One of the Netflix-era's biggest Marvel heroes is conspicuously missing from the official Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 cast list. Born Again's second run on Disney+ is mere weeks away from its debut, opening the door back up to classic characters and stories from Netflix's now-defunct corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Season 1 brought back big names from the OG Netflix series, including Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle.
A new cast listing for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has seemingly omitted Bernthal's Punisher from the R-rated streaming series. Bernthal's skull-cracking hero appeared in the show's first season, fighting alongside the series' titular scarlet scrapper, but it seems he may be absent from its sophomore effort.
The official Disney media portal includes a breakdown of all the characters set to play key roles in the show's upcoming second season. This included series mainstays like Cox and D'Onofrio, as well as newcomers to the show like Krysten Ritter and Matthew Lillard. However, Bernthal's name is nowhere to be seen.
See the complete Daredevil: Born Again cast listing below:
- Charlie Cox,
- Vincent D’Onofrio
- Wilson Bethel
- Deborah Ann Woll
- Margarita Levieva
- Krysten Ritter
- Matthew Lillard
- Ayelet Zurer
Seeing as Bernthal's Punisher character was locked behind bars under the watch of the villainous Wilson Fisk, to close Born Again Season 1, many had assumed he would return for the show's second batch of episodes. This was especially the case given that he has a one-off streaming special of his own coming sometime after Born Again Season 2 finishes its eight-episode run.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, is just the latest release in Marvel Studios' new wave of Netflix-era revivals. The R-rated streaming show follows its central hero as he goes to war with the now-Mayor Wilson Fisk on the gritty and grimy streets of New York City. To take down the towering terror, Charlie Cox's Man Without Fear must assemble a team of heroes to fight for the city they have sworn to protect.
Born Again Season 2 comes to Disney+ starting on March 24.
Punisher's MCU Future Explained
What makes Jon Bernthal's absence from the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 cast list all the more confusing is the fact that the character has already been confirmed to be a big part of Marvel Studios' 2026 slate outside of the R-rated streaming show.
Bernthal will return as his Kevlar-wearing anti-hero in his new Disney+ special presentation, set for release sometime this summer. The upcoming one-off adventure will center on Punisher after the emergence of a female crime boss with connections to his past.
No specific release information for the Punisher Special Presentation has been revealed as of yet, but it is reported to come sometime after Born Again Season 2, but before Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Speaking of Tom Holland's upcoming web-slinging adventure (which hits theaters on July 31), Bernthal's Marvel character is also said to play a part in it. He will reportedly be all over the new Spider-Man film, even getting a city-spanning action sequence in which he will seemingly take on an angry Hulk in the process.
Punisher's packed 2026 schedule is what has raised fans' eyebrows over his Born Again omission. The character was stuck in prison by the end of Season 1, so he will seemingly have to be addressed in some form in Season 2, breaking him out of his steely confines so he can appear in Punisher and Spider-Man.
