"It's a tornado" — Daredevil: Born Again showrunner teases Jon Bernthal's explosive return as The Punisher

Daredevil: Born Again has been a satisfying experience for Marvel fans who loved the original Daredevil series. The lawyer-turned-vigilante has once again kept us on the edge of our seats. The series will not just feature Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but also bring back Frank Castle, or the Punisher.

Ever since Daredevil: Born Again landed on Disney+, fans have been waiting for a particular antihero to emerge from the shadows. And that's Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.

Bernthal starred in the titular role of the Netflix series, The Punisher, and his brutal brand of justice made him a fan favorite in no time. If Daredevil is the one who thinks and acts, The Punisher is the one who judges and executes.

Bernthal hasn't shown up in Born Again yet, but showrunner Dario Scardapane has shed some light on what's coming.

Read on to know more.

---

Daredevil: Born Again — When will The Punisher show up?

The wait won’t be long. In Episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, there were numerous hints that suggest The Punisher is set to return. The ending, too, teased his comeback, as a man in a costume with the The Punisher's logo walks away after killing White Tiger. The character most likely wasn’t him, but the scene strongly hints at his arrival.

About The Punisher's return in Daredevil: Born Again, showrunner Dario Scardapane told TV Line:

"I feel that whenever Frank comes into the story, hijinks ensue. And in this story, that is very, very true."

He added:

"He comes in for a very, very particular reason, he is brought in by a very, very particular person, and I think that it will be immensely satisfying — and a bit like, ‘Oh, my God.’"

If that wasn’t enough to excite fans, he further said:

"Whenever you put Frank and Daredevil together, all bets are off. It’s a tornado. I mean… we broke some stuff!"

It is highly likely that we will see Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in the upcoming, or fourth, episode of Daredevil: Born Again, and things could really get messy.

Bernthal’s return to the Daredevil universe won't be sudden. Scardapane was an executive producer and writer on Netflix’s The Punisher, and the old connection must have made it easy for him to bring Jon Bernthal back. Scardapane told TV Line:

"Jon is near and dear to my heart. It was amazing to come back and get to work with him again."

---

The Punisher’s standalone special is also in the works

Apart from his role in Daredevil: Born Again, Bernthal will also appear in The Punisher centric Disney+ special set to drop alongside Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again in 2026. And oh, he is co-writing it!

Details on the plot are still scarce, but Bernthal gave fans a taste of what to expect. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

"I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve. We're giving it our all and we're trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we're going to turn our back on the audience — it's not going to be easy, it's not going to be light, and I think it's the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity."

Dark? Check. Brutal? Absolutely. True to the character? You bet.

Looks like fans of The Punisher’s gritty, no-holds-barred storytelling won’t be disappointed.

---

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage on Daredevil: Born Again!