
Anderson Schultz
Among the most prominent characters in the show, Anderson Schultz has to be the absolute worst. Not because Corbin Bernsen churned out a poor performance, quite the contrary. He gave us all an easy character to hate. The biggest problem with this guy is he’s really the dunce of the family. He’s reckless and emotional. Without his wife Eliza, he never would’ve come close to achieving what he did.
And as much as the Schultz parents are awful, they did have their fair share of success along the way, even if Frank Castle put an end to their run.
Brett Mahoney
Now, NYPD Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney isn’t a bad guy like the Schultz parents. He doesn’t have a twisted idea of what’s defined as justice, either. He’s actually a good cop. Which is precisely the problem. Mahoney gets in the way of Frank Castle, Dinah Madani and everyone else who’s trying to get the job done, even if it’s not by the book. Not that you can blame him. Most sane people wouldn’t align themselves with a stone-cold killer, no matter how righteous their intentions are. Especially, when you’re someone in law enforcement (i.e. Madani).
Essentially, Mahoney is so far down this list because he does his job the right way.
Eliza Schultz
The master manipulator in all this was none other than Eliza Schultz, played by Annette O’Toole. Had she played a more prominent on-screen role, she may have moved up the list. At the same time, sticking her at No. 8 won’t bother anyone either because she’s responsible for a lot of terrible things, death and corruption being the main two things.
Though you have to give O’Toole credit where it’s due, she plays a great master villain right up until her fitting and much-needed end. And the fact that her death came so abruptly as opposed to her husband’s represents how evil she truly was. The Punisher couldn’t afford to let her live longer than she already had because only further pain would ensue.
Amy Bendix
From the jump, Amy is one of the most annoying characters Marvel and Netflix have put on screen, and that’s saying something. She’s a manipulator, standoffish and seems like the type of person who pretty much has what’s coming to her.
But of all the characters, Amy, played by Giorgia Whigham, goes through more growth than anyone throughout the show, which is why she’s not further down this list. If she kept that act up throughout the entirety of Season 2, she might’ve been at the bottom of the list.
Her ranking is just as much due to the writing as it is Whigham acting, which seems like it would be a good thing. Amy isn’t this character that’s comfortable with love as an emotion. She’s the exact opposite of someone you want to embrace, despite being on the right side of this story.
Dinah Madani
Not so Special Agent Dinah Madani was not well received in Season 1 of The Punisher. While she played a somewhat important role in the end, she tried to do too much throughout the course of the show. It’s almost like she was jammed in there for the sake of Billy Russo having a love interest to display his wicked nature when he really didn’t need one.
However, that did help play into Madani’s insane obsession with her ex in Season 2 of The Punisher. She got in the mud with Frank and others in his vigilante world, constantly leading viewers to wonder, “How is she in law enforcement?”
Dr. Krista Dumont
Arguably crazier than the man she falls in love with, Dr. Krista Dumont brought an unexpected wrinkle to the season. Her feelings towards Billy Russo show fairly early on in the season, but given their nature, it didn’t seem realistic. Well, it turns out Dumont has some serious issues, like Russo and many other patients she’s supposedly taken care of throughout her illustrious career.
Having said that, her insanity is what makes her such a compelling character. Her logic and reasoning are more complicated than the PTS-stricken Russo and everyone’s favorite vigilante, The Punisher. Why would she want this life? How could she fall for a man as vile as Russo? Which is why every scene she’s involved in is a must-watch.
John Pilgrim
A ruthless killer turned devout Christian hitman, John Pilgrim is a walking contradiction. The only reason he’s not higher on this list is for as complex a character as he’s supposed to be, Pilgrim seems like a character who has one thing on his mind: killing. If he was as strategic with everything else as he was with pulling a job, then he probably wouldn’t have had to rely on the mercy of Frank Castle in the end.
Furthermore, the idea of him being a killer who hasn’t lost his touch despite being past his prime has been done before. Not that he doesn’t pull it off well, but when you try to pull off that role, it bears comparison to Keanu Reeves’ John Wick, which was better executed.
Curtis Hoyle
This may be the easiest ranking of the 10 prominent characters in Season 2 of The Punisher. Jason R. Moore got his shot to develop Curtis Hoyle, the former friend of Billy Russo and continued friend of Frank Castle. Where his old military buddies have, well, lost their way (to put it lightly), Curtis has done everything he can to stay on the straight-and-narrow and help others with similar experiences do the same.
He’s pushed to the limit time and again in the second season of The Punisher. As much as he makes his own mistakes along the way, Curtis still comes out stronger than most, in not all, in the show.
Billy Russo
There’s a case to be made that Billy Russo, played by Ben Barnes, was the best character in the show. He’s unpredictable, erratic and we’re able to learn a little more about what Billy fought so hard against in his past.
His scars weren’t exactly what everyone expected, but, as Barnes put it, it’s more about his mental scars than anything else. In fact, his mental issues are what drive most of the show. And because he’s not the same man he uses to be, it makes it harder for Frank Castle to plan his attacks. To wrap it up simply, this show wouldn’t be as good as it is without Russo or the top-ranked character. Both are essential.
Frank Castle
As impressive as Ben Barnes’ performance was, it’s impossible to go against the reason everyone’s tuning in. Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher is as spot on as Robert Downer Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The two will forever go hand-in-hand. Castle’s rage-filled approach to everything he does makes for the ultimate action protagonist. It carries over to his jaw-dropping action scenes, which leave you glued to the screen.
Furthermore, Frank Castle may be among the most consistent characters in the entire Marvel Netflix Universe. At some point, the other main characters left something to be desired. Not The Punisher, though. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew from the start.
