Since Disney+ has added Netflix’s six Marvel series to the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, fans wonder when the Defenders will officially debut in the MCU. Though this already started with Daredevil’s appearance in Spider-Man: Now Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, his return to Echo together with his archenemy Kingpin, and even having his own series on Disney+, many are still waiting for others to follow in his footsteps. And by the looks of it, it will soon happen as the new set photos of Daredevil: Born Again confirm Punisher’s introduction to the MCU.
Photos of Jon Bernthal reprising his role as Frank Castle, aka Punisher, are now making rounds online. In a clip shared by Splash News, the actor was seen working with Charlie Cox while filming Daredevil: Born Again in Brooklyn on April 2. The two wore their iconic costumes, with Cox donning his red suit and Bernthal wearing his black long-sleeved top with a white skeleton print in the front.
Insider MyTimeToShineHello also confirmed Punisher’s return by sharing his photo from the show’s set. However, this one showed him with a bloody face, neck, suit, and arms, hinting that he might have gotten into trouble with Daredevil.
Jon Bernthal Hints at Return as Punisher
Though Bernthal and Marvel Studios have remained mum about Punisher joining the MCU, The Hollywood Reporter’s source confirmed his return in Daredevil: Born Again in March 2023. The actor himself even dropped a major hint of his comeback in a post on Instagram on March 12. The Walking Dead star shared a photo of the fictional children’s book One Batch, Two Batch from The Punisher.
Fans who have seen the Netflix series will find this image familiar, knowing it’s the story that his daughter, Lisa, picks every night for her bedtime reading stories before she dies. Season 2 Episode 4 of the show was even titled Penny and Dime in reference to this book. He also used the phrase “One batch, two batch, penny, and dime” from the book before he killed people.
That said, his post might subtly confirm his return as Punisher. Though he hadn't said a word about it yet, in an interview with Collider in January, Bernthal promised to do his “absolute best” to ensure they would do it right “if and when” they do The Punisher again.
Are Netflix’s Marvel series part of the MCU?
There has been a long debate about whether Netflix’s six Marvel series are part of the MCU. So, to finally end the talks about it, Marvel Studios Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum confirmed that these shows were MCU canon in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Though Daredevil and Punisher weren’t part of the Avengers crossover movies Infinity War and Endgame, the redevelopment of Daredevil: Born Again prompted the inclusion of The Defenders Saga in the MCU.
Flash forward now to Disney+, where we are actually laying out the timeline with tiles on a screen; all of a sudden, we’re like, ‘We should just do it. Let’s do it.’ It was also spurred by the redevelopment of Daredevil: Born Again , once we started to really lean into some of the mythology and backstory that was established in those Netflix shows.
With Daredevil and Punisher now making their debut in the MCU, it looks like it will take no time before the Defenders join Marvel’s shared universe. That said, fans should look forward to the set release of Daredevil: Born Again in 2025 on Disney+ to see whose familiar faces will appear next.
