Why Punisher Is Missing from Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is finally here, and the premiere episode really lived up to its title by starting things off with a “Bang”. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!) Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) sank a freight ship, which was carrying an all-important shipment of military-grade weapons intended for Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). That act of “terrorism” (Fisk’s words) triggers a series of reactions, including the shady side of the US government dispatching “Mr. Charles” (Matthew Lillard) to intervene in NYC, and Fisk committing his own vigilante task force (the AVTF) to tracking down Daredevil and his associates, and taking them out.

By the end of the premiere episode, Matt’s luck runs out: his friend, former police detective Cherry (Clark Johnson), gets a visit from the AVTF, and it looks like it will be the end until Daredevil intervenes. However, Cherry had a sudden heart attack, which distracted Matt enough to get beaten down and unmasked by Fisk’s goons. But before they could take Matt out or reveal his identity to their boss, the entire AVTF crew was taken out by a sniper. Matt got a “you’re welcome” message carved into a knife that got tossed his way.

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Who Saved Daredevil At The End of the Season 2 Premiere?

Some Marvel fans came away thinking that Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/Punisher was going to be making an appearance, but that is not only wrong – it’s something that can’t happen. If you didn’t already figure it out: there’s another character in Daredevil: Born Again who would be able to save Matt Murdock in that moment: Dex Poindexter/Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).

At the end of Season 1, Bullseye tried to assassinate Wilson Fisk, only to have Matt take the bullet. Dex escaped in the chaos, but is still at large. Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane already told us here at ComicBook that in Season 2, Bullseye will be a bit… misguided about which side he’s on.

“‘Okay: the administration is hunting vigilantes. I am a vigilante, so I must be a hero,’” the showrunner said, voicing Dex’s twisted mind. “That thought process for somebody like Bullseye, it’s hilarious and terrifying. Yeah. So without giving too much away: [We play with ] how he reacts to being “wanted” by virtue of being a vigilante, but not wanted by virtue of being a psychopathic killer. We played with that.”

Why Jon Bernthal’s Punisher Isn’t in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was last seen in the finale of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. Frank Castle faced the AVTF squad by himself, enraged that Fisk’s gang of corrupt cops was using his Punisher name and emblem as their brand. Punisher was beaten down, captured, and locked in Kingpin’s secret jail, where many vigilantes, power players, and wealthy elites who oppose Fisk are being held. A post-credits scene to Season 1 showed Frank Castle making his escape from Kingpin’s holding cell, and we already know he’s active again, making a crossover appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day this summer.

Punisher was never one to help Matt Murdock/Daredevil out of “friendship.” Castle only showed up in Born Again Season 1 because Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) asked him to watch over Matt. To say that Frank did so reluctantly, or that Punisher and Daredevil were mismatched teammates, would be an understatement. So narratively speaking, Punisher being on his own during Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 makes sense. As stated, we know Castle will be active, loud, and proud by the time of the events in Spider-Man: Brand New Day – we also know we’ll see him on his own mission, soon.

The Punisher’s Special Feature, One Last Kill, is ostensibly Born Again Season 2’s epilogue, releasing on Disney+ the same week the second season ends (May 12th). While details of the feature are still unknown, the title does suggest some kind of closing of an old door, before Frank enters a new era that begins with his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Behind the scenes, Jon Bernthal has been busy filming Punisher: One Last Kill and Spider-Man: Brand New Day over the last year, meaning he was totally unavailable to also shoot Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. But it’s ironic to see Bernthal’s Punisher becoming one of the most prolific characters in the modern MCU franchise, after nearly being left out of it, along with the rest of the Marvel Netflix veterans.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is streaming on Disney+. The Punisher: One Last Kill will premiere on Disney+ on May 12th. Discuss all things MCU with us on the ComicBook Forum!