Even before Daredevil: Born Again received a creative overhaul, we knew that Jon Bernthal would reprise his role as Frank Castle. After first playing the vigilante in Daredevil season 2 on Netflix, he later took centre stage in two seasons of the spin-off series, The Punisher.
The series received a mostly positive response from fans and critics but didn't leave much of a lasting impact (unfortunately, its creative team doubled down on the conspiracy theory surrounding the death of Frank's family).
Now, with Marvel Studios looking to win back fans who haven't taken to the Multiverse Saga as quickly as they'd hoped, a new rumour from The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez suggests the plan is for Daredevil: Born Again to directly reference the events of The Punisher.
In doing so, those Netflix shows and their newfound "canon" status will be further established in the MCU. That's important because they all have a large fanbase and, regardless of any creative missteps, appeal to an audience Marvel Studios is looking to win over with its TV-MA projects on Disney+.
Echo offered a taste of what that will look like and if Daredevil: Born Again references The Punisher's clash with Jigsaw and what he's been up to since we last saw him, that should give Disney+ subscribers a good reason to go back and watch those Netflix shows now they're on the streaming platform.
Taking about his return to the role earlier this month, Bernthal said, "I think there’s a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has. In the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe."
"I think there’s a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me and I care about that character deeply."
"I also know that it’s absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank," the actor continued. "I’m gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right."
The cast of the series includes Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, and Sandrine Holt as Vanessa Fisk. Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Michael Gaston, Arty Froushan, and Clark Johnson have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
Daredevil: Born Again will likely premiere on Disney+ in 2025/2026.