Here's how The Punisher and Daredevil's philosophical dispute from Daredevil Season 2 continues into Daredevil: Born Again

One of the characters fans are excited to see in Daredevil: Born Again is The Punisher/Frank Castle. Actor Jon Bernthal joined Daredevil Season 2 as the dark vigilante who, unlike other Marvel superheroes, does not give his opponent a chance at redemption. His casting was met positively by the fans, and they rejoiced when he was announced to return in Born Again.

Frank Castle is introduced as one of The Man Without Fear's opponents in the first half of the second season. The character is finally stopped by Daredevil and gets arrested in the fourth episode of that season. Ironically, the lawyer representing him in court is none other than Matt Murdock. Murdock's alter-ego, Daredevil, unlike Frank, believes in giving second chances and redemption.

The two characters even have a tense conversation about their different approaches to crime fighting in the third episode of Daredevil Season 2. In that conversation, Frank chides The Man Without Fear for not killing the criminals, while Daredevil chastises Frank for not giving the criminals a second chance to redeem themselves.

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How will the conversation play out in Daredevil: Born Again?

Looks like Daredevil: Born Again will be addressing the one issue associated with Frank Castle for the past few years. The usage of the Punisher's skull symbol or “Totenkopf” by law enforcement agencies and certain fringe elements of society in the real world. In the closing moments of the second episode, Matt encounters two corrupt cops attempting to kill the witness in the Hector Ayala case.

As they attack Matt, we can see the Punisher's skull tattooed on one of the cop's hands. The same skull reappears in the neck of another cop in the third episode, during Ayala's trial in the court. This plot point portrays how cops have each other's backs regardless of the accusations and actions.

The very usage of the Punisher's skull logo by the police hints at how they have adopted Frank Castle's Black and white mentality. While viewers more or less agreed with Frank during his tense conversation with Daredevil in the second season. Tables may be flipped in Matt's favor this time during their conversation in Daredevil: Born Again.

Recently, on March 7, 2025, showrunner Dario Scardapane said this regarding Frank Castle's role in Daredevil: Born Again:

“There is a Frank Castle storyline that is, I think, deep and rich... It was in one of the comics... It comes back to [the idea of] who is a vigilante, who's good, who's bad, and Frank is one of those incredibly galvanizing characters."

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What is Born Again about?

Time has passed between the finale of Daredevil Season 3 and the first episode of Born Again. The world has changed, and Matt has suffered a major personal loss, and it is because of this loss that he renounces his life as a vigilante and decides to become a full-time lawyer.

He has managed to give up costume crime-fighting for a whole year, but Fisk's mayoral election win and the emergence of Muse force Matt to suit up as Daredevil again.

"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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Catch Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, which is currently streaming on Disney+.