Jon Bernthal reveals why he first walked away from Daredevil: Born Again

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Jon Bernthal is coming back as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, but it almost did not happen. The actor, famous for playing the Punisher in Netflix’s The Punisher series, first said no to the role. He felt the early plan for Born Again did not show Frank Castle properly. But when Marvel changed the show’s style, Bernthal believed they would do justice to the character. This made him agree to return.

Bernthal appears in Born Again Season 1, Episode 4. In this episode, Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox) goes after Castle while solving the murder of Hector Ayala. Their meeting is violent at first. Castle nearly strikes Murdock with an axe before they put their issues aside. Even though Bernthal’s role in this episode is short, he called it a “toe dip” into the character, to see if the new version would feel right.

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The test worked. Marvel later announced that Bernthal would play a bigger role in Born Again Season 2. They also confirmed a separate Punisher TV special. This will let Bernthal show more of Castle’s dark and troubled side. Bernthal said his short appearance in Episode 4 opened the door for a deeper version of Frank Castle, the one he had always wanted to play.

At first, Bernthal was unsure about joining Born Again. The original plan for the show was more like a simple crime drama. It did not have the dark and rough feel of The Punisher series. Bernthal felt the story did not fit Castle’s character. He believed fans would not like it and walked away from the project.

“They wanted something from Frank that did not feel right to me. It didn’t seem true to who he is,” Bernthal explained.

But Marvel changed direction. They brought in The Punisher producer Dario Scardapane as the new showrunner. This gave Bernthal more confidence. Marvel also asked for Bernthal’s ideas on how Castle should be shown. They assured him that Frank’s pain, anger, and struggles would be fully explored—just like in the Netflix series.

Bernthal praised several people for helping him bring Castle to life again. He appreciated Dario Scardapane’s writing, which made Frank’s story feel deep and real. He also thanked second-unit director Phil Silvera for guiding the action scenes. His stunt double, Eric Linden, also helped make Castle’s fighting style look raw and powerful. Bernthal trained with Marine Raider Nick Koumalatsos to understand Castle’s military mindset.

In Born Again, Castle is shown as a dark figure pushing Matt Murdock to his limits. While Murdock tries to control his violent side, Castle sees violence as necessary. To him, Murdock’s guilt is pointless. Castle believes that sometimes, justice can only come through force.

Bernthal is now fully involved in growing the Punisher’s story. He is working with director Reinaldo Marcus Green on the upcoming Punisher TV special. Bernthal is not just acting but also helping with the writing. He wants the special to show Frank Castle’s raw and painful journey. The actor hinted that the special will focus on how violence changes a person, making it dark and emotional.

While Bernthal did not reveal much about Castle’s future in the Marvel world, he said he is happy that Marvel is giving him creative freedom. He is excited to play Frank Castle with the same truth and intensity that fans loved before.

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