Six months after Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again stepped back to make creative changes behind the scenes, the Disney+ series’ production is rolling full steam ahead, with Loki directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead behind the rolling cameras. Now, we have a new on-set look at Jon Bernthal’s return as The Punisher, and it’s a bloody good time, quite literally.
It definitely looks as if Bernthal’s Frank Castle just finished doing something particularly brutal to another character, as the actor was seen along with Charlie Cox and a slew of crew members on the streets of New York while filming some kind of sequence for Daredevil: Born Again. And since blood flocks to The Punisher like moths to a flame, it’s a pleasant non-shock to catch a glimpse of the character’s splatter-tastic look ahead of the show's debut (which will be streaming via Disney+ subscription.
Woo! It would certainly be disturbing to be out trying to find your car only to happen upon a crimson-covered Frank Castle, who reaches peak intimidation levels just by standing there. Because it’s not just the blood on the face that comes across as bothersome — although it isn’t exactly soothing, either — but rather the blood drying across his knuckles, which goes all the way up his forearms.
To me, that indicates Frank punching someone in the face so hard that his fist went right through the back of their skull. And since both his right and left hands look like that, I can only assume he turned TWO people’s faces into mulch. But whose blood was it?
The easiest guess there would be that Frank took out some nameless thugs in a random bit of violence, but the scene being filmed seems to incorporate the in-costume Frank and Matt walking together down the street, presumably to follow up on whatever brutality just occurred. Embedded in that idea is the assumption that Frank bathes somewhat regularly, and isn’t caked in DNA from a days-old brawl.
Here's another set shot that appears to feature a crew member easter egg, while also showing off Cox and Bernthal next to each other.
The ripped-up posters in the back ground indicate some kind of performance happening at "Shipler Hall," which doesn't appear to be a real-life venue. One of the people being advertised is "Ngina Bowen," which just so happens to be the name of an accomplished costumer and wardrobe supervisor who's worked on projects such as Creed III, Stargirl, two of Starz's Power series and more. She doesn't seem to be listed among Daredevil: Born Again's crew, but that might not indicate anything.
The set photos also show a line of possible authority figures lined up in jackets, with actor Jeremy Earl playing an officer who is very clearly wearing the Punisher logo as part of his uniform. It's suspected that Earl is portraying comic book character Cole North, who is known for being a by-the-book authority figure who embodies a fairly pure moral compass. But I can't imagine Frank will be all that pleased by his morals after the cop (and presumably others) co-opted the Punisher skull. That move doesn't bode well for others in the comics, so perhaps it's some of their blood that flew back up into Frank's face.
Now let's end on a shot of two returning faves!
I think it's safe to say that The Punisher won't be wearing the blood of either Karen Page or Foggy Nelson, and not only because returning stars Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Hensen are seen above without any obvious physical injuries. Frank and Karen grew quite close during the run of The Punisher, to the point where fans were hoping to see sparks fly between them. Which, by all means, could still happen in Daredevil: Born Again, though he's gonna need a face wipe or two.
Jon Bernthal recently hyped fans up for his return by referencing the story he used to tell his daughter back in the days before everything went to shit. Just in case anyone expected Frank's return to be a big old bouquet of happiness even beyond the bloodshed.
Daredevil: Born Again will debut on Disney+ at an undisclosed point in 2025 with its first nine episodes, to be followed at a later date by the back half of the season. Head to our 2024 TV schedule to see what else is heading to the small screen soon.
