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Marvel's Punisher has had a number of replacements throughout the years, from Desmond Kline to Joe Garrison, each with varying degrees of success. Some notable replacements include Lynn Michaels, Billy Russo, and Rachel Cole-Alves, who have all proven themselves to be capable and lethal in their own right. Despite the introduction of new Punishers, Frank Castle remains the iconic and formidable character that sets the standard for the role.

When the Punisher first debuted in the pages of Gerry Conway and Ross Andru's Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1973, few probably imagined the grizzled gunman would one day be among Marvel's most storied properties. Frank Castle has been shooting, stabbing, exploding, and otherwise creatively killing criminals in the pages of Marvel ever since, though recent events have lead to him vacating the role. With Castle in self-exposed exile on Weirdworld, the door has opened for someone else to claim the mantle of Punisher.

You almost won’t recognize the season premiere of the last season of Burn Notice, because Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) has grown a beard and seemingly found himself in a Guy Ritchie film, bare-knuckle boxing and being hit with an uppercut, laying him out parallel to the ground mid-air as he falls flat on the floor. Minutes in, the details of the CIA deal Michael made to keep his friends and family clean of his mess, are cross-stitched with the present day events. Michael’s new handler, Andrew Strong (Jack Coleman, Heroes) has some personal crusade against a terrorist, Randall Burke (Adrian Pasdar, Heroes) and needs the old Michael Westen to resurface, “The one that got the job done no matter what.”

This is a mission that’s sure to lead to more trouble for Michael but he’s at the end of his rope and the only types of...

Burn Notice began production of its seventh season this week, but that’s not the biggest news to recently come out regarding the USA Network series. Every year, new characters are introduced and casting is everything when it comes to shows like Burn Notice. If the new characters don’t work, you run the risk of tanking an entire season – worst-case scenario, of course. Thankfully, looking at a few of the names that have popped up on my radar, things are looking good. One actor cast in Season 7 is a personal favorite of mine, even if he starred in one of the most disappointing TV shows in televised history.

According to Deadline, Burn Notice managed to snag the always-enjoyable Jack Coleman – Heroes wasn’t your fault, Jack – in a recurring role for the season, but that’s not all. Stephen Martines (The Closer) will be recurring as well. Coleman will be playing Andrew Strong,...

Fresh off his recent Castle encore, Jack Coleman has boarded Burn Notice in a recurring role.

Former soap star/The Closer alum Stephen Martines also will be a part of the USA Network drama’s truncated (13-episode) seventh and possibly final season.

Related | John Stamos Tackles Arc on USA’s Necessary Roughness

As reported by our sister site Deadline, Coleman — whose other TV credits include The Office, Heroes and, of course, Dynasty – will play Andrew Strong, a high-ranking CIA officer who will push Michael and push him hard, now that he’s again back in the fold.

Related | USA’s...

Exclusive: USA’s Burn Notice is beefing up the cast for the upcoming seventh and potentially final season. Jack Coleman (Heroes) and Stephen Martines (The Closer) have been cast as recurring, while Nick Tarabay is set for a two-episode arc. Production on Season 7, which will mark the series’ 100th episode, begins on Monday in Miami. Coleman, who recurred on The Office for the past two seasons, will play Andrew Strong, a ranking CIA officer who has seen it all. Noble, but also obsessive at times, Strong is a relentless taskmaster who pushes Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) to do whatever it takes to complete the mission. He is with Domain and Framework. Martines plays Carlos Cruz, a swashbuckling bounty hunter and Fiona’s (Gabrielle Anwar) charming new boyfriend. Tarabay, repped by Domain and Medavoy Management, will play Dexter Gamble, a cold-blooded freelance operative.