Born Again brings back the Punisher – but not the actors who played Karen and Foggy
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already dove into the sandbox that was Netflix’s Marvel Universe, after plucking Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and putting him inside hawk eye. But with confirmation that another daredevil actor is going to the MCU, some fans are worried and upset about two of the show’s actors not making it.
On Tuesday the Hollywood reporter revealed that Jon Bernthal would reprise his role as Frank Castle and the Punisher in Daredevil: Reborn, a Disney+ series. Frank Castle was a main antagonist in Netflix daredevil, who first appeared in the show’s second season to clash with Matt Murdock and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) before getting his own spinoff series that ran for two seasons. With Cox and D’Onofrio to star in the series, reborn is a chance for the original gang to get back together and try again.
However, the daredevil The reunion will apparently stop there. In the same article announcing Bernthal’s return, THR also confirms that the Netflix version of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) is not running reborn‘s call sheet.
In the Netflix series, Karen and Foggy were important supporting characters, particularly in Matt Murdock’s non-superhero life. Foggy and Matt Murdock started a law firm together, which Karen also worked at, but Karen is also one of Matt’s biggest love interests. (Karen also has a role in the original reborn comic which seems to be one of the main inspirations of the series.)
Marvel Studios has the ability to choose which aspects of Netflix’s Marvel shows to carry into the MCU and which to leave behind, but for some fans, leaving Karen and Foggy out is a huge mistake. For them, they were often the heart of the show.
Complaints about whether it’s about a bond with Woll and Henson or the characters themselves hit a sticking point of many recent Marvel projects. Karen and Foggy are an integral part of Matt Murdock’s non-superhero life, a constant presence that helped build the character when he wasn’t battling dozens of nameless combatants in a dark hallway. But they’re not superheroes or potential pals.
For MCU analogues, think of someone like Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) in the original Thor Movie or The Howling Commandos in the first Captain America Movie, or more recently Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) classmates outside of MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). They support characters who shaped the world. Even if there was a comic book counterpart, they didn’t necessarily tie into the more fantastical side of superhero antics so specifically that they would eventually become a hero or antagonist in their own right.
Frank Castle has a long history with Matt Murdock, both on the Netflix show and in the comics, so he’s dragging him into a show like Daredevil: Reborn makes sense. But it’s also an emblem of the MCU, which relies more on cameos and name checking. As the next arc of the MCU builds, there’s less time to justify focusing on some of these characters when they don’t play a major role in the overall storyline.
Could Karen and Foggy show up? reborn? It’s always possible; while THR Noting that Woll and Henson aren’t on the listing for the shoot, it’s unclear if the characters will not appear or if the series will attempt to recast those two roles. But it’s also an example of what could happen in the future, as many of the Netflix shows will flow into the MCU: Characters that had a larger-than-life presence in a show will make the leap (Daredevil, Kingpin, Punisher). others with smaller or quieter roles might remain in that part of the multiverse.
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*Initial publication: March 8, 2023 2:38 pm CST
Michelle Jaworsky
Michelle Jaworski is a staff writer and television/film critic at the Daily Dot. Covering entertainment, geek culture and pop culture, she has covered everything from the Sundance Film Festival, NYFF and Tribeca to New York Comic Con and Con of Thrones. She lives in Brooklyn.
https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/daredevil-born-again-disney-punisher-karen-foggy/ Born Again brings back the Punisher – but not the actors who played Karen and Foggy