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UPDATE: Rosario Dawson has walked back her comments, stating that she was mistaken. "I can't be trusted…!" she tweeted. "Getting intel from fans during signings is iffy apparently. My bad. I get excited. Confirmation is key when you're told what you want to hear..." You can read this article as it originally appeared below:
Rosario Dawson -- who played Claire Temple across Marvel's lineup of Netflix original series -- has seemingly announced that the Punisher is set to be brought back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, presumably with Jon Bernthal reprising the role.
"I haven't heard that announcement, but I found out yesterday that The Punisher was happening again," Dawson said during a panel at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. "So, I feel like it's my second chance, 'cause it was the only one of the shows that I wasn't in -- and I love Jon Bernthal. So, let's all make it happen collectively, guys," she continued, crossing her fingers.
Dawson was, of course, a mainstay of Marvel's Netflix lineup. She made her debut as Claire Temple in the first season of Marvel's Daredevil, which premiered on Netflix -- ostensibly as part of the MCU -- in 2015. Dawson subsequently reprised her role in Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's Iron Fist and the crossover limited series Marvel's The Defenders. Her final appearance as Claire to date came in the second season of Luke Cage in 2018.
Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal joined the fray as Frank Castle/the Punisher in the second season of Daredevil, which premiered on Netflix in 2016. Bernthal was the fourth actor to portray the notorious Marvel Comics vigilante in live-action, following Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson.
After his time on Daredevil came to an end, Bernthal reprised his role as Frank in the spinoff series Marvel's The Punisher, which premiered in 2017. The show returned for its second and final season in 2019. As Dawson mentioned, The Punisher was the only Marvel Netflix series to not see her appear as Claire Temple -- though it now seems she could get her chance after all.
Which Marvel Netflix Stars Will Make an MCU Comeback?
Marvel's entire lineup of Netflix originals was infamously canceled before officially coming to an end in 2019 with The Punisher Season 2 and Jessica Jones Season 3. However, in late 2021, Daredevil lead Charlie Cox reprised his role as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home, marking his first appearance as the character since his own show was canceled in 2018. Around that same time, Cox's Daredevil co-star Vincent D'Onofrio reprised his role as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the MCU-set Disney+ original series Hawkeye.
In early 2022, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher were removed from Netflix an added to Disney+, the new de facto streaming home of all things Marvel. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that the aforementioned Cox and D'Donofrio would reprise their roles as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively, in a new Disney+ original series titled Daredevil: Born Again, which will premiere in 2024 as part of Phase Five of the MCU. Cox and D'Onofrio will also reportedly appear in the Disney+ series Echo, a spinoff of Hawkeye, which will premiere in 2023, also as part of Phase Five.
Before Echo and Born Again, however, Cox is slated to reprise his role as Daredevil in Marvel Studios' fast-approaching streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is due to premiere on Disney+ later this month. Cox will also voice Daredevil in Marvel Studios' Disney+ animated series Spider-Man: Freshman Year. However, while rumors have swirled, Marvel has yet to officially announce when other Marvel Netflix stars may return to the fold.
That said, while Marvel Studios has yet to reveal if and when Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle and Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple will return to screens, it should be noted that Dawson maintains a close working relationship with Disney, Marvel's parent company. Dawson appeared as fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano in the second season of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, subsequently reprising the role in the spinoff limited series The Book of Boba Fett. Dawson will once again play Ahsoka in the character's eponymous solo series, which is expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2023.
Source: Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, via Twitter