While filming in the streets of New York City, the first season of Daredevil: Born Again certainly did just that as photos from the set revealed the returns of Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Betheland Jon Bernthal as well as some pretty major spoilers. Now, as the debut first season of the new series draws near and production on Season 2 prepares to get underway, a trade report has kickstarted the the hype engine.
According to Deadline, 90s icon Matthew Lillard, best known for his roles as Shaggy in 2002’s Scooby Doo and Stu Macher in Scream, has joined the cast of Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again.
Lillard‘s role is unknown at the time though the actor’s résumé calls to mind a certain type of character and many fans are already debating which member of Daredevil’s extensive rogues gallery he’ll be portraying. The plot of Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again is being kept under wraps but it is expected that Wilson Fisk, played once more by a returning Vincent D’Onofrio, will continue to serve as the primary antagonist to Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock.
The first two-episodes of Daredevil: Born Again will debut on Disney Plus at 9 PM ET on Disney Plus.
We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.
-Bob Iger
A busier than expected 2025, featuring three films and a total of six streaming series, has just gotten underway and is about to ramp up significantly with the highly-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again set to launch on March 4th. Following the return to Hell’s Kitchen, fans still have plenty to look forward to the rest of the year and it’s starting to look as though 2026 might be nearly as busy, including second seasons of two of the studio’s most well-received streaming series to date.
According to Marvel TV chief Brad Winderbaum, the sophomore seasons of both X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are planned to hit D+ at some point in 2026.
Of course, in the world of animatied projects things can often move a little slower than expected; however, Winderbaum reminds, at the very least, cautiously optimistic that Season 2 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be ready for next year. “Season 2 in ’26, I think,” said Winderbaum before addressing the studio’s even grander plans for the hit series.
“We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it,” said Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation. “What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully. “
Pragmatically speaking, a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man might not hit arrive on D+ until mid-2026. That’s ok, however, considering fans are already looking forward to a jam-packed follow-up which will introduce Gwen Stacy, follow Peter and Harry’s plans with the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, follow Tombstone’s rise in Harlem and, hopefully, address how Peter’s father ended up in prison, among other things. It’s also ok because it sounds like another amazing animated adventure might be on track to return sooner than that.
“Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now,” Winderbaum told Collider, confirming previous reports. The longtime Marvel exec then explained that as part of Marvel Television’s new approach, the hope is to have X-Men ’97, like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, ready for yearly release. “To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on,” he said. “This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on.”
As it stands, fans have 4 streaming projects confirmed to arrive in 2026 (X-Men ’97 Season 2, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, The Punisher Special Presentation, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2) with another likely (Vision). Theatrically, the studio has set dates for Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4 while still keeping dates set aside for a pair of untitled films. All told, 2026 does indeed look to be another busy year for Marvel, Iger’s mandate be damned.
In an exclusive interview with EW, Winderbaum revealed that Bernthal will co-writer the Special Presentation with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct it. Additionally, according to THR, the Special Presentation is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2026.
“It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting,” said Winderbaum of the project.
Green and Bernthal previously worked together on the six-episode HBO miniseries We Own the Night.
Bernthal is a generational actor. He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.
Shortly after the news hit, Bernthal posted a picture of the cover of The Punisher #53, the first of a seven-part arc entitled “The Final Days.” Published in 1991, “The Final Days”, written by Mike Baron, saw Castle tangle with Wilson Fisk.
The Punisher project will join Werewolf By Night (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) under the Marvel Studios Special Presentation banner. The two projects–which had runtimes of 55 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively–while standalone, also positioned the characters for further adventures, though Jack and Ted’s excellent adventures have yet to be explored. It’s possible that the new Punisher project could pave the way for Castle’s next appearance, whether that be in a film or in a new ssteeaming season of The Punisher on D+.
As Marvel Television looks to revamp the way it produces streaming projects, it’s beginning to look as though they may choose to continue down the path previously blazed at Netflix. With Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, confirming that the studio hopes to continue making additional seasons of Daredevil beyond Season 2, it’s clear that The Man Without Fear is a treasured commodity at Marvel. And it sounds like he’s not the only one.
While promoting the upcoming release of Daredevil: Born Again, Winderbaum revealed that Marvel Studios is working with The Punisher star Jon Bernthal on a Special Presentation.
Marvel Exec Brad Windbaum confirms a Punisher Special Presentation is in development.
“He’s [Jon Bernthal] working on a special presentation with us about that character.”
