Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll have responded to the Punisher’s claim in Spider-Man: Brand New Day that he has never had a friend like Peter Parker. Woll, who plays Karen Page, is taking it personally.
The line lands in the film’s second act, when Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle — making his big-screen debut after nearly a decade of TV appearances, several of them alongside Cox’s Daredevil — tells Peter Parker he has never had a friend like him. Fans read it as a snub to Matt Murdock. Asked about it at MCM Comic-Con, Cox was still weighing his answer when Woll cut in.
“Actually I’m more offended by that for Karen, rather than Matt. Jesus Christ, Frank. Goddamnit. How many times have we saved each other’s lives?”
The question came from TikTok user CinemaKaiNation, who filmed the exchange at the panel.
Cox eventually sided with his co-star.
“Yeah, I think Deb is right. Matt and Frank, I don’t know that they’d call each other friends. I think there’s a mutual understanding and respect, but they’re not mates.”
Asked to define the relationship, he settled on: “It’s complicated.”
Are Daredevil and the Punisher friends?
Per Cox: no. The alliance has always been one of circumstance — they fight on the same side, rarely for the same reasons. The Punisher’s first big-screen outing built the joke out of that: Peter Parker, a kid Frank barely knows, gets the word “friend” that Matt Murdock never did.
What’s next for the Punisher
Daredevil: Born Again returns next year for a third season, with a spring airing expected. Whether Frank Castle is in it is unconfirmed — he sat out season two for his own Marvel Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and for Brand New Day.
Box office
Spider-Man: Brand New Day now stands at $655 million domestically and $1.01 billion internationally after its second weekend — a combined $1.67 billion worldwide, and still showing in UAE cinemas.
Who plays the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Jon Bernthal. It is the character’s first big-screen appearance after nearly a decade of TV projects, several of them alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil.
Are Daredevil and the Punisher friends?
Per Charlie Cox, no. The two share ‘a mutual understanding and respect’ but are ‘not mates’. Cox’s summary of the relationship: ‘It’s complicated.’
Will the Punisher return in Daredevil: Born Again season 3?
Unconfirmed. Frank Castle sat out season two for his own Marvel Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Leave a Reply