Marvel Has an Idea for Punisher That’s “Larger” Than the Upcoming Special

Warning: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1

Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane teases what could be next for the Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following the premiere of the Season 1 finale “Straight to Hell,” the creative broke down key elements of the episode and series with Entertainment Weekly. One particular moment Scardapane discussed was the post-credit scene depicting Frank Castle violently attacking one of Wilson Fisk’s task force members so he can break free from Fisk’s vigilante prison. When asked if this was deliberate set up for the upcoming Punisher special, Scardapane revealed Marvel has bigger things in mind.

“No, it was part of a larger Marvel idea with regards to Jon, the Punisher, and keeping him in the world,” Scardapane said about the post-credits scene. “He gets taken by the task force, and we didn’t want to just have him sit on that island. We needed to give you an idea that Frank is not going to stay locked up for long. It came pretty late in the process, but it became very clear very quickly that this was the thing to do both in terms of telling the story of Daredevil and what’s going to come next for Frank and the Punisher.”

Shortly before Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 premiered, it was announced Marvel Studios is developing a “Special Presentation” featuring the Punisher for Disney+. This format was previously used for titles like Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. In addition to starring, Bernthal is writing the special, promising a dark tale worthy of the character. “It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that,” the actor said.

[RELATED – The MCU Just Ended a Big Punisher Debate for Good in Daredevil: Born Again]

As the Punisher Special Presentation comes together, Marvel Studios is also hard at work on Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which is currently in production. Recently, Scardapane confirmed the show’s second season will premiere on Disney+ in March 2026, just one year after the first season. Set photos have teased a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye in Season 2, but it’s unknown if Bernthal will reprise Frank.

Even though Bernthal hasn’t been officially confirmed for the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 cast, it seems likely he will return. If Marvel Studios has “larger” plans for the character that go beyond Bernthal’s special, bringing him back for the war to save New York from Mayor Fisk and his task force makes a lot of sense. In “Straight to Hell,” Matt Murdock told Karen Page they need to recruit an army of their own to fight back against Fisk. Daredevil and Punisher don’t always see eye to eye on the methods they use to bring criminals to justice, but Matt knows how useful Frank can be in a situation like this. The Punisher has an intriguing dynamic with Fisk’s task force (who idolized Frank), so it would make for compelling television to see how far Punisher would go to take them down.

The Punisher Special Presentation doesn’t have a release date yet, as it was only recently announced. Seeing that Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is already in front of the cameras and targeting a premiere next year, there’s a good chance that’ll be ready before the Punisher special. Perhaps Season 2 will lay the groundwork for Bernthal’s project. Other than possibly reviving the Punisher series down the line, it’s hard to see what else Marvel could have in mind. Charlie Cox has talked about wanting to join the Avengers, but no Defenders actors have been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday (yet). Marvel might just have a whole arc figured out for Frank on the TV side of things.