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Ahead of The Punisher's return in Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal's collab with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is #5 on Netflix

Sicario, written by the mind behind Yellowstone and its spinoffs and starring the future Frank Castle, was also directed by the God Emperor of Dune himself, Denis Villeneuve

Image credit: Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Tue Mar 18 2025

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Mild spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again ahead.

As of this writing, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle has yet to appear on Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again, but that doesn't keep The Punisher from looming large over the series. In the second episode, a corrupt cop displays a tattoo of Frank's skull logo, and in the third episode... actually, we won't spoil that one for you. The point is: Disney+ users are all aboard the Bernthal bandwagon ahead of his return to the MCU, and apparently, they're not the only ones.

As revealed by Netflix this week, the streamer's Top 10 English Movie list includes Sicario, a 2015 film that brought Bernthal together with future Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and future Dune helmer Denis Villeneuve.

Sicario is the story of Special Agent Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt, on assignment to bring down a drug lord belonging to the Sonora Cartel. During her efforts, she comes across Alejandro Gillick, an assassin chasing down the drug kingpin to avenge his family's deaths (hey, that sounds kinda familiar...). But the revenge-bent role in this particular film goes to Benecio del Toro - Bernthal instead plays a crooked Phoenix police officer that is a momentary romantic interest to Macer.

And then, well, isn't.

Bernthal booked the role in May of 2014 (according to The Hollywood Reporter), some six months after Villeneuve signed on to direct the Sheridan-penned script (according to Rolling Stone). At the time, the actor was known primarily as Shane from The Walking Dead, a role he held between 2009 and 2012. However, destiny (and presumably Kevin Feige) would come calling quite soon, forever changing that image. Less than one month after Sicario's debut at the Cannes Film Festival, Marvel would announce that Jon Bernthal would play The Punisher in the then-Netflix-produced Daredevil TV show (THR again).

All this having been said, there's no way for us to know whether Sicario is trending because of Jon Bernthal. Or, for that matter, because of Taylor Sheridan. But rather than analyzing the possible reasons for the film's resurgence on the streaming platform, we'd rather take in its success as a cultural prognosticator. After all, the movie's supporting male lead, writer, and director have all become household names at this point. By checking out Sicario, you're opening a window into how they got there.

Sicario is streaming on Netflix now. Daredevil: Born Again (and its murderous vigilante Frank Castle) is currently airing on Disney+.

Fear not, we have the essentials when it comes to Marvel's Daredevil - especially with Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again. Check out:

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.