Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is adapting an iconic storyline that places the Man Without Fear and Punisher's reunion on the cards. Sadly, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle sat out the last chapter of Born Again's Kingpin clash, seemingly due to the actor's already busy MCU schedule, filming Disney+'s The Punisher: One Last Kill special and a supporting role in this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Warning - This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
But the show must go on, and Frank Castle missed out on mayhem, culminating in Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock outing himself as Daredevil in court. Unfortunately for the Man Without Fear, actions have consequences, and he was promptly arrested for Daredevil's crimes, setting up an adaptation of The Devil In Cell Block D.
In the 2006 storyline by Ed Brubaker, the Punisher learned of the chaos erupting behind bars at Ryker's Island following Matt Murdock's imprisonment and decided to join him, getting himself arrested by violently murdering a pimp.
The crime-fighting kinda-sorta-maybe buddies met in the prison cafeteria, where Frank told Matt that he wanted to see for himself "what it looks like when [he] turns into [him]," which eventually leads to a valuable lesson.
Before continuing, some important context is necessary: at this time in Daredevil comics, like the MCU, Matt's best friend, Foggy Nelson, had recently been killed. However, unlike Disney+'s Born Again, the legal eagle's killer was still at large, and Matt was determined to find the killer, leading to much of the chaos at Ryker's.
Fueled by justice and revenge, Murdock decided that he must break out of prison to uncover the truth behind Foggy's death (which ended up being that Vanessa Fisk had faked his murder and had him placed with witness protection).
The blind lawyer's plan to escape Ryker's Island involved capitalizing on a massive prison riot, taking down Bullseye and Kingpin behind bars, and getting some help. The Punisher aided in Murdock's escape by pretending to take him hostage at gunpoint and stealing a helicopter to get off the island.
Before they parted ways, Frank Castle had one lesson to impart, telling Murdock that he "needed to remember" that he "[doesn't] want to be [him]:"
"You're hurtin' a lot right now, Richard, with good reason. But you don't want to be me. You needed to remember that."
It's tough to imagine the MCU's Punisher getting himself arrested just to teach Daredevil a life lesson or bust him out of prison. Still, the MCU has been known to more loosely adapt storylines, so Daredevil and Punisher could still reunite behind bars, but for a vastly different reason, such as Castle getting himself arrested to deal with the AVTF officers, who co-opted his symbol, in a more permanent way.
Interestingly, Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane recently declared on the series' official podcast that "Bullseye vs. Punisher has to be done, someday." A face-off between Disney+'s two most violent anti-heroes may still be a stretch for Season 3, but there is every chance that it becomes a reality down the line.
Provided Frank Castle escapes Spider-Man: Brand New Day unscathed, the chances seem high that the Punisher will return in Daredevil: Born Again's future, even if it doesn't happen exactly like The Devil In Cell Block D. That said, after starring in three MCU projects in quick succession, it would be hard to blame Jon Bernthal for wanting a break to tackle other non-Punisher projects first.
In the meantime, fans will get another taste of Castle goodness when The Punisher: One Last Kill hits Disney+ on Tuesday, May 12, before the vigilante returns, for the first time in theaters, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31.
How Else Will Daredevil: Born Again Adapt Devil In Cell Block D?
Set photos from Born Again's third outing confirmed that all four of the Defenders will be returning in major roles, making it only right for the Punisher to return as the fifth and final lead of the Netflix era. Furthermore, Bernthal's schedule currently appears open to join the Marvel Television production that will continue until July.
Speaking of returning Defenders Saga heroes, Frank Castle isn't the only one with an important role to play in The Devil In Cell Block D. While Murdock is in prison for Daredevil's crimes, it was Danny Rand who picked up the Devil's Cowl, which may explain why Finn Jones' Iron Fist is coming back in Born Again Season 3.
As part of The Devil in Cell Block-D, Murdock was incarcerated with two major villains, Kingpin and Bullseye. However, after Born Again's latest outing, Bullseye is overseas working for Mr. Charles, and Kingpin has left New York for some tropical paradise, although set photos confirmed he will return to the Big Apple.
Unless something drastically changes early in Born Again Season 3, it seems Murdock won't be contending with his oldest, most brutal foes behind bars. But that's not to say he won't have enemies in prison, as Connor Powell and the rest of Wilson Fisk's tyrannical Anti-Vigilante Task Force are also locked away for now.
