Actor Jon Bernthal is back as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, more than five years after his last appearance in the Season 2 finale of the character’s Netflix series. During a recent appearance as part of Disney’s D23 Expo, the actor discussed Daredevil: Born Again, teasing that the revival will go a “step further” than the gritty original series, which already pushed the boundaries of Marvel storytelling.
Marvel fans got their first look at footage from Daredevil: Born Again at D23, and the reveals quickly went viral online. The teaser trailer featured Bernthal, as well as a look at returning characters Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), a now-bearded Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). Bernthal said there was “genuine excitement” among the cast reuniting, saying:
“We’re all here, we’re all enormously happy to be with each other, we’re proud of what we did. If you’re a fan of the (previous) show, you’re gonna be enormously happy.”
After remarking that “Daredevil fans are the greatest fans in the world,” Bernthal also made it clear they will enjoy the new series, which raises the stakes more than ever before. He said:
“I think if you’re a fan of the show that you saw before, you’re gonna be a fan of this. I think we’re just taking it a step further.”
Bernthal’s comments echo the sentiments of other cast members, including Vincent D’Onofrio, who says Born Againwill be even darker and more violent than the original series. The Kingpin may have been a twisted, intimidating foe before, but D’Onofrio says he’s even worse in the Disney+ revival. He said in a recent interview:
“There’s one thing in particular that my character does that I can’t believe made it into the cut.”
Bringing the Devil Back from the Dead on Disney+
The D23 trailer also confirmed the appearance of the villain Muse, who is one of the most sinister and violent characters from the comic series. His outfit is also incredibly faithful to the comic, which met the approval of fans online. At D23, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said the series marks a new direction for the characters. “In Daredevil: Born Again, we’ve channeled the essence of the original series but set an entirely new path for Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk,” he said. Among the new cast members joining the series are Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), Margarita Levieva (Star Wars: The Acolyte), and Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel).
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Charlie Cox Teases Return of Fan-Favorite Fight Scenes in Daredevil: Born Again
The fight scenes in Daredevil: Born Again will maintain a fan-favorite element from the Netflix series…
When Daredevil was canceled after its third season on Netflix, it appeared Marvel Studios was ready to go in a different direction. Fan demand seemingly caused Marvel Studios to bring star Charlie Cox back for cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, and the response convinced them a revival, and not a reboot, could work in the MCU. That is, after a lot of drama and changes behind the scenes.
Daredevil premiered in 2015 and ran for three seasons on Netflix. Its success birthed five additional spinoffs in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Bernthal’s The Punisher, and The Defenders. By 2019, however, all the “Defenders-Verse” shows had been canceled, as Disney refocused efforts on Marvel content just for their streaming service. The shows were all added to the Marvel section of Disney+ in 2022, and earlier this year, they were added to the official MCU timeline. The return of Daredevil, however, with an appearance by Bernthal, raises hopes among fans that the rest of the Defenders could return eventually.
Daredevil: Born Again
premieres in March 2025 on Disney+.
