Born Again’ Pulled Its Punches With the Finale’s Big Punisher Moment

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale.I think it’s safe to say that we were all thrilled when it was announced Jon Bernthal would indeed return to play Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again, with his scene with Matt (Charlie Cox) in Episode 4, “Sic Semper Systema,” immediately showing why fans love the dynamic these two vigilantes share. However, while Frank’s appearance in the finale was explosive, the scene that should have provided us with the biggest catharsis sadly fell flat. In this episode of Born Again, Frank is captured by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) task force, which wears his insignia, and we finally get to see these extremist police officers come face to face with their inspiration.

This should have been a moment where Frank, using all of his cutting, blunt dialogue, tears down their fanboy delusions and shows just how pathetic they really are. We got a taste of this, but it did not go far enough. Born Again chose to focus on Frank’s morality, and while it is interesting to see Frank understand that his argument in favor of killing bad guys is not a morally valid one, this feels like something we already know about the character. Therefore, rather than condemning the most corrupt characters in the show, it feels like they have been slightly let off the hook, and could become lost in the narrative with Season 2 raising the stakes.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Promised a Huge Confrontation When Frank Goes to Red Hook

The saddest part about this anti-climactic confrontation is that it felt like this was something Born Again had been building up to all season. One of the first things we learned about Officer Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley) was his worship of the Punisher. Therefore, when Frank consistently refused to get involved or help in the fight against these men in Episodes 4 and 9, it felt monumental for him to decide to go to Red Hook when he learned through a stolen police radio that this was where the Task Force was gathering. The line Frank overheard where the officers said they were going “hunting” felt like dramatic irony, implying Frank would be the one doing the hunting.

However, rather than Frank infiltrating their hideout using stealth tactics, as we have seen him do in The Punisher and even Netflix’s Daredevil, where he waits on a roof with a sniper rather than attacking a biker gang head-on, he decides to walk directly into conflict. Furthermore, he isn’t well-armed and is clearly going to be on the back foot. This isn’t to say that Frank should have been able to silently kill all of these adversaries and walk away unscathed. Even his best missions don’t go that smoothly. But seeing him get quickly smothered and captured does tell the audience that this will lead to something even bigger and more satisfying, which the next scene with Frank and the cops sadly failed to do.

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Places Too Much Emphasis on Frank’s Obvious Pain and Not the Corrupt Police Officers

When Frank awakens, he is tied to a chair and surrounded by members of the task force wearing his insignia. Officer Powell offers Frank the chance to join them, framing him as their inspiration, but Frank refuses and talks about how they don’t understand his pain. Born Again wants to show that Frank doesn’t do what he does to feel power, but because he wants to escape his suffering, the voice of his son tells him to “get ’em, daddy.” While we can analyze how this shows a distinction between Frank and the officers, with him knowing he will go “straight to hell,” whereas the officers think they’ll be rewarded, it still places the focus on Punisher’s motivation, rather than digging into how the cops manipulate the law to suit their agendas.

Earlier in the episode, when Frank and Matt are attacked by the task force, we lightly touch on Daredevil and the Punisher’s differences in stance on the no-kill rule. At that moment, Frank felt no remorse for killing these men, yet this scene gives us a different perspective on how he truly feels when confronted with the consequences of his actions. So, something interesting is going on in this episode with Frank, but it is something we have explored thoroughly in the past before, and because we skip over Frank’s feelings towards the officers directly, they feel framed as misguided, instead of morally bankrupt.

The Officers of the Task Force Are Arguably the Biggest Villains of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

What is always fascinating about anti-heroes such as Frank Castle is that they only feel justified when they are fighting against someone even worse than they are, and that is exactly what this task force represents. While Fisk and Muse (Hunter Doohan) can be seen as antagonists who simply have a different worldview from Matt and go to extreme lengths to prove they are right, they are still given sympathetic portrayals that don’t make us completely set on seeing them dead. Maybe Muse needed to be killed by Heather (Margarita Levieva) as the only way to prevent more suffering at that moment, but we wouldn’t want someone mentally ill executed when they should instead be put into a facility that can treat them.

Compare this to the scene where Cole North (Jeremy Isaiah Earl), the man who killed Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) in cold blood, is at Matt’s mercy, and Frank wants him killed. I know it isn’t the right thing to do, but I even wanted Matt to give up his no-kill rule for this despicable character. Similar to Officer Powell putting the reporter’s hand in deep-frying oil in Episode 8, “Isle of Joy,” these men attack innocent individuals for no other reason than the thrill they get from doing so. They are bullies of the worst sort, and therefore easily detestable, which Born Again doesn’t give us in what was their best opportunity.

Perhaps we will see Powell develop into an even bigger villain in Season 2 of Born Again, now that he seems to be the leader of this dictator’s SS. However, with the larger narrative surrounding Matt’s war against Fisk for the soul of New York, and Karen seemingly being given a bigger role next season, there is the possibility a supporting character such as Powell, could become lost in the mix. If that happens, it’ll be a great shame. Maybe he didn’t need his story to end in this Season 1 finale, but not seeing the Punisher destroy this cult worship Powell and his colleagues have for him was a huge waste of potential.

Watch all of Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+ in the U.S.

Daredevil: Born Again

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Franchise(s)

Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe