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Marvel Studios was planning a gritty crossover between Punisher and Echo before Daredevil: Born Again was closed down and retooled
Turns out, more mature content between Frank Castle and Maya Lopez was already in the works at Marvel Studios, even before they decided Kingpin was gonna bash that dude's head in in Daredevil: Born Again
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Maybe it's the fact that I'm currently watching Marvel Zombies, or maybe it's the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine became the most financially successful R-Rated movie of all time, but I kinda think that Marvel leaning into their more "mature" fare isn't a terrible idea. And apparently I'm not alone - before plans for Daeredevil: Born Again were officially finalized, the House of (Cinematic) Ideas was planning on pairing two of their grittiest small screen heroes: Punisher and Echo.
The story comes from an IGN article published October 2, which recounted an interview between the outlet and Daredevil: Born Again writer Jesse Wigutow. To be clear, the Punisher/Echo story was always going to be under the Daredevil banner, but the way Wigutow tells it, would have stood out more as a more singular tale than the Punisher's involvement in what eventually became Born Again season 1.
"They were looking to do a kind of singular bottle episode around the Punisher crossing into the Daredevil space," says the Tron: Ares writer, "This was two, three years ago, and one thing led to another, and I came in to largely focus on that. [...] It involved the Punisher and Echo kind of spending an interesting night together — not romantically, but narratively."
Now if you're keeping up with future MCU projects (and we know you are), the question that probably springs to your mind is whether or not that plot might wiggle its way into the upcoming Disney+ Punisher special. Well, while it's certainly not impossible, Wigutow's comments on a Punisher/Echo meetup in the future sure do make it seem unlikely.
"Who knows, maybe it comes back again," he said. "But the story has been a little kind of crooked in terms of the development, and it was part of a former idea."
The Punisher's special heads to Disney+ in 2026, and the character's MCU big screen debut (unless you count that rocket launcher in Deadpool & Wolverine) happens July 31, 2026, when Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes to theaters. Echo's future in the MCU is uncertain as of this writing, and we won't lie, we think that should change.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
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