A potential Punisher-centric project has been rumored for some time and with the studio turning its attention to series which can churn out seasons annually, a Special Presentation is probably the best way for Bernthal’s character to tread water in the MCU. The format allows for the studio to tell self-contained stories without the constraints of longform storytelling and have, so far, been well-received. Of course, at the glacial pace at which the studio is currently moving forward with projects, Miami may become fully submerged in the Atlantic before The Punisher Special Presentation hits D+.
For nearly a year, Marvel Studios has been operating according to a new strategy behind the scenes. While fans have yet to see it bear fruit, Marvel Television’s upcoming streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again, will provide the first opportunity to evaluate the studio’s pivot to a more traditional approach to making TV.
Moving forward our priorities have shifted. We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television.
-Brad Winderbaum
And if you’ve been following along and reading between the lines lately as Winderbaum has made the media rounds while pimping Daredevil: Born Again, you’ve probably come to believe that Daredevil will be the flagship of Marvel’s new D+ strategy. And according to Winderbaum, you’d be right if you did.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Winderbaum revealed the studio’s plan to release Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again in 2026 and its hopes to continue making many more seasons of the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led show.
“That’s the plan,” replied Winderbaum when asked if Daredevil: Born Again was being set up as an annual release. “Season 2 will come out next year, and then hopefully season 3 and season infinity after that. I think this world is extremely rich, and there are many stories to be told on the streets of New York.“
If any character from Marvel Comics vast stable of characters can support a long-running television series, it’s certainly The Man Without Fear. Through three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, the showrunners barely scratched the surface of the wealth of characters and stories available to them in the world of Matt Murdock. And given Daredevil: Born Again looks to be largely adapting a very recent comic book arc while mixing in some other elements, Marvel Studios TV division still has over 60 years of material from which to draw which should lead to a lot of good TV.
Though it wasn’t quite the critical darling as some of its streaming predecessors, Moon Knight landed with fans and was one of Marvel’s most watched series, beginning with a strong premiere on Disney+. Samba TV, which measures viewership in millions of households, indicated that the first episode’s viewership was comparable to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and exceeded that of WandaVision and Hawkeye in the first five days of release. This suggests that Moon Knight garnered significant interest and viewership upon its debut which continued as it became the most in-demand series on the streaming service.
“We don’t know if there’s a next season,” said Diab. “I’m kept in the dark, just like the fans…Marvel doesn’t go with a conventional way, so even if they like the character and want to extend the world, it could be Season 2, it could be a standalone film, or he can join another superhero’s journey. We never discussed it being a Season 2, but one day there’s going to be an expansion, but I don’t know how it’s going to look like.“
Where Moon Knight lands in MCU after this, I actually don’t know. As a fan, I want to know, because Oscar created such an engaging, emotional performance that people want to see more of the Steven-Marc-Jake story.
-Moon Knight executive producer, Grant Curtis
Even series star Oscar Isaac, who drew rave reviews for his portrayal of The Fist of Khonshu, was kept in the dark about the studio’s plans for the character. “And let’s just put everything out on the table on this story. There’s definitely no official plans to continue it,” said Isaac in 2022. As it turns out, Isaac wasn’t dissembling and nothing has changed behind the scenes.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum ended nearly three years of rumors and speculation about a second season of Moon Knight. According to Winderbaum, while the studio does have plans to bring Isaac back in the role, it won’t be in Season 2 of Moon Knight.
“So I think Marvel Television has happened in waves, and I think Moon Knight happened in a wave of shows that were going to establish characters that would tie-in to the future,” said Winderbaum. Though he didn’t define it, the wave referenced by Winderbaum also likely included She-Hulk Attorney at Law and Ms. Marvel. Reading between the lines, one might infer that second seasons of those series are also unlikely to be developed as the studio has rethought its streaming strategy.
“Moving forward our priorities have shifted,” Winderbaum explained. “We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television. I would love to see a Moon Knight Season 2, but there are plans for Moon Knight down the road.”
And so as Marvel Television makes the move toward transforming Disney Plus into network television and putting out only two series each year, there’s simply just not enough room for everyone, something Marc Spector knows a little bit about.
In May 2024, Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, explained that things had changed behind the scenes in the way Marvel Studios developed and released its streaming series. “We were already, as of two years ago, adapting our process from being, you know, fill the service as fast as possible no matter what, to a more considered approach,” Winderbaum said in an interview with Variety. Less than a year later, the results of that “considered approach” are ruffling fans’ feathers.
