Ever since Marvel Studios confirmed that Charlie Cox would return to play Daredevil in the MCU, fans have anxiously awaited news about other characters from Marvel’s Netflix shows. Countless rumors made the rounds, but on Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Jon Bernthal is locked and loaded to reprise The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again.
Jon Bernthal is back as The Punisher
Bernthal first debuted as Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) in the second season of Daredevil on Netflix. The character was popular enough to receive his own spinoff series, The Punisher, which ran for two seasons on Netflix from 2017-2019. The Punisher eventually moved to Disney Plus in March 2022 along with the rest of Marvel’s Netflix shows.
Daredevil: Born Again is an 18-episode Disney Plus series starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin). As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the title comes from a Marvel Comics storyline in the late ’80s, but it’s unclear how much of the show’s plot will mirror that of the comic books. For instance, The Punisher never appeared in the story arc, so it’s clear that the show won’t be a 1:1 recreation.
Marvel reintroduced Cox’s character in Spider-Man: No Way Home with a short cameo. He played an even larger role in Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he squared off against (and then formed a relationship with) Jennifer Walters (played by Tatiana Maslany).
Unfortunately, while Bernthal will return, Matt Murdock’s partners in crime-fighting apparently are not. According to The Hollywood Reporter, neither Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page) nor Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson) is part of the cast of Born Again. They might be recast or written out of the story altogether, but the actors reportedly aren’t involved in the reboot.
Daredevil: Born Again is currently scheduled to debut on Disney Plus in spring 2024.
