Season 1 did a Heat, will season 2 do an Irishman? Photo: Disney+/YouTube
Daredevil: Born Again was always set up to end in a cliffhanger. Good news, Disney decided to be kind and not leave you (and the residents of New York City) hanging. We already have confirmation from showrunner Dario Scardapene that we’re getting more Matt Murdock. Here’s everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
The official trailer for season two isn’t public yet, but we can hear about it — basically, the Matt Murdock experience. Krysten Ritter surprised the crowd and confirmed her return as Jessica Jones. But she wasn’t the only surprise in the trailer. Elden Henson is back (?) as Foggy Nelson (??) even though he died in the season 1 premiere (???). We need an explanation. While we wait, we can watch Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin enter his boxing era as he’s seen fighting someone in a boxing ring.
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ends with Kingpin and Mrs. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio and Ayelet Zurer) ruling over New York City under flimsy fascist pretexts. Timely! But Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) is back. AS is Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, a.k.a. Medium Pun, r.i.p. Big Pun (Jon Bernthal). Together they’ll fight the police state and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) will take back the city.
According to Disney+’s official MCU timeline, Daredevil: Born Again is a part of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is the most recent piece of MCU material released. Does that mean New York will still be under martial law during Thunderbolts*? Unclear. We do know that a Punisher special coming to Disney+ soon, co-written by Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green.
On Instagram, Scardapene let it be known that Daredevil: Born Again would come to Disney+ in March 2026. Just in time for Lent.
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 a 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 made the decision to integrate a few of the Netflix characters and stars into their universe.
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’s (Tom Holland) 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 will be appearing 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. So far, Cox and D’Onofrio are the only two confirmed to be appearing in the series. However, many fans are still holding out hope that Daredevil: Born Again will reintroduce other Defenders‘ characters, such as Daredevil fan-favorite The Punisher (Jon Bernthal).
Is The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again?
As reported by Dexerto.com in September, Bernthal’s The Punisher is rumored to be returning in Daredevil: Born Again. The rumors have been 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 means that the MCU was reportedly looking for someone to fill the spot previously reserved for Ritter and that they are choosing Bernthal to do so. Check out Smith’s Tweets below:
Basically Born Again is re-introducing the Netflix characters to the mainstream and they planned to bring in Ritter but there’s a scheduling problem for Born Again. So they needed another Netflix star to fill the role. It’s Jon Bernthal. Wouldn’t be shocked if Ritter cameos tho https://t.co/7OKGnij13Zpic.twitter.com/u2oJnKbmS4
So far, Marvel has not officially confirmed that The Punisher is returning to the MCU. Bernthal portrayed The Punisher for season 2 of Daredevil and later received his solo series, The Punisher. This isn’t the first time that Bernthal has been rumored to be returning, after Rosario Dawson seemingly confirmed his return, before refuting her statement. Bernthal offered one of the most iconic portrayals of The Punisher, and, if the MCU really is trying to bring some of Netflix’s Marvel characters over to their universe, he would likely be one of their top candidates.
Actor adds to Bernthal return rumors
On November 4, 2022, a post from an unknown actor 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 isn’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’s no evidence that he has been cast in the MCU, making it odd that he claimed he would be working with Bernthal in Marvel Phase 5.
It should also be noted that his Instagram includes many photos of himself posing with various celebrities and expressing his wishes to work with them in the future. Hence, his post shouldn’t be taken as an official confirmation of Bernthal’s return. While there isn’t much evidence to support O’Keefe’s claims, it has once more renewed talk about Bernthal’s potential MCU debut.
