Ben Barnes Wishes Jigsaw Didn't Die So He Could Join Daredevil: Born Again
Of all the Marvel Disney+ shows on the way, "Daredevil: Born Again" is undeniably among the most anticipated. Fans are eager to see Matt Murdock's (Charlie Cox) story continue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the unceremonious cancelation of Netflix's "Daredevil" in 2018. Fan favorites such as Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Frank "Punisher" Castle (Jon Bernthal) will also return, but the same can't be said for other Netflix alums. For example, don't expect to see Ben Barnes return as "Punisher" antagonist Billy Russo — aka Jigsaw — via "Born Again."
Jigsaw met his end during the events of "Punisher" Season 1, with Castle fatally shooting his former ally. As Barnes himself has shared, it's too bad that Jigsaw didn't survive his encounter with the Punisher since he would've liked to reprise the role on "Daredevil: Born Again." "I'm just sad that he died because otherwise, there could be a little reunion. Charlie Cox is one of my closest pals," he told Collider. Nevertheless, Barnes is still glad he was able to take part in "The Punisher" and join the ranks of so many other iconic Marvel Comics villain portrayals.
While it's not hard to figure out why Ben Barnes' Jigsaw won't pop up on "Daredevil: Born Again," other exclusions from the series are considerably more baffling.
Born Again is missing some important and still-living Netflix favorites
If Marvel Studios intends to stick with the established Netflix canon, then Ben Barnes not returning as Jigsaw makes sense — his death was pretty definitive. However, for fan favorites Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), who were both still very much alive at the end of the third and final season of "Daredevil," things are a bit more confusing. As two of Matt Murdock's closest allies, one would have to imagine that they're due for big returns to the Marvel spotlight. As things currently stand, that doesn't seem to be the case.
After revealing Jon Bernthal's return to the role of the Punisher, The Hollywood Reporter noted that it's not expected that Henson and Woll will come back to their respective characters for "Daredevil: Born Again." That means that either Page and Nelson won't factor into the story at all, or Marvel Studios is looking to recast these supporting staples. Either way, it's a bold choice for a series that, for the most part, has kept the majority of MCU fans on its good side. We'll just have to wait and see what the show has in store.
"Daredevil: Born Again" aims to debut on Disney+ in 2024 with 18 episodes for subscribers to enjoy.