Daredevil: Born Again—Michael Gandolfini hypes up The Punisher's appearance and here's exactly what he said

Daredevil: Born Again introduced several characters on both Matt Murdock's and Wilson Fisk's sides. One of these characters is Daniel Blake, the new Deputy Mayor for Communications, played by actor Michael Gandolfini. The actor has appeared in many hyped movies of the 2020s, like The Many Saints of Newark and Beau Is Afraid, and appeared as Daniel Blake, a Wilson Fisk loyalist who is also a part of the former's mayoral campaign in Born Again.

His character saw a promotion in the latest Daredevil: Born Again episode, but considering his boss, it seems that Daniel might be set to fail. This is being hinted at by even the actor who was interviewed by Inverse on April 9, 2025. In the same interview, the actor also spoke about his experience of working with Frank Castle actor Jon Bernthal in The Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark:

"I was such a big fan of the Punisher. Jon’s now like… He’s Jon. He’s JB. He’s just my friend."

Then, Gandolfini recalled a meeting with The Punisher star when the former was dealing with Marvel Studios for Born Again:

"Me and JB, we went boxing — and this is when they were still talking to him about doing it,” Gandolfini says. “We were sort of both having this moment of like, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to do this thing. What’s it going to be like?’ Trying to figure out where it was going… We talked about it quite a lot.”

Then, Michael Gandolfini revealed that he was unable to meet Bernthal until the last few days of Born Again's production, when they both spent time together regularly. He specifically hyped up Bernthal's return, which is set to happen in the finale of the series coming Tuesday, April 15, 2025, by saying:

“I hung out in his trailer every day. When he was on set, we just hung out all the time. I know the insanity that awaits. People are going to lose their minds.”

Daredevil: Born Again actor Michael Gandolfini also hints at Daniel Blake's dark fate

In the interview with The Inverse's Lyvie Scott, Michael Gandolfini also had some interesting teases for the character of Daniel Blake in Daredevil: Born Again. Firstly, the actor explained the character's mindset on whether he is aware of the consequences of his actions. His exact words were:

“I don’t even know if he really knows that he’s a part of the problem. That’s not important. What’s important is he wants to help New York; he wants to have a great life; he wants to have fun.”

Given that his character is hired as the new Deputy Mayor for Communications, Daniel may feel like he is climbing the ladder and coming up in life, but in reality, Fisk is probably making him a scapegoat. Even the actor expressed a similar sentiment by saying:

“It’s really good drama because he’s reaping benefits, but you sort of can see him digging his own grave. What’s going to happen to him? How deep is he going to get?”

What is Daredevil: Born Again about?

Set almost seven years after the finale of Daredevil Season 3, the revival introduces us to a new world. Matt Murdock is doing well as a lawyer but has retired as a vigilante after a devastating loss in the prologue of the first Daredevil: Born Again episode. But Wilson Fisk's successful mayoral bid prompts Matt to return as The Man Without Fear.

"In Marvel Television’s 'Daredevil: Born Again,' Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course."

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Eight episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are currently available to stream on Disney+. Find out what happens to Daniel by watching the ninth episode, i.e., the finale, coming Tuesday.

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