'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 quietly explains the disappearance of fan-favorite character
It has been confirmed that Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, will not appear in 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2. However, the question that remains unanswered is where the anti-hero is during the series's timeline. As we know, Castle was last seen in Season 1 when he teamed up with Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil (Charlie Cox), to bring down Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin (Vincent D' Onofrio), and his anti-vigilante task force (AVTF). This season's major talking point is the return of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), who was last seen alongside Murdock in 'The Defenders'.
Fans who watched Episode 3 of the season know that Castle was briefly discussed when Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) and Murdock speak about the battle against Fisk. It is revealed that Castle was in New York, delivering his own style of violent vigilante justice, even if he is not directly helping Murdock fight Fisk and the AVTF. The tease connects directly to his whereabouts and how his upcoming special, 'The Punisher: One Last Kill' (releasing May 12), is likely connected to the events of 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2. At the time of writing, the synopsis is rather vague, saying, "Frank Castle tries to live a life without the need for revenge, only to be drawn into an unexpected conflict."
'The Punisher: One Last Kill' is sandwiched between 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 and 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day.' While the off-screen news was that Bernthal was busy filming for Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' and 'One Last Kill', the finale of 'Daredevil: Born Again' is widely expected to set up Castle's story. Onofrio confirmed Castle's unavailability for Season 2 in a fan tweet. "If John wasn't busy making his own hour-long Punisher film and hangin with that insect (referring to Spider-Man), we would have wanted him to join us in Season 2 for sure. Yet he had a wonderful opportunity to do the other projects, and I for one can't wait to see him in those," Onofrio wrote.
Previous reports indicated that leaked images of the special would likely depict comic book antagonist Isabella Carmela Magdalena ‘Ma’ Gnucci taking on Castle. The storyline is likely to see her gun for revenge after Punisher murdered her sons. Like Castle, her backstory is on a par with tragedy, making her a worthy adversary in the series. It is also possible that this will most likely not be Castle’s last kill, considering she is on an objective of his own in ‘Brand New Day’. Meanwhile, fans can catch all the episodes of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.
