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Those ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Rumors Are True

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in The Punisher

Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is officially coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. Cox first starred as Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil) in the Netflix series, Daredevil, which ran for 3 seasons before it was canceled. After Netflix’s Defenders series all ceased, some feared we’d never see Cox as Daredevil again. However, the MCU decided to integrate a few of the Netflix characters and stars into their universe.

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Vincent D’Onofrio was the first Daredevil star to show up in the MCU, reprising his role as Kingpin in Hawkeye. Shortly after, Cox had a small cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Peter Parker (Tom Holland)’s lawyer. These were just small teases, but since then, the MCU has made it clear that Cox and D’Onofrio are in the MCU to stay. Cox recently appeared in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, while both Cox and D’Onofrio are appearing in the Disney+ series, Echo.

Not only that but at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, Cox was confirmed to be getting his own series, Daredevil: Born Again. Reportedly, the show will not be a continuation of Netflix’s Daredevil. The series is a reboot of Daredevil, but it will be a direct continuation of Echo. Cox and D’Onofrio were the first two actors confirmed to be appearing in the series. However, many fans have been holding out hope that Daredevil: Born Again would reintroduce other Defenders characters, such as Daredevil fan-favorite The Punisher (Jon Bernthal).

Is the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again?

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in The Punisher
(Netflix)

As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter on March 7, 2023, Bernthal will return as Frank Castle (a.k.a. the Punisher) in Daredevil: Born Again. He will be joining the ensemble cast of D’Onofrio, Cox, Margarita Levieva, Sandrine Holt, Michael Gandolfini, and Nikki M. James. While Bernthal will be returning as the Punisher, the exact details of his role remain unknown. The series is loosely based on the 1986 comic book story arc Born Again, but that storyline did not initially include Castle.

Meanwhile, although Cox, D’Onofrio, and Bernthal will be returning, several original Daredevil actors will still likely be missing. For example, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively, have not yet been tied to the series. However, fans can rest assured that Bernthal will add one more familiar face to the mix when he brings his iconic Punisher back to life.

The Punisher was highly rumored to be returning

Before THR‘s report, The Punisher was one original Defenders characters whose name was most highly rumored and speculated about after the announcement of Daredevil: Born Again. As early as September 2022, Bernthal’s The Punisher was rumored to be returning for the series. The rumors were facilitated by podcaster, Tom Smith, via Twitter. Smith explained that initial rumors suggested Krysten Ritter would be returning to the MCU in some capacity as Jessica Jones. Many assumed that she was supposed to have a role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. However, Smith confirmed with Charles Murphy, a Marvel insider, that Ritter was never considered for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Instead, it was Daredevil: Born Again that she was being looked at for. According to Smith, those plans fell through because of scheduling conflicts. This meant that the MCU was reportedly looking for someone to fill the spot previously reserved for Ritter and that they chose Bernthal to do so. Check out Smith’s Tweets below:

This wasn’t the first time that Bernthal was rumored to be returning, as Rosario Dawson had once seemingly confirmed his return, before refuting her statement. On November 4, 2022, a post from an unknown actor also sparked speculation once more about Bernthal’s return as The Punisher. Kasey O’Keefe posted a picture on Instagram of him posing next to Bernthal. O’Keefe started the post by giving praise to Bernthal. However, in his conclusion, he wrote, “Looking forward to working with you during Marvel Phase 5!!”

O’Keefe also added #punisher to the tags in his post. The post seemingly confirmed Bernthal’s return as The Punisher. However, there wasn’t much to support O’Keefe’s claims. First of all, he is a relative newcomer to the film industry, boasting only one credit to his name on IMDb. There also wasn’t any evidence that he had been cast in the MCU, making it odd that he claimed he would be working with Bernthal in Marvel Phase 5. Hence, his claims were taken with a grain of salt. However, after months of these unconfirmed rumors, Bernthal is, indeed, returning as The Punisher.

(via: Dexerto.com, featured image: Netflix)

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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is an SEO writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, YA literature, celebrity news, and coming-of-age films. She has over two years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski.

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