Jon Bernthal Rumored to Appear as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again

Charlie Cox will once again portray the vigilante Daredevil in the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. Cox’s return to the role has been on the wish list of most fans since Netflix canceled the original Daredevil series in 2018, with the actor officially joining the billionaire-dollar franchise last year in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While fans are happy to have Cox back as the Man Without Fear, questions still persist if any of Cox’s other co-stars from Netflix will return for Born Again. A recent report claims that Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher will also be making the jump to the MCU after a scheduling conflict precluded another actor from joining the series.

Bernthal played Frank Castle/The Punisher in season two of Netflix’s Daredevil as well as on the character’s own spinoff series, which lasted for two seasons. Together with Cox and Jessica Jones actress Krysten Ritter, Bernthal was among the biggest crowd-pleasers for fans of Netflix’s Marvel franchise. Earlier in the summer, Ritter hinted at a return as Jones in Born Again, but a studio insider says that plans to feature Ritter in the series have been put on hold. Marvel scooper KC Walsh reveals that a scheduling conflict has forced Ritter to bow out of the project and that she will be replaced by Bernthal. Adding credence to the report is news that Ritter was recently cast as the lead role in the AMC Orphan Black prequel series Orphan Black: Echoes. While Marvel has yet to comment on Bernthal’s casting, insiders say that it will probably be announced closer to when the series starts filming, which will not be until next year. The series itself will debut on Disney+ in 2024.

While fans have a long wait until Born Again debuts, they will still get a chance to see Cox in action in other MCU properties. The character will appear in an upcoming episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he will debut his new gold and red costume. The character is also rumored to appear in the upcoming series Echo, where Cox will be reunited with fellow Netflix alum Vincent D’Onofrio, who played the villainous Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.