Bernthal Nearly Skipped Daredevil: Born Again

Ever since the 2015 Netflix series, it's hard to picture Charlie Cox's Daredevil without Jon Bernthal's Punisher. However, Bernthal recently shared why he initially wasn't set to appear in the Disney+ revival, Daredevil: Born Again.

The Wolf of Wall Street star explained that when first approached for the series, he wasn't fully on board with the creative direction planned for The Punisher, also known as Frank Castle.

"In the end, I just didn't get it. The vision they had for Frank didn't click with me," he told Entertainment Weekly. "It felt like it wouldn't connect with the fans or stay true to the character. It wasn't something I wanted to be part of, so we decided to walk away."

After the series underwent major creative changes following the strikes, producer Dario Scardapane stepped in as the new showrunner—that's when Bernthal started to see a role for Frank in Born Again.

"They really included me in the conversation," the actor noted, referring to Scardapane, with whom he had worked on The Punisher series, and Marvel. "We dug into the details of Frank's mental state and his physical condition."

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Daredevil: Born Again.