Punisher’s Absence In Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Explained By Kingpin Star

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Vincent D’Onofrio has revealed the reason why Jon Bernthal won’t be reprising his role as Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again.

Vincent D’Onofrio returned as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal reprised his role as the Punisher, both originally from the Marvel Netflix shows. The series went through many changes during production, including discussions about whether to include Frank Castle (the Punisher). He eventually appeared in two episodes, including the first season finale of Daredevil: Born Again, where he battles Kingpin’s task force and manages to escape, as shown in a scene after the credits.

After a fan expressed disappointment on X that the Punisher wouldn’t appear in season two of Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal’s Kingpin co-star, Vincent D’Onofrio, explained that Bernthal was committed to filming the Punisher Disney+ special and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. D’Onofrio playfully described Bernthal’s work on Brand New Day as him “hangin’ with that insect.” You can read D’Onofrio’s complete reply below.

We would have loved to have John join us for Season 2, but he was busy working on his own Punisher film and another project. It’s great he had those opportunities, and I’m excited to see what he does with them.

Instead of continuing in season two of Daredevil: Born Again, The Punisher’s story after escaping the Fisk Anti-Vigilante Task Force will be told in a separate hour-long special on Disney+. Filming finished in 2025, and the special will be available to stream in late 2026. Jon Bernthal will also reprise his role as the Punisher in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie, releasing July 31, 2026, meaning fans will see his character on screen several times this year even though he won’t be in Born Again season two.

Many fans, along with actor Jon Bernthal, are eager to see the Punisher appear in future Marvel projects. There’s still a possibility he’ll join the cast of the Daredevil: Born Again series, which has been renewed for a third season and is already in production. Because the Daredevil special and Spider-Man: Brand New Day have already been filmed, it might be easier to include him in season 3, though his return isn’t official yet. Ultimately, how the Punisher’s story unfolds in his upcoming appearances will determine if he and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) share screen time again.

Even though the Punisher appears in both Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and both stories are set in New York City with the projects releasing in the same year, they aren’t expected to be heavily linked. Each will largely stand on its own. However, a quick shot in the Brand New Day trailer shows Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), Kingpin’s campaign manager, handing Spider-Man the keys to the city, suggesting her story might connect the two narratives.

Okay, so I was a little bummed to hear the Punisher won’t be in season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, but I’m SO excited to hear Krysten Ritter is coming back as Jessica Jones for her Disney+ debut! It’s awesome they’re bringing back so many faces from the old Netflix shows. We’re getting more Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) this season, and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) will even be showing up in flashbacks! Plus, Dex Poindexter/Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer), Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), BB Urich (Genneya Walton), Detective Cherry (Clark Johnson), Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan), and Jack Duquense/Swordsman (Tony Dalton) are all returning! And to top it off, Matthew Lillard is joining the cast as a new, powerful character named Mr. Charles. This season is shaping up to be amazing!

Daredevil: Born Again debuts Tuesday, March 24 on Disney+.

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2026-03-24 04:38