Popverse's top stories of the day

• Shang-Chi isn't just a great Marvel movie - it is a beautiful love letter to the entire martial arts movie genre
• AMC's Mayfair Witches cast and writers tease mindblowing season 2 moments and reveal what it takes to bring Anne Rice's books to television life
• Amazon's gaming anthology Secret Level gets an epic new trailer showcasing Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Mega Man, and even more

It was only a few months ago that Marvel fans (including those inside Popverse) were debating whether or not Jon Bernthal's Punisher would even make an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again. Sure, he was around for the original show, and you'll have to forgive us our biases, it was a little hard to square the idea with the fact that this show will be a Disney+ affair. Now, however, we're all very much aware that Bernthal will be donning the skull and the guns as Frank Castle again, and apparently, may do so even beyond that.

According to Marvel's head of TV Brad Winderbaum, there's a future for The Punisher after Daredevil: Born Again.

The news comes from Phase Hero, a video series posted to YouTuber Brandon Davis's channel, and run by Davis, Aaron Perine, Jenna Anderson, and Jamie Jirak. Their most recent video was an interview with Winderbaum, during which the gang covered everything from Agatha to animation. And a little after the 17-minute mark, host Davis went in for some clarification on Jon Bernthal's gun-toting vigilante.

"Is that a character you could see continuing on in the MCU?" Davis asked directly, "Because he is a heavy character, dark character, not something where you are used to seeing from Marvel Studios [...] Is that a character you want to continue with?"

It's true. Even though Daredevil: Born Again has repeatedly been hailed as one of Marvel Studios's darkest efforts yet, it will likely not even come close to what we've seen from Frank Castle's comic-book exploits, which have in previous years featured graphic torture, terrorism, and sexual violence. Even still, Winderbaum doesn't hesitate for a moment to confirm that The Punisher's dark past will not keep him off screens.

"One-hundred percent," Winderbaum enthusiastically declares. "We feel the same way. He [Bernthal] is so great in that role, and I can't wait for you to seem him again on screen in this series. And there's absolutely a future for him in the MCU afterwards."

You may recall that Popverse wrote about Marvel's experiments into R-Rated entertainment over the summer of 2024. With characters like serial killer Muse popping up in Born Again and an apparent future for The Punisher already being considered at their studio, it appears those experiments have proven to be successful. It wouldn't shock us if, down the line, Marvel Studios was willing to give Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle a shot at an adaptation to match his dark, violent comic book inspirations.

Daredevil: Born Again airs on Disney+ March 4, 2025.

Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

• Marvel Studios has accidentally created a new Phase that predates Phases 1 - 6: the MCU Phase Zero
• Which Secret Wars comic the Russos are basing Avengers 6 off of
• Overgrown children of the atom: Marvel's X-Men can't evolve past their '90s commercial peak
• The biggest outstanding questions of the Marvel Studios' movies & TV shows
• Marvel's accidental closure on the Kang storyline
• Robert Downey Jr. is entering his villain era
• Donald Trump is the landlord for Marvel's House of Ideas
• For Marvel actors, the MCU also stands for the Marvel Commercials Universe
• The Fantastic 4: First Steps offers Marvel a visual makeover, courtesy of a classic movie designer
• Marvel Studios swapping out Doctor Doom for Kang offers the chance to jettison the Multiverse Saga