2026 is a big year for the Punisher. Jon Bernthal returned as Marvel’s most brutal vigilante in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, and this year will see him star in both a Special Presentation – ominously titled One Last Kill – and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Viewers don’t have long to wait for the aforementioned Special Presentation, which will release on May 12. The Punisher’s arc remains something of a mystery right now; Brand New Day‘s trailer confirms Castle has a frenemy relationship with Spider-Man, but that’s about it.
In the real world, these commitments meant Bernthal was pretty busy and had to sit out Born Again Season 2. From an in-universe perspective, though, it’s very much unlike Frank Castle to sit out Daredevil’s war on the Kingpin; there’s no love lost between the Punisher and Wilson Fisk, and you’d expect the Kingpin to become the mayor to become Frank’s main target. That’s led to intense debate over just where the Punisher is in Born Again Season 2. Now, surprisingly, the TV show itself has directly addressed this.
Even Matt Murdock & Karen Page Don’t Know Where the Punisher Is
image courtesy of marvel
Daredevil and the Punisher have always been unlikely allies, simply because their philosophies are so very different. Matt Murdock still (somehow) believes in justice, whereas Frank Castle simply wants to put criminals down with ruthless efficiency. Karen Page, meanwhile, has essentially been caught between the two; she cares for them both, understands the appeal of Daredevil’s perspective, but has in fact killed in the past. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, episodes 2 and 3 directly address this, with Karen considering whether there’s really any other way to stop Wilson Fisk.
This leads to a discussion between Matt and Karen in which they reflect on Frank Castle’s mysterious absence. It’s unclear whether they know the Punisher was briefly captured by Fisk and imprisoned; he escaped again at the end of Born Again Season 1. Whether they know this or not, though, they’re clearly very confused indeed by the fact the Punisher isn’t waging war against the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. No doubt they’re even more shaken because Fisk’s AVTF has even claimed the Punisher logo as part of their uniform, which Castle would surely find insulting.
Where is the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again?
image courtesy of marvel
Marvel is clearly building up something of a mystery over the Punisher’s absence. He’s either going after someone else – perhaps someone he considers more important than Kingpin on a personal level – or else he’s been broken. Born Again Season 1 saw the Punisher go up against corrupt cops and AVTF members who honored and revered him, and the idea of being loved by that kind of people will surely have shaken Frank Castle’s own faith in his crusade on crime. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him trying to figure out new ways to continue his war.
Modern viewers tend to think of the Punisher as an antihero, but there’s a sense in which he’s really the most accomplished serial killer in comics. According to the FBI, a serial killer is someone who commits at least three murders over more than a month with an emotional cooling-off period between them. Most serial killers have targets; the Punisher’s simply happen to be criminals. Marvel Netflix’s Punisher series already stressed the similarity between the Punisher and serial killers, establishing a pattern where he does indeed experience cooling-off periods. It’s possible the Punisher is simply in another one of those.
What does seem certain, though, is that Daredevil: Born Again‘s Punisher mystery is deliberate setup for Punisher: One Last Kill and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Special Presentation comes out the week after Brand New Day‘s finale, timing that is obviously far from coincidental. Marvel has smartly chosen to make the Punisher’s absence part of the story, weaving real-world filming constraints into the narrative. It’s a smart decision, and it means we should get a straightforward narrative flow.
Importantly, this also means we should be able to see a single story run through this year’s spring and summer MCU releases – the kind of connectivity we used to see with the MCU, but haven’t for a while. Daredevil: Born Again is setup for Punisher: One Last Kill, which will in turn set Frank Castle up for his adventures in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The MCU is finally taking advantage of its transmedia model, with the Punisher transitioning smoothly between one TV show, a Special Presentation, and a movie. It will be exciting to finally get answers to the MCU’s Punisher mystery.
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