Daredevil: Born Again to Bring Jon Bernthal Back as the Punisher, but Will It Be Enough for You to Keep Your Disney+ Hotstar Subscription

Daredevil: Born Again will see the return of actor Jon Bernthal, as he reprises his role of Frank Castle aka the Punisher.

Bernthal will join Charlie Cos and Vincent D’Onofrio, who play Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively in the 18-episode long Disney+ series. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the series begins shooting this month in New York.

Bernthal’s Punisher was well-received by fans, when the actor portrayed the famed Marvel vigilante for the first time in Netflix’s Daredevil. He soon had a show of his own with the streamer, which ran for two seasons.

However, it will be interesting to see if the show will receive similar fanfare to its predecessors. As part of the Disney+ lineup, Daredevil: Born Again will comparatively have less moments of grime and darkness compared to the Netflix versions. Fans have already gotten a taste of the new kind of Daredevil, when he made an appearance in the She-Hulk Disney+ series.

Additionally, some of the original’s personnel won’t be part of the upcoming series. It’s been reported that supporting characters Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, who play Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson respectively, might not be returning. This will be a major change, as both characters have history with the show’s star cast. While Karen has a longstanding history with Bernthal’s Punisher, Foggy is Matt Murdock’s best friend.

Outside of Loki, MCU fans haven’t been much impressed with the Disney+ Hotstar offerings. Shows like Moon Knight and What If…? haven’t really caught fire compared to the films, which released as part of Phase 4. Couple that with the loss of HBO content, it seems like the viewership and subscriber figures for Disney+ Hotstar is sure to take a massive tumble.

For now, Marvel’s biggest hope in the world of TV is Daredevil: Born Again, and it will be intriguing to see if Marvel Studios’ gamble to tweak with the original formula will reap benefits.