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Jon Bernthal Nearly Exits Daredevil: Born Again - Why?

by Emily May 05,2025

Since the 2015 Netflix series, it's become almost unthinkable to picture Charlie Cox's Daredevil without Jon Bernthal's Punisher. However, Bernthal recently shed light on why he initially declined to join the Disney+ revival, Daredevil: Born Again.

The actor, known for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street, shared that his initial reservations stemmed from the creative direction proposed for his character, Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher.

"Ultimately, I didn't see it. I didn't see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn't] really make sense to me," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I thought [it] would not appeal to the fans and wouldn't be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away."

PlayFollowing a significant creative overhaul after the strikes, producer Dario Scardapane was appointed as the new showrunner for the series. This change in leadership led Bernthal to reconsider his involvement, especially since Scardapane had previously worked with him on The Punisher series.

"They really brought me into the conversation," Bernthal explained about his discussions with Scardapane and Marvel. "We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically."

Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again follow.