Daredevil: Born Again - Did Jon Bernthal just tease his return as Punisher?

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Fans have been speculating about Jon Bernthal's return as Frank Castle pretty much since Daredevil: Born Again was announced. Other characters such as Bullseye, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page were recently seen on set, but there's still no official confirmation as to whether The Bear actor will be donning the skull vest again.

Unless, of course, Bernthal has already sneakily revelaed the news himself.

Posted to Bernthal's Instagram on March 12 was this photo, of a seemingly innocent children's book that doesn't exist in the real world.

To the average eye, that image might not mean anything. But to the folks who saw Frank Castle introduced in season 2 of the original Daredevil series, this seemingly innocuous pic could be the confirmation that Punisher fans have been waiting for - that Jon Bernthal will indeed be taking on the role again.

To explain why, you're going to have to understand...

What is the meaning of One Batch, Two Batch to the Punisher?

Heads up - it's a bit of a sad explanation. In the MCU, One Batch, Two Batch is a rhyming children's story that became a favorite of Lisa Castle, daughter of Frank. On his last night with her, Frank promised to read the book to his child "tomorrow." The next day, Lisa Castle, her mother, and her brother, were murdered.

By the time we meet Frank, the title of the book has become his personal mantra, a repeated phrase to remind him of his mission. The Punisher is heard whispering the simple stanza, "One Batch, Two Batch, Penny and Dime," before pulling the trigger on a drug dealer, slitting the throat of an assassin, etc.

The phrase carried into The Punisher's own spinoff series. And now, with this post live on his Instagram, fans will spend their weeks wondering if they'll hear Jon Bernthal speak the mantra again.

Unless, of course, Marvel decides to announce his return officially.

You can stream Daredevil and The Punisher on Disney+ now. Daredevil: Born Again leaps onto the platform in 2025.

Fear not, we have the essentials when it comes to Marvel's Daredevil. From the best Daredevil stories of all time, to a guide to watching Daredevil, a comprehensive guide to Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, Marvel's Daredevil actors, ranked from Charlie Cox to Ben Affleck and even Rex Smith, how Frank Miller accidentally killed a Daredevil cartoon (and Marvel killed a book to avoid pissing him off), and even that time we caught Daredevil actor Charlie Cox sneaking into New York Comic Con as Bluey.