From what we’ve seen of Netflix’s upcoming Daredevil series so far, the noir-infused tone lends itself brilliantly the kind of dark and gritty take on the character that has become synonymous with his classic storylines written by the likes of Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis.

With Netflix raising the bar on what’s acceptable on the small-screen, Marvel fans have one character right at the top of their wishlist for a Daredevil spin-off, and showrunner Steven DeKnight is of the same mind.

“I’ve been a huge fan of the Punisher comics for years,” says DeKnight, speaking exclusively to SciFiNow.”I’d love to see him get his due on a platform like this. Nothing would delight me more than to see the Punisher get his own show and maybe we could convince Marvel to go Hard-R rating. If any character deserves an R rating, it’s the Punisher.”

Indeed, bearing in mind the various blood-splattered scenes we’ve seen in the trailer, we can see the Punisher fitting seamlessly into the world, perhaps as a character who faces off against Daredevil. Considering the similarities between the two characters, it would be a great face-off, something that series Charlie Cox agrees with.

“Steven DeKnight said that Daredevil is one bad day away from being the Punisher,” said Cox. “I thought that was really helpful. Again, it adds to the dark tone, and I think it’s more interesting to watch.

Even though he may never appear, the shadow of Frank Castle looms large over the show nonetheless. Will a new take on the character succeed where Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson failed?

With other established characters to bounce off, it just might. After all, it worked for Hulk in Avengers Assemble (two totally different characters admittedly, but it’s worth bearing in mind…)

For what it’s worth, we still think The Purge: Anarchy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier star Frank Grillo would make a great Frank Castle…

Marvel’s Daredevil will be available to stream on Netflix from 10 April. Find out more about the comics that inspired the series with the 100 All-Time Greatest Comics bookazine!