We’ve known for a while that Jon Bernthal would be returning as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, on Daredevil: Born Again. And as of this week’s fourth episode, the moment has finally arrived, so welcome back, Frank! Only thing… He’s not doing too great.
Spoilers for the episode past this point. In the hour, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is trying to figure out who killed Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes), aka The White Tiger. Last week, we, the audience, saw what looked like The Punisher shooting him at point-blank range. While Matt knows the cops probably killed Hector, and so does Hector’s niece Angela Del Toro (Camila Rodriguez), Matt’s still got to figure out who exactly killed him and why.
So Matt heads to the spot where Hector was killed because the shot was clean… There was no shell casing found at the scene. Using his Daredevil powers, Matt tracks a bottle that rolls down into the sewer. Now, before you think he’s about to cross over with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, what actually happens is that the bottle rolled into a clogged storm drain, and that’s where Matt finds the bullet that killed Hector. And that bullet has a very specific logo etched in the casing: a Punisher logo.
Frank Castle Is Busy Punishing Himself
Matt, it turns out, knows exactly where The Punisher is hiding. It’s a wreck of a safehouse and a far cry from where we left Frank back in The Punisher Season 2 finale in 2019. There he was full-on Punisher mode, down to the clean haircut, logo, guns… The whole deal.
In 2025? Frank is a bearded, dirty wreck of a man, clearly drinking too much and not getting a whole lot of sunlight. As we discover, he’s been going non-stop as The Punisher, but has no time for “bulls**t fanboys,” as he calls the cops who have seemingly etched his logo on a bullet. The goal doesn’t seem to be to frame The Punisher, so much as pay tribute to him. And Frank could care less.
This, naturally, drives Matt up a wall… But what gets him is when Frank goads Matt about the death of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Frank pushes and pushes until Matt cracks and punches Frank. Surprisingly, this is exactly what Matt needs, to let out some of the feelings he’s been holding in for a year. And Frank explains that’s why he has to keep killing. “Every time I stop moving I hear my little boy,” Frank says, his own voice cracking as he thinks about his family.
Long story short? Frank not only helps Matt get closer to figuring out who killed Hector, but he also helps him get in touch with his own feelings about the death of Foggy. Maybe he should change his name from The Punisher to The Therapist? Regardless, that’s it for the moment for Frank on the show — but don’t worry, he’ll be back, just when Matt needs him.
Daredevil: Born Again Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Tuesdays on Disney+ at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 with premiere dates:
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 1
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 2
- Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 3
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 4
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 5
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 6
- Tuesday, April 1, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 7
- Tuesday, April 8, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 8
- Tuesday, April 15, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 9 *Season Finale*
Where To Watch Daredevil: Born Again
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