Marvel Studios has been able to get back the rights to The Punisher character and now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has announced that the plan is to reboot the franchise with yet another feature film.
The first "Punisher" movie was released in 1989 with Dolph Lundgren. That followed with a reboot starring Thomas Jane as the title character getting revenge against an evil John Travolta. In 2008, a sequel was attempted but Jane decided not to return. He was replaced with Ray Stevenson in "Punisher: War Zone." All three were considered failures.
Marvel is trying to get the rights to all their characters, but Sony and 20th Century Fox still own "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Daredevil," "Fantastic Four," "Ghost Rider" and many others. In order to keep the rights, the studios must keep releasing movies, which is why fans will keep getting superhero films for years to come.