Daredevil: Born Again Directors Address Claims The Punisher Enjoys Killing: "It's Not Glee, It's Pain Relief"

By Ollie Bradley

Published Apr 16, 2025

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Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again

The teams up with Daredevil to take down a cohort of corrupt cops with extreme prejudice, willfully killing his foes while Daredevil refuses to follow suit.

When discussing the Punisher's feelings about killing in a Frank Castle's torturous past continues to haunt him. Moorhead makes this comment while discussing how Jon Berthal's performance conveys moments of what could be seen as glee during his killing sprees. Moorhead's full quote is as follows:

"One might think that if you're not paying really close attention to what the Punisher does, you might think he enjoys killing. But it's not glee, it's pain relief, you know? It's like saying you enjoy Tylenol. It's not you enjoy it, it's that it removes the pain for him."

The comments can also be viewed below, starting around 11:16:

What The Daredevil: Born Again Directors' Punisher Comments Mean

Frank Castle Can Only Feel Reprieve, Not Joy

The Punisher is one of Daredevil: Born Again finale directors, who also directed Daredevil: Born Again episode 1, explain that Frank Castle kills as a form of pain relief, they refer to the torment that Frank Castle experiences daily. This was also laid out in Daredevil: Born Again episode 4, where Castle explains in his series debut that he still hears his dead son speaking to him. In this scene, Castle reveals:

"Every time I stop moving I still hear my little boy. I see him. And I hear his voice. He says "get 'em, Daddy. Every last single one of 'em, get 'em." That's why I do what I do." "

Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle aka the Punisher reacts to Wilson Fisk and Vanessa arriving in their ball in Daredevil Born Again episode 8

Why The Punisher Has Been Missing From Most of Daredevil: Born Again

Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle hasn't returned since his Daredevil: Born Again episode 4, and his absence may have an interesting explanation.

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Here, Frank Castle confesses how staying idle subjects him to the torment of dwelling over his family's heinous murder. Castle doles out lethal justice to all those he deems deserving as a form of retribution, definitively removing nefarious actors from the picture to ensure they can't go on to subject anyone else to the pain he now experiences, or murder those as innocent as his family. His pain only subsides when he is carrying out his macabre work. In fact, Castle rarely experiences joy, if at all, and this line proves that he can only ever seek reprieve instead.

Our Take On The Daredevil: Born Again Directors' Punisher Comments

Their Comments Show How Well The Directors Know The Character

Punisher stands imposingly in Daredevil Born Again

Combined with the fact that the Daredevil: Born Again series finale (and the series as a whole, for that matter) was one of the best episodes of MCU TV I've seen in a while, I think Moorhead and Benson's comments demonstrate how well they know the source material. The directors also lavish Bernthal with well-deserved praise for his ability to convey the emotions they describe. Now that Punisher is set to return to the MCU, I can't wait to see more of this sentiment in action down the line.