Daredevil and the Punisher are an unlikely team, but whenever they fight side-by-side, it's always met with fervor. Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal's characters may have started as enemies, but throughout seasons of Daredevil, The Punisher, and now Daredevil: Born Again, they've become begrudging allies. Most recently, the pair teamed up in the Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale to fight off Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF), which ended with Frank being imprisoned and then escaping.
The jury is out on whether Frank Castle will appear in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, particularly as Bernthal has been off working on Punisher: One Last Kill and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, a comment in Episode 3 of the new season made another team-up between the two even more unlikely.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finds Matt Murdock and Karen Page living in hiding as they attempt to foil Fisk's plans while remaining out of sight of the AVTF and the wider city. One scene in Episode 3 sees Karen poring over the pair's evidence board, to which Murdock comments, "You're turning into Frank [Castle]". Karen responds that Frank always said to, "Know your enemy, they're all you have."
The duo then contemplate whether Frank has been killed since his prison escape, which Murdock thinks is unlikely, given Fisk would have "[sung] that from the rooftops."
Karen: "You think he's dead?"
Matt: "Not a chance. If we has, Fisk would hang his corpse off the Brooklyn Bridge. Taking out the Punisher? He'd sing that from the rooftops."
Karen then contemplates what Frank is doing and why he hasn't come to them to help with their vendetta against Fisk. "All this, he's just out there, just being him, same as always?" she questions. Murdock clues in that Karen is considering asking Frank for help, which he vehemently opposes, telling her, "Murder is not how we win this."
Matt: "You want his help?"
Karen: "Well, I mean, he is effective."
Matt: "You realize murder is not how we win this? Karen?"
Karen: "Jesus Christ, okay. Okay. Of course, I am not suggesting that we go out and start murdering random Task Force agents, but cutting the head off the snake?"
While Daredevil and the Punisher have occasionally put their differences aside in the heat of battle or for the greater good, this episode made it clear that the two vigilantes remain deeply divided by their opposing ethos. Karen makes a good point that turning to Frank could be an effective way of ending the war against Kingpin, but any hint of crossing the killing line is a no-go for Murdock.
This disdain for Castle and his methods puts a wedge between Daredevil and Punisher. This could also be an effective way of setting up why the Punisher won't appear in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, despite all the chaos in his city, which would definitely be affecting him.
It was made clear throughout Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's marketing that this season would see Matt Murdock building his own vigilante team to take on Fisk and his Anti-Vigilante regime. This leads Daredevil to call upon his old friend, Jessica Jones, but many expected the Punisher might be on that list as well, given the two's history.
However, Murdock has made it abundantly clear he doesn't want Castle involved in their plans, knowing full well that the Punisher's answer to everything will be death. This makes another team-up between them seem extremely unlikely, if not impossible, unless one of them can budge on their killing stance.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 premiered on Disney+ on March 24, with new episodes releasing weekly through to May 5. Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Bethel, and Krysten Ritter star.
Can Daredevil and the Punisher Work It Out?
While Frank Castle is an off-limits zone for Daredevil right now, it would be a shame if fans never got to see the pair fighting together again.
While the reason the two aren't in contact may be purely for behind-the-scenes purposes, and due to Bernthal's busy MCU schedule, there is a legitimate narrative reason keeping the two apart in Daredevil: Born Again right now, and it will require a mindset shift from either Frank or Matt if they want to work through it.
While it's difficult to believe Daredevil will ever cross the murderous line, he has come close several times before, and depending on how dire things get with Fisk and his agenda in Daredevil: Born Again, it may put Murdock in a position where killing is his only option if he wants to save his city.
On the other hand, Punisher may be in for a change of heart, too, given his upcoming Disney+ special is titled "One Last Kill", indicating this could be the end of Castle's murderous ways. Bernthal is also appearing as his character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a notably family-friendly property, where his killing ways simply will not fly, which may force the character to shift his approach.
This certainly doesn't rule out a future Punisher and Daredevil combo, but it won't happen without some significant changes on both their parts.
