The Punisher Special Set Before, During Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
· BCPosted in: Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: The Punisher, the punisher: one last kill
The Punisher Special Set Before, During Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
Daredevil: Born Again Showrunner Dario Scardapane offered some insight into where The Punisher: One Last Kill sits on the MCU timeline.
Published Wed, 06 May 2026 12:37:11 -0500
by Ray Flook
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By now, we know a little of what Jon Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green's (We Own This City) A Marvel Television Special Presentation: The Punisher: One Last Kill is all about. Frank Castle (Bernthal) goes searching for meaning beyond his mission of revenge – that is, until an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight. But thanks to Daredevil: Born Again Showrunner Dario Scardapane (Netflix's The Punisher), we now also have a better understanding of where Frank's story fits in the MCU timeline. It's a key question because Frank was nowhere to be found while NYC became a warzone during "Born Again" Season 2, but he will be appearing in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Regarding the special itself and how it came about, Scardapane shared that it had less to do with scheduling and more with the story Bernthal and Green were looking to tell, which led to Frank being MIA in Season 2. "That came out of a lot of discussions with Jon over the years. I know that Jon had been talking to the people at Marvel and had a very specific idea in mind about what happened to Frank after the end of the 'Punisher' series," Scardapane noted. "He came in so graciously, gratefully, and wonderfully in Season 2 for a pretty eye-popping pair of scenes. That got him, Reinaldo, and the producers talking about a Punisher special. So, yeah, not having Jon in Season 2 more reflects the story he wanted to tell with the Punisher special."
As for where the special sits in terms of the finale of the original Netflix series, Daredevil: Born Again, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Scardapane offered a bit more clarity on where he sees it fitting. "I don't know a ton about what goes on in 'Brand New Day,' and I know very well where we left him at the end of 'Punisher' Season 2. I think this tells the story of what happened next after 'Punisher' and before and during the events of ["Born Again"] Season 2," he said.
Earlier this year, viewers got some interesting insights from Bernthal on Frank Castle/The Punisher, how Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline influenced the special, and why "there's a little bit of Frank in all of us." Appropriately enough, Bernthal shared his perspectives in a special foreword he penned for the recently released "Marvel Premier Collection" edition of Ennis and Dillon's arc.
After offering his perspective on who Frank Castle is as a man, how his past has shaped his worldview, and how being able to tell his story has made him "a better father, a better husband, a better man," Bernthal explained what it is about the charater that "resonated so deeply" with first-responders, veterans, and others. "He embodies all that is righteous and good about these men and women — his commitment, his code, and his refusal to abandon the mission are the foundation of the great people who defend our freedom, and of who Frank is. They understand Frank on a profound level because his code mirrors their lived experience," he wrote. But as he dug deeper into the character, Bernthal realized that Frank Castle/The Punisher speaks to many of us.
"Frank's faith isn't in institutions or systems. It's in the memory of his family and the bond forged through shared struggle. That rawness, that refusal to look away from hard truths, that absolute commitment. We all recognize it because we've all felt it," he continues. "Parents protecting their families see themselves in Frank. People who've suffered loss and needed to channel it into action see themselves in Frank. Anyone and everyone who's taken a stand, large or small, to make things right sees themselves in Frank. We've all carried impossible weight. We've all had moments where we had to steel ourselves and push forward. There's a little bit of Frank in all of us."
From there, Barnthal shared how Ennis's vision of Frank in "Welcome Back, Frank" spoke to him because it "doesn't apologize for Frank," choosing to show "the ugly and gray side of heroism" while "finding truth in the sordid dust of desperation and anger." He notes, "'Welcome Back, Frank' doesn't ask you to love Frank — it asks you to look at him clearly, without flinching. It asks you to see Frank in all his gruesome glory and then find that same primal motivation within yourself so you can go on that journey with him. Ennis evokes that side of you that wants to go as far as Frank does for what you believe in. It's an exploration and journey of honesty."
Stemming from Marvel Television, the special is executive-produced by Bernthal, Green, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, and Sana Amanat. Trevor Waterson is a co-executive producer, with Eleena Khamedoost as supervising producer.
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