Following the recent mass shooting by Stephen Paddock in Las Vegas, Marvel and Netflix announced Wednesday that the October 7 panel for “The Punisher” at the New York Comic-Con (NYCC) has been canceled. It was also decided to delay the launch of the series, which heavily features guns and brutal violence.
In a joint statement, Marvel and Netflix said they were both “stunned and saddened” by the shooter’s senseless act and after making careful consideration had decided it would not be appropriate for “The Punisher” to feature at New York Comic-Con.
The statement went on to say their thoughts are with the victims and others affected by the tragedy.
NYCC panel canceled after senseless violence in Las Vegas
Stephen Paddock rained hundreds of bullets from a 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino onto crowds at a country music concert across the Las Vegas Strip, killing at least 58 and wounding 500 more, either with bullet wounds or injuries from trying to escape the scene.
The 13-episode series “The Punisher” features a ruthless, gun-wielding vigilante who first appeared in the Marvel comic more than 42 years ago. It features Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, a man exacting revenge on criminals who were responsible for the death of his wife and his children.
With the violence of what is considered to be the largest mass shooting in the history of the U.S. still so fresh in the public’s mind, the cancellation of the panel does not come as a surprise. The preview event was also set to be simulcast from Paris on the same date but has also been pulled.
NYCC to replace ‘The Punisher’ with another panel
The NYCC panel was set to run Saturday, together with AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and CBS’ “Star Trek: Discovery.” New York Comic-Con told Deadline they are planning to fill the spot with an alternative panel. In their statement, NYCC said under the circumstances they wholeheartedly supported the decision by Netflix and Marvel to cancel the panel for “The Punisher.” The statement went on to say they will update fans via their social media channels over the weekend.
Launch date also postponed
As reported by Comicbook, on top of removing the panel from NYCC, Netflix and Marvel are also delaying the launch of the series due to the Las Vegas shooting. Newsday’s Verne Gay headed to Twitter to say he had heard the mid-October launch of the series will now be delayed until late fall as a result of the shooting massacre.
As noted by Deadline, this isn’t the first series to face delays over a mass shooting in the U.S. USA Network delayed the launch of the premiere date of “Shooter” twice due to similar incidents. The show, which is now into its second season, eventually launched on November 15, 2016, after its initial premiere date of July 19 was postponed following the sniper attack against Dallas police on July 7, which saw five officers killed.
It was pushed back again after the Baton Rouge shooting on July 17 where three officers were killed by a shooter. “Shooter” was based on Stephen Hunter’s book “Point of Impact” and the 2007 movie of the same name and told the story of a former Vietnam War sniper.