DAREDEVIL | S02E12 "The Dark At The End Of The Tunnel"

THE ACCOUNTANT ‧ 2016 THE ACCOUNTANT 2 ‧ 2025

Frank’s physical and emotional state in DD: Born Again

Occasionally I’ve seen people express confusion at Frank’s…general state in Born Again. He does seem unkept, unhappy, in a worse mood than usual and oddly detached from everything else.

The shock was apparently so big, people started theorizing SOMETHING must’ve happened to Frank. And I’m here wondering what people expected to find, exactly.

I mean, if you watched The Punisher season 2 you will know Frank embraced the vigilante life by the end of that season. You would also remember he ended up the show pretty much alone. He pushed Karen away in a very definitive manner, Curtis, if I remember correctly, was very done with his bullshit by that point and didn’t want any more contact with Frank, he sent Amy away to Florida and seemed like didn’t plan to meet her ever again. The only person he seems to be in contact with is Madani, but she was in the Middle East and he also shut down any relationship there when he refused her offer for a job at the CIA (because “he already has a job”).

So, what we are seeing in Born Again is Frank being The Punisher. It’s a guy who shut down every single relationship he ever had and it’s only focused on the mission 24/7. The only thing he does, day in and day out, is look for the next scumbag to kill, the next gang to gun down, the next mafia to disperse. He gets beaten up, goes home, stitches himself and does the same thing all over again the next day. He’s been doing this for years.

And I’m sure, at some point, he realized what he’s doing is pointless, because no matter how many criminals and bad people he puts to the ground, new ones take their place faster than he can kill them. So, all he has to hope for is to keep at it, until he eventually dies. Except he doesn’t die. Almost 10 years and he’s still at it, and not a single thing has changed. Fisk is freaking mayor of New York City, for gods sake.

What we are seeing is a man who has become hopeless and detached, because he has nothing to look for in his life, except death. So…..no shit he is moodier than usual.

I get that this is not a common arc for The Punisher in the comics (if it was ever portrayed), but I think it’s a very interesting thing to explore in the MCU version. I do think it’s in line with what the OG show might’ve explored if it ever got a third season.

Season 2 ended with Frank reaching the conclusion The Punisher was his destiny. There was no happy ending for him, his calling was to kill criminals no matter the cost. And that was actually a very tragic conclusion for Frank to reach, effectively shutting down any opportunity at recovery he could get. He didn’t find fulfillment living as Just Frank (A.K.A Pete Castiglione), so he would find it with The Punisher….except, spoiler alert: he doesn’t! He’s still as unhappy and miserable as he was before. Turns out, giving in to your worst impulses doesn’t improve your life.

I think the point of the mysterious pills we see him take in Born Again, is supposed to be a physical manifestation of Frank’s weariness. That there is a downside to living like The Punisher, and aside from the emotional isolation, he is physically weaker. And again, I know there’s a bunch of comics of an older Frank, and even though he is older, he is somehow as strong and agile as he was when he was younger, and while it’s a valid depiction of an older Frank, it’s probably not a realistic one. Like, the man doesn’t eat well, doesn’t sleep well, he gets punched, stabbed and shot at an alarming frequency and he doesn’t get any breaks. That’s not the lifestyle that creates a healthy and active 60yo. On the contrary, actually. Now, he might have chronic pain he needs to manage with medication, just to function. And I like that. After all, Frank is only human. To show him grappling with all the ways his body can fail him is very compelling storytelling in my opinion.

I mean, I don’t know what they are cooking with Frank, but if I’m right, I am very interested in what they might show in the future with him.

TL;DR: the reason Frank is….LIKE THAT in Born Again is not because of any singular traumatic event, it’s simply the downside of the life he chose as The Punisher. A lonely, violent life that finally is claiming his toll on him. So yeah, he is moody and detached and doesn’t care about much other than his next target.

Braxton's "we gotta go get drunk" strut.

Every night I ask myself "is it better to stay up and make sure something gets done, or bank on going to sleep early-ish and being more productive tomorrow" and then land on a worst of both worlds compromise.

"We can't even entertain the idea of being together unless he comes back from the dark side, He has to pick: Is it going to be this vendetta, or is it going to be life? Presumably, maybe, life with me. And then when he says no, it's just doubly devastating.” — Deborah Ann Woll [x]

frank with his sad eyes like - you asked me for a favor and I did it karen. I love you karen. I would die for you karen. I'd do anything for you karen. why didn't you want any coffee karen????

The Accountant (2016) // The Accountant 2 (2025)

the fanfiction in my head is soooo good wish you guys could see this

s2 of the punisher should have just been sarah and david parent trapping frank and karen

Still kinda crazy how kastle is this completely unplanned ship that was brought to life by the chemistry of Jon and Deb, and became so popular to where it's now in a love triangle with the comicbook canon ship. That's insane. And how? Before dd:ba, it was **mostly** subtext and tension; loaded looks, heavy silences, things not said and pure unadulterated yearning... And it's crazier when you remember that despite the emotional depth, Karen and Frank actually share a few scenes together compared to the other ships. But with those few scenes, they created a very compelling dynamic and forged a bond so layered and deep, so complex and emotionally intense that you forget they haven't really had much time together. We actually get to see their connection build on raw honesty, recognition, respect, darkness, and their willingness to just sacrifice for each other and it's undeniable. And the show runners saw all that and were smart enough to get with the program and recognize it in canon, endgame or not.

Honestly, major props to Jon and Deborah cos not many actors can do so much with only subtext and so little screen time together. With a few scenes and acting restrictions (they couldn't even kiss, their kiss scene was cut), they delivered on "show, don't tell". That's some A+ talent. They really did that. I'm awed.