GHOST RECON BREAKPOINT Director Reveals Why THE PUNISHER's Jon Bernthal Is Playing The Villain

There's no denying that the actual story of 2017's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands wasn't its strongest suit, with cardboard characters, unimaginative plot, and a rather forgettable main villain, Rodrigo Carlos Pérez Morales, also known as El Sueno. While the quality of the upcoming Ghost Recon: Breakpoint’s script remains to be seen, there's a rather big chance that its Big Bad won't disappoint.

In Breakpoint, the Ghosts will face Cole D. Walker, a former member of the team who has decided to go rogue and form his own squad of deadly mercenaries. Thanks to the resources of a fictional drone company, known as Skell Technology, he will change the old status quo, forcing the player to use the environment and their skills in order to survive in Auroa, a fictional archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.

Considering that Walker will be portrayed by Jon Bernthal himself, it's rather safe to say that the villain will be a memorable one. As a reminder, the actor is most famous for his role as Frank Castle in Netflix's (unfortunately canceled) The Punisher series and Shane Walsh on AMC's The Walking Dead.

Speaking with DualShockers, Director Eric Couzian revealed why Ubisoft has decided to hire Bernthal in the first place. “When we started the project and said we wanted a deeper storyline that we used to have, the first statement we had was, “What is stronger than the Ghosts?,"" Couzian said. ”Since we always say they’re the best of the best, it was hard to find someone stronger. If you faced the Ghosts you’d have to face the worst enemy you can meet. That’s the reason we designed the Wolves since you are the leader of the Ghosts, we needed someone to embody the leader of the Wolves."

"Because of the TV show we saw with Jon, his background with military universes, his personality. He’s not a trope character, even though he’s the bad guy. You will understand his motivation and it’s interesting to see how he used to view the Ghosts and drifted slowly. You feel that there’s a conflict deep within him,” Couzian concluded. Although he isn't wrong saying that Bernthal usually portrays grim soldiers, Baby Driver has proven that he's comfortable playing even more comedic characters.

With the game releasing in October, be sure to learn more about the past and the future of Cole D. Walker in the official Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint cinematic announcement trailer below:

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a military shooter set in a diverse, hostile, and mysterious open world that you can play entirely solo or in four-player co-op. Injured, without support, and hunted down by ex-Ghosts, you must fight to survive while lost in Auroa. Choose the right alliances and decide how to take down your toughest enemy.