Jon Bernthal on Nearly Skipping Daredevil: Born Again

Since the acclaimed 2015 Netflix series, it's hard to envision Charlie Cox's Daredevil without Jon Bernthal's compelling portrayal of The Punisher. However, Bernthal recently disclosed why he initially declined to reprise his role as Frank Castle in the Disney+ revival, *Daredevil: Born Again*.

The actor, known for his role in *The Wolf of Wall Street*, shared that his initial hesitation stemmed from the creative direction the team wanted to take with The Punisher. In a candid interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bernthal explained, "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. 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."

However, the series underwent a significant creative overhaul following industry strikes, which led to the appointment of producer Dario Scardapane as the new showrunner. This change marked a turning point for Bernthal, as he began to see a fitting place for Frank Castle in *Daredevil: Born Again*. Bernthal, who had previously collaborated with Scardapane on *The Punisher* series, noted, "They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically."

Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again follow.