The latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again reintroduced Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, one of the most ruthless vigilantes in the franchise. His meeting with Matt Murdock started from a tense confrontation to an emotional mess, especially after Castle asked him why he didn’t kill Bullseye.
There was so much to unpack from this scene alone, but we’re going to focus on the duo’s dynamics and the heart-tugging dialogue that surely made all of us break down in tears.
Matt Murdock and Frank Castle’s tense scene in Daredevil: Born Again
After Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock went to investigate the site of Hector Ayala’s murder, he found a bullet casing with The Punisher’s iconic skull symbol on it. He tracked down his old friend, and their reunion was nothing short of intense and highly emotional arguments.
Castle confronted Murdock about the death of his best friend Foggy Nelson and how he would not admit that he wanted—and should have—sought vengeance against Benjamin Poindexter. The Punisher easily saw through Murdock that he was still consumed by guilt and haunted by the memory of what he could no longer change.
you can see on Frank’s face that Matt’s crying was upsetting him too pic.twitter.com/SksQGLmzOr
— idkibevitsabetfurture (@idkibevotsabeel) March 21, 2025
The controversial killer told Murdock that Foggy’s tragedy eats him up because he didn’t do anything to protect or save him. He went as far as telling Murdock’s truth that he would not admit: “He talks to you, doesn’t he? You hear his voice,” he said, later sharing that he also hears his son’s voice at the back of his head telling him, “Get ‘em, daddy. Every last single one of ‘em.”
Murdock evidently wrestled with his own dark thoughts, but he eventually told Castle that he let the justice system take care of it. As expected, The Punisher scoffed at the idea that Bullseye still lives despite getting a life sentence because Daredevil was too scared to get blood on his hands.
The scene was full of rage but also of grief, regret, and bottled-up feelings. Even though they have different methods and beliefs, viewers can see that Castle completely understands Murdock. He feels the pain that consumes him, and that’s why he’s giving him a lesson because, deep down, he knows what Daredevil truly wants.
Jon Bernthal on the emotional scene in Daredevil: Born Again
Jon Bernthal’s return as Frank Castle was highly anticipated by fans since his last outing as The Punisher was in 2019. The actor spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his reunion scene with Cox’s Daredevil.
I think that Frank is seeing himself in Matt, and Matt knows that he’s seeing Frank in himself, and there’s a glee in that.
However, his character does not operate like Murdock usually does—overthinking about his next move or going back and forth with his decisions. Bernthal said that Daredevil’s method is “antithetical from his truth,” and in that scene, Castle feels a sense of delight about having a bit more wisdom than Murdock because he knows he’s essentially right.
Daredevil: Born Again is currently available to watch on Disney+.
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