It's safe to say that Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is one of the most anticipated offerings of 2026. The first season of Disney Plus' long-awaited revival of the beloved Netflix series was a resounding success, earning rave reviews from critics and a positive reception from fans. There were some teething issues for sure (due to a mid-production reboot) but it ended up delivering one of the strongest television outings for the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far.
Therefore, it's easy to see why the second season is one of the shows that viewers are most looking forward to seeing next year. And they won't have long to wait either, as it is expected within the first three months of the year. That being said, it has also been confirmed that one character fans were hoping to see will no longer appear in it.
Daredevil: Born Again producer confirms that Jon Bernthal's Punisher won't return in season 2
It sounds like we won't be seeing Jon Bernthal return as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 after all. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, executive producer of the Disney Plus series Sana Amanat confirmed that the beloved actor won't be reprising his role as Frank Castle in the upcoming new episodes. Needless to say, that is a blow to the fans who were looking forward to seeing him. After all, The Punisher and Daredevil have history - history that Born Again really built on.
Bernthal appeared as his beloved Marvel character in the first season of the Disney Plus show, which marked the first time he had played Frank since the conclusion of his Netflix series in 2019. It was only fitting that he be one of the big additions to the show as he was one of the biggest fixtures of the Netflix Marvel Universe, debuting in the second season of the original Daredevil series. He then went on to headline two seasons of The Punisher before the streamer cancelled it as part of its winding down of that particular franchise.
But Born Again gave it new life, continuing on the stories of these characters years after the Netflix shows left them. Castle and Matt Murdock had found somewhat common - albeit very unsteady - ground, working together as unlikely allies after Daredevil's best friend, Foggy Nelson, was brutally killed by Bullseye. They teamed up in the season finale when Karen Page reached out to The Punisher for help in saving Matt's life after The Kingpin attempted to have him killed when he was in a vulnerable state.
Although Frank was taken prisoner by The Kingpin in his dungeon, he ultimately escaped in the season finale's post-credits scene. Given that the premise of the second season is to see Daredevil put together an army to stop Wilson Fisk's takeover of New York (an army that will also bring back Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones), fans were hoping to see the old allies join forces once again. Unfortunately, it's not to be. The good news is that we will still see Frank multiple times next year.
The Punisher will still have a busy 2026 in other MCU projects
Although Jon Bernthal won't appear in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, The Punisher will still get involved in plenty of action throughout 2026 as he is set to star in multiple MCU projects. And what's even better is that one of them is his very own!
Castle's most high-profile role in the MCU so far comes this summer as Bernthal is set to appear in July's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Although the plot remains much of a mystery right now, rumor has it that Tom Holland's Spidey will form an uneasy alliance with The Punisher as the two will have to take down a raging Hulk - with Mark Ruffalo set to reprise his role as Bruce Banner and his incredibly green alter-ego. The three MCU fixtures will then presumably team up to stop the film's actual villain and ultimately take them down (although their identity also remains a mystery at this point).
That's certainly going to be a very different kind of project for the character, as it will mark the first Marvel project of his that isn't specifically designed for a mature audience. From Daredevil to The Punisher to Daredevil: Born Again, Castle's appearances have all come in TV-MA-rated titles. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will target the MCU's sweet spot in the PG-13 audience, so that's going to be an interesting change of pace. And yet, we have full confidence that Bernthal's moody vigilante will maintain his perpetually p*ssed off demeanor that makes him stand out from the pack - even if he can't repeatedly swear or violently assault someone.
He will get to do all of that, however, in the upcoming Punisher Special Presentation for Disney Plus that place the spotlight solely on him. The plot of this one also remains under wraps at the moment but we do know from the first look set photos that it will be a bloody affair that will take Frank Castle back to his darker roots. Bernthal has also co-written the script, so we can't wait for that one to arrive. And although Marvel Studios has yet to announce when exactly that will be, we wouldn't be surprised if it came out after Spider-Man's release. Having The Punisher in that will certainly increase buzz for the Special (ain't no kind of promo quite like an inevitable $1 - $2 billion-grosser!).
Taking all of that into account, even though it's upsetting to know that we won't see Daredevil and The Punisher teaming up in the next season of Daredevil: Born Again, we can still get excited at the prospect of a 2026 full of Frank Castle. From the bright lights of Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the broodier corners of the MCU in his own Disney Plus Special Presentation, the MCU hero has plenty to offer in other adventures throughout the next year.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 premieres on Disney Plus on March 4, 2026.