Since the 2015 Netflix series, it's become hard to picture Charlie Cox's Daredevil without Jon Bernthal's Punisher. However, Bernthal recently shared why he initially opted out of the Disney+ revival, Daredevil: Born Again.
The actor, known for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street, revealed that when first approached for the series, he was not on board with the creative direction planned for his character, Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher.
"Ultimately, I didn't see it. I didn't see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn't] really make sense to me,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I thought [it] would not appeal to the fans and wouldn't be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away."
Following a significant creative overhaul after the strikes, producer Dario Scardapane was appointed as the new showrunner for the series. This change marked a turning point for Bernthal, who had previously collaborated with Scardapane on *The Punisher* series."They really brought me into the conversation," Bernthal explained about his discussions with Scardapane and Marvel. "We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically."
Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again follow.