Hello Frank Castle.
Netflix dropped a trailer for season two of the hit Marvel series Daredevil today, and the spot gave us our first huge glimpse at The Punisher (Jon Bernthal).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5_A0Wx0jU4
His introduction is eerie and sad. We’re shown why The Punisher is an enforcer to begin with, as shots of his deceased daughter (in the comics, his family was murdered by a crime family, with Castle surviving) and a children’s book are shown, and Castle later sits by an empty carousel. It’s tremendously sad, given the context we can pull.
We flash over to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), aka Daredevil, talking about his guilt with his priest confidant. The priest tells him that the guilt means his “work is not yet finished.”
Punisher’s work is displayed. Showing a brutal crime scene, the police say there’s a new player in Hell’s Kitchen and he works independently, tracking down gangs and executing them with military precision. “Hell’s Kitchen is about to explode.”
Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Matt have a heart-to-heart where she floats out that it’s possible The Punisher was created partly because of the Daredevil’s work. Murdock denies the connection, but Page says his actions could have opened the door for Castle to emerge.
While season one showed romantic tension between Karen and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), it seems Daredevil season two will steer into a Matt / Karen romance, a love triangle which has been played out in the comics.
Murdock’s monologue suggests the main crux of the Daredevil and Punisher relationship, as he worries about the blood being shed from the possible casualties caught in Castle’s crossfire.
Castle has the best line of the trailer, telling (presumably) Daredevil “You hit them and they get back up, I hit them and they stay down,” which perfectly describes the major difference in their crime-fighting styles.
DD: “Why are you doing this?”
TP: “Because I think you’re a half measure, I think you’re a man who can’t finish the job. I think that you’re a coward.”
Then he drops some hard, sad truth.
TP: “You know you’re one bad day away from being me.”
If that wasn’t enough, we’re given one more post-credit (for a trailer) scene, as Murdock arrives home to find his ex-lover Elektra (Elodie Yung) — who was briefly referenced in season one — waiting for him.
Noticeably absent from the trailer was season one villain The Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), but this is part one of the trailer, so I expect part two will focus somewhat on him.
Fans should be hyped after watching that. The only iterations of The Punisher and Elektra in live-action have come from terrible movies, and given Netflix’s track record with Marvel shows, you can bet it will do them justice.
The second part of the new trailer drops Feb. 25, and season two of Daredevil hits Netflix March 18.
