The blonde Dexter and Rambo star Julie Benz has her hair dyed dark brown for her role in The Punisher: War Zone, and the new look comes with a juicy new character that the comic books only suggested.

"Her name's Angela Donatelli," said Benz. "She's actually, I think, mentioned in the comic book. I don't think you actually ever see her. I know her husband is mentioned as well, and there might be a small story with the husband, but she was actually never seen. She's kind of a creation. She's an Italian from Brooklyn, New York. I think they thought the darker hair would give me a little bit more of that edge; I think it's a visual concept as well."

Serving more of the plot than the action, Benz vouches for director Lexi Alexander's attention to both the visceral and the emotional in Punisher 2. "It's interesting, because she's more of a dramatic director. She's done a lot of very dramatic movies, and I think to take on an action movie like The Punisher, she's extremely creative, so creating the world that exists, her mind is just spinning with ideas, but you also have this whole other side with bringing the characters a level of humanity so they're not just comic book characters. They're not just caricatures of that, but you can really believe in the world of that. I think that's the female touch."

So it's definitely not a chick flick. "Lexi Alexander, first of all, is a world champion kickboxer. She's not a fragile flower here. I think we all knew at any moment she could kick our ass."