Warning: SPOILERS for the Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale are ahead!
Daredevil: Born Again has finished its run on the 2025 TV schedule, but not to worry, this isn’t one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s small screen offerings that’s only sticking around for one season. Born Again Season 2 is officially set on the upcoming Marvel TV shows for a March 2026 release, and as a nice bonus, Jon Bernthal will reprise Frank Castle in a Punisher special that’s also coming out next year. Now that I’ve seen the Born Again Season 1 finale with my Disney+ subscription, I already know how I want Frank’s standalone project to tie into the next season of Matt Murdock’s TV show.
Following his return to the MCU in “Sic Semper Systema” after a six-year absence, Bernthal’s Frank really got to cut loose in “Straight to Hell.” Spurred into action by a phone call from Karen Page, Frank teamed up with Matt Murdock to fight the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) officers who were sent to kill Matt at his apartment. But then Frank made the unwise move to take the fight to Red Hook on his own, and he was captured and imprisoned with the rest of Wilson Fisk’s enemies. However, in the Born Again Season 1 finale’s end credits scene, Frank tricked one of the guards into getting too close to him and broke his arm, setting up his escape.
So where do we go with The Punisher from here? Well, for one thing, I highly doubt that Jon Bernthal will only reprise Frank Castle in the Disney+ special. He may have broken free from his cage, but as part of his efforts to eliminate all vigilantes in New York City, you can be sure he’ll instruct the AVTF to hunt down Frank and either recapture him or kill him on sight. Until told otherwise, I’m assuming that Bernthal will be back for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. And to go a step further, I also think that the special will be released before Season 2.
Keeping those things in mind, I’d like to see the Punisher special show Frank Castle building up an arsenal to use against Wilson Fisk and the AVTF. It didn’t look like he had a lot of weaponry at his disposal at the hideout where he took Matt and Karen, and even if he did have more guns tucked away, he could always use more. This is The Punisher, we’re talking about, after all: the man loves to kill bad guys as violently as possible.
Maybe we could see Frank either raid an armory that’s being protected by AFTV officers or steal guns from one of the criminal operations in the Big Apple. Once he has a sizable arsenal, then he can engage in guerrilla warfare against the AVTF and whatever criminals cross his path along the way. The main issue is that this kind of story needs to be done in a way so that people who aren’t watching Daredevil: Born Again can still easily follow along.
But assuming that can be effectively handled, the special can set the stage for Frank Castle’s return in Born Again Season 2. With all the firearms he could ever ask for easily accessible, he can re-team with Matt Murdock and his allies and finally bring topple Mayor Wilson Fisk’s regime. Then Frank and Matt could go their separate ways yet again, with the former hopefully getting another special and the latter ideally coming back for Born Again Season 3.
I’m not a big Punisher fan by any means, but I’ve liked how he was used in the original Daredevil series and also had an enjoyable enough time watching his spinoff series. So I’ll always welcome Jon Bernthal returning to the role, but I’ll be even more pleased if my idea for his special and Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
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