‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Boss on ‘The Punisher’ Special Setup & Frank’s Potential Season 2 Return

Daredevil: Born Again seemingly set up Frank Castle’s (Jon Bernthal) next chapter as The Punisher in the Season 1 finale’s final moments on Disney+.

As viewers will recall, Frank was captured by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) after he confronted them in Red Hook. Despite holding his own in the fight of one man against a somewhat army of dirty cops, Frank found himself chained up and caged by the end of the pivotal episode.

Still, he wasn’t left in the precarious position for long as a post-credit scene hinted at his imminent escape. Appealing to one of the guards in Fisk’s underground prison for vigilantes, Frank convinced the man to shake hands. For anyone who knows Frank, that’s about the dumbest move one could make as the vigilante yanked the guard’s arm through the small opening on the front of his cage.

Ultimately, Frank broke the guard’s arm and was seen reaching down, presumably to retrieve the keys that would set him free from his imprisonment. But is this a hint of things to come for The Punisher special that Bernthal is helping write?

Disney+ / Marvel Television

“When Jon [Bernthal’s] Frank Castle came back into our world in the last two episodes, the conversations about a Punisher special started,” series showrunner and writer Dario Scardapane reveals. “I wasn’t privy to a lot of them. Jon and I talked a lot about a lot of different stuff, but it sounded like they were going to do something with the Punisher going forward.”

“So we definitely wanted to let people know that he’s out there,” Scardapane says. “That was intentional and a launch of a different story.”

In other words, it’s a direct setup for Frank’s next chapter. What that chapter will look like remains to be seen as details about The Punisher special remain under wraps. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed he’ll take on the AVTF for appropriating his skull symbol while operating under ill intentions.

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What do we know so far? The Punisher special is expected to drop in 2026 alongside Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.

As for whether viewers will see Frank return in Daredevil: Born Again, Scardapane wouldn’t confirm or deny, but says, “It’s a fantastic character. I love working with that character. We have a lot of fantastic characters. The Punisher isn’t done.” Considering Scardapane teased potential for a Matt-Karen-Frank love-triangle in Season 2, we’re keeping our fingers crossed Bernthal’s character will pop up there as well.

Stay tuned for more information as the special takes shape at Marvel and Disney+, and let us know what you’d like to see from the special in the comments section below.

Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2 Premiere, Expected 2026, Disney+

The Punisher special, Expected 2026, Disney+