Jon Bernthal's Punisher's Big Role In New MCU Show Teased by Co-Star

Kingpin’s Vincent D’Onofrio hinted at the Punisher’s role in Daredevil: Born Again.

By Russ Milheim Posted:
Punisher Daredevil Marvel

According to Vincent D’Onofrio, the actor behind Kingpin, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher will have a large part to play in Daredevil: Born Again.

Born Again is one of the MCU’s most anticipated projects. Fans have been dying for a series continuation ever since the original Netflix show was canceled in 2018.

Not only will the Disney+ series be 18 episodes, but it will also be bringing back Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Kingpin full-time. But the two won’t be alone.

Not too long ago, it was announced that the Disney+ project would bring back Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, who shared an interesting dynamic with “Red” back in Daredevil Season 2.

Bernthal himself seemed stoked about the news, as it didn’t take long to share a captionless image on Instagram celebrating his return.

Punisher Playing a Big Role in Born Again

Punisher and Daredevil Disney Plus
Marvel

In a new interview with Newsweek, Daredevil: Born Again Star Vincent D’Onofrio teased the arrival of fan-favorite vigilante, Punisher.

According to the star, Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle will be “a major part of the [upcoming] show,” alongside Charlie Cox.

In a previous post on Twitter in September 2022, industry insider KC Walsh first hinted toward Jon Bernthal’s big return. In the same tweet, he suggested that Punisher’s role filled the hole left by Jessica Jones’ Krysten Ritter, who was previously rumored to be showing up: 

“I know I was in denial about this, but it sounds like another popular character will show up as well due to a scheduling conflict as it appears they will take the rumored role Jessica Jones had.”

Those on the Cape Times podcast also supported these claims, noting that more from Netflix’s previous roster might be on their way:

“Basically, Born Again is re-introducing the Netflix characters to the mainstream and they planned to bring in Ritter but there’s a scheduling problem for Born Again. So they needed another Netflix star to fill the role. It’s Jon Bernthal. Wouldn’t be shocked if Ritter cameos tho.”

Who Else Is Joining The Punisher in Daredevil Disney+ Reboot?

Seeing as it's the Punisher, Frank Castle will undoubtedly be getting in trouble with the law. Both he and Daredevil haven’t always seen eye-to-eye in their methods.

Perhaps Matt Murdock will even need to defend Castle in court. After all, the series is rumored to have an emphasis on the lawyering aspect of the titular character.

But who else from the Netflix roster will be showing up?

As it stands now, both Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page are rumored not to be involved in the upcoming reboot. Kingpin’s right-hand woman will be back, however—though she’ll be portrayed by a different actress.

Then there’s Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones. A return of some fashion is highly rumored, but her arrival isn’t confirmed. Though, she did show some love for Bernthal getting the gig, having commented a flame emoji on the actor’s celebration Instagram post.

As for both Mike Colter’s Luke Cage and Finn Jones’ Iron Fist, they remain off the table for now. Though, fans haven’t lost hope yet.

Daredevil: Born Again is currently slated to release on Disney+ at some point in Spring 2024. 

- In This Article: Daredevil: Born Again
- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.