Despite appearing in season 1, the Punisher isn’t in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, but he has been replaced by the last character I expected. The return of Frank Castle was one of the most heavily advertised parts of Born Again season 1, which is why it’s so surprising that he won’t be appearing in the newest batch of episodes. Rather than joining Daredevil’s Army and fighting Mayor Fisk, Frank is off running around with Spider-Man and starring in his own Disney+ special.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Frank’s absence was expected to leave a massive hole in the world of Born Again, as the Punisher’s ideological rivalry with Matt is one of the most interesting parts of the show. Matt believes in redemption, and due to his strong convictions and his Catholic faith, Matt believes it is never ok to kill a villain. Meanwhile, the Punisher believes that killing villains is the only way to guarantee that they can’t continue to do harm. This ideological split created a lot of tension between Frank and Matt in Daredevil season 2 and Born Again season 1, and without Frank being here, Born Again risked not continuing this thematic exploration.
Karen Page Is Filling The Punisher’s Role In Born Again Season 2
However, the Punisher’s shoes have been filled by a surprising character: Karen Page. Karen has been around since the very beginning of Daredevil, with her acting as one of Matt’s closest friends and even a love interest. Throughout the Netflix seasons, Karen was a journalist, with her investigative abilities being a major contribution to the team. While she wasn’t as hardline about not killing as Matt, as was proven by the fact that she shot Wesley, Karen’s beliefs used to align with Matt’s far more than they did with Frank’s.
However, things have flipped in Born Again season 2. Season 2, episode 6 saw Matt arrive at the hideout with an injured Bullseye, where they are greeted by Karen. Throughout the episode, Karen is essentially begging Matt to let her kill Bullseye, with Matt even having to throw a billy club at Karen to stop her from shooting him. Karen tells Matt that villains like Bullseye and Fisk will continue killing people unless Matt kills them first, and that his confidence in redemption won’t always work. Karen has been radicalized by the actions of Mayor Fisk, putting a bigger divide between her and Matt than ever before.
Karen’s current philosophy of permanent solutions is a near-exact parallel of Frank’s philosophy, which is why Matt is so stringently against it. The ideological feud between Matt and Karen in season 2 proves that Frank didn’t have to be here in order to carry on this compelling arc. Now, Frank’s cynicism is spreading to Karen, making Matt’s commitment to his no-kill rule even more difficult to uphold under the regime of Mayor Fisk.
Karen’s Born Again Role Reignites Chances Of Her Relationship With Frank
Throughout Netflix’s Defenders universe, fans often shipped Karen Page with Frank Castle, hoping that the duo would wind up in a relationship. While a direct romance was never confirmed by any of the shows, Karen and Frank definitely had chemistry during their interactions. The two characters were frequently paired up, had tons of interactions, and had a much more mutually positive dynamic than the one between Frank and Matt.
However, Born Again season 2 dashed the hopes of a Karen and Frank relationship by confirming that Matt and Karen are dating. The two kiss and exchange “I love yous” throughout the episodes, making it seem as if Karen is having no thoughts of Frank. Since Frank isn’t in season 2, it seemed like there wasn’t a chance of this relationship getting introduced. Despite this, Karen’s new philosophy means that there is a chance.
The divide in Matt and Karen’s beliefs will probably affect their relationship, especially considering that Matt hit Karen with a billy club in the previous episode. Karen’s disagreements with Matt could cause her to leave him, and if she’s looking for a romantic partner who more closely aligns with her beliefs, then Frank is the perfect choice. Karen could rein Frank in a bit but still appreciate his knack for killing, with Karen turning to him in order to finally put an end to Fisk’s reign.
The only issue is that we don’t know when Karen and Frank will meet again. Karen probably won’t be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and since The Punisher: One Last Kill special is only a special presentation, it probably doesn’t have the time to commit to this story. So, it may be a while before Karen and Frank share the screen again.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Crunchyroll
