4) Jon Bernthal – Frank Castle/Punisher
Speaking of Daredevil‘s side characters, arguably the standout of the show’s second season was The Walking Dead actor Jon Bernthal’s turn as Frank Castle AKA The Punisher.
The Punisher already had an impressive three movies to his name, but none of those versions managed to really nail the character. But then Bernthal walked into someone else’s gig and absolutely nailed it. His volatile, emotional Frank does have some significant differences from the cold hardened killer of the comics, but this is because we are seeing a younger take on the character, who has yet to really become the Punisher.
That scene where Frank talks about the death of his family by their graveside in ‘Penny and Dime’ is one of the most overwhelmingly emotional TV moments of the year. Kudos to the writers for coming up with it, of course, but it’s Bernthal who effortlessly carries the scene.