With all nine episodes of Daredevil: Born Again now streaming on Disney+, Marvel Television has released what we assume will be the final character poster for the series, with Frank Castle, aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), getting the spotlight.
Castle didn't have a huge role in Born Again, but he certainly made an impact, teaming up with the Man Without Fear (Charlie Cox) in the finale to unleash hell on Kingpin's (Vincent D'Onofrio) AVTF.
Towards the end of "Straight to Hell," the Punisher decides to take on Mayor Wilson Fisk's forces alone. After brutally dispatching a number of corrupt cops, Castle is overwhelmed (whether he always planned to be captured is up for debate) and locked in one of Kingpin's holding cells.
In the post-credits sequence, Frank tricks his guard into approaching the cage before pulling his arm through the bars and snapping it. This will presumably facilitate Frank getting out of his cell, but is escape his only concern? Does the Punisher intend to put an end to Fisk once and for all?
Showrunner Dario Scardapane was asked whether this scene will tie into the Punisher spin-off during a recent interview with EW, and somewhat sidestepped the question.
"[The scene] was part of a larger Marvel idea with regards to Jon, the Punisher, and keeping him in the world. He gets taken by the task force, and we didn't want to just have him sit on that island. We needed to give you an idea that Frank is not going to stay locked up for long. It came pretty late in the process, but it became very clear very quickly that this was the thing to do both in terms of telling the story of Daredevil and what's going to come next for Frank and the Punisher."
However, when asked if it was fair to assume that Castle will factor into Born Again season 2, Scardapane was a little more forthcoming about the plot of the Special.
"I mean, I think that a lot of what would be fair to assume for an audience member is that post-credit sequence lays right into what the Punisher special is going to be. "
So, it sounds like fans can expect the Punisher Special Presentation to focus on Frank killing his way through an army while (possibly) attempting to get to Fisk.
The Special is expected to air next year along with Born Again season 2.
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The show also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is on board as showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.