With revenge and retribution on his mind, there was little time for romance for Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in the debut season of The Punisher. That isn't to say Castle never developed strong relationships along the way; his friendship with Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) continues in the series from the second season of Daredevil, though some have wondered if it's just a friendship, or something more.
According to Woll herself, her and Bernthal both played their scenes with the intent that there could be a spark between the two, since both characters come from a place of loneliness, though the final decision is up to the editors and showrunners. "There are conversations," Woll told CinemaBlend. "I have to think about how much I can sort of reveal. Also just in terms of whether this is Jon's story to tell or my story to tell, you just want to kind of be respectful of everybody's contributions. Jon and I have certainly feel that there is room for a romantic story in there. And there were certainly scenes where we took it farther in some takes than we did in other takes. We'll have to sort of wait and see what the editors chose, and how far they decided to push it. But we as actors allowed for that possibility. It'll kinda be up to Marvel and the powers that be to see how far they wanted to take it."
Of course, nothing comes easy, especially with Frank eternally grieving over the loss of his family. Woll admits that while a potential relationship between the two would be complicated, it would come from a place of familiarity and understanding. "You have to remember that no marriage is a fairy tale marriage. They're trying to sort of show you that there can be deep, respected love, but also a lot of figuring things out. And I think for sure that Karen doesn't want to step on their toes, but at this point, he and she are the only people who really -- they're two profoundly lonely people -- and the only person who really knows them to their core is the other one. And there's a deep affection there, but it's complicated."
Of course, Karen also doesn't know that her ex-boyfriend, Daredevil, is still alive after the aftermath of The Defenders, so his return may throw a wrench in all of this. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!