Over the past week, it was revealed that a pair of LONG-gestating streaming series, Nova and the Danai Gurira-led Okoye spinoff, were among multiple projects that the studio had either delayed indefinitely or scrapped entirely as Marvel Television pursues a more traditional approach to cheating its series. Now, Winderbaum has given some insight into what considerations are being given to the projects Marvel will move forward with in the future.
“I think it’s ‘linear series potential,’” said Winderbaum, referencing a shift to a far more traditional approach to producing television. “As we develop things for the future, I think they’re going to be designed to be multiple seasons, have more of a pattern, and be able to be released annually.”
Winderbaum‘s comments come as cameras prepare to roll a second season of Daredevil: Born Again just as the first season launches on D+. His comments also may well explain the delays to projects such as Nova and Strange Academy, which insiders believe the studio will eventually greenlight for production: until the creative teams can outline multiple seasons of the series, the studio may be content to hold off.
That plan, however, could eventually mean a shortage in content which wouldn’t be ideal even as Disney seeks to reduce the output of content from its major studios. There is good news on that front, though, as Winderbaum reveals that a pair of previously well-received streaming series could be revisited for second seasons. Though nothing is set in stone, both Agatha All Along and Hawkeye are under consideration for future seasons.
I really like the idea of two shows a year, especially because we are developing more than we make. We used to treat the shows like the features where we’re gonna make a show and that’s it, we’re going to hit a release date, hell or high water. Well, it’s hard to do for a two hour feature, it’s even harder to do for, six, seven, eight, nine hours. So now we have a more traditional approach.
-Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum
“A show like Agatha, to me, is concept based. Yes, a second season for sure is something that we would want to do, but let’s not rush it. Let’s get the right idea and then make it,” said Winderbaum of another batch of episodes of Agatha All Along.
Winderbaum’s comments on a potential second season of Agatha All Along are certainly surprising given co-star Patti LuPone‘s comments to the contrary. Even series star Kathryn Hahn, who made it clear she’s not down with playing the character, wasn’t able to confirm whether or not a follow-up season was in store, saying “we’dhave to let the powers that be make those decisions.”
“Hawkeye is another one that feels like you can make a second season of that show because it’s Christmas, because it’s Clint and Kate,” said Winderbaum. “You can kind of revisit it whenever, and we’re looking for opportunities to do that.” And with a shortage of projects known to be in the queue, the studio may be reaching into its quiver for Season 2 sooner rather than later.
It’s been over three years since Kevin Feige first confirmed that development had begun on a fourth film in Tom Holland‘s MCU-set Spider-Man franchise and tracking the rumors and reports about the project during that time has been one helluva ride. Spider-Man 4 has been rumored to be everything from a grounded, street-level brawl to a multiversal adventure and everything in between and while there’s still no concrete information about what the film’s plot will entail, it will go into production this summer. However, even before cameras roll, Sony has made the decision to move the project from its originally scheduled release date.
According to THR, Spider-Man 4 will now open on July 31, 2026, one week later than previously announced, in order to give the project additional room to breathe following the July 17, 2026 release of Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.
Holland is set to play a key role in The Odyssey as well, meaning the star will have a very busy 2025 trying to film his roles for both projects.
Written by franchise vets Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, Spider-Man 4 will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who is filling the shoes of Jon Watts, the director of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
As Marvel Television looks to launch its 2025 live-action slate with Daredevil: Born Again, a trade report has revealed that the future of streaming remains undefined. According to Deadline, the studio has paused the development of three streaming series including Strange Academy, which had never been acknowledged by the studio but had been widely reported on by insiders.
Created by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, Marvel Comics Strange Academy debuted in 2020 and focused on a new generation of magic users being trained in the mystic arts at a Hogwarts-esque school opened by Stephen Strange. Classes at Strange Academy were led by an array of Marvel mages including Doctor Voodoo, Wanda Maximoff, Wong, Magik and, yes, Agatha Harkness and covered a range of topics from astral projections to interdimensional geography to xenoanatomy.
First reported to be in the works in early 2023, Marvel Studios was developing Strange Academy as a vehicle for Benedict Wong‘s Wong and Xochitl Gomez‘s America Chavez. After disappearing from the news cycle for nearly two years, recent rumblings from insider Daniel Richtman and social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello seemed to indicate the studio was moving forward with the series.
The delay is the first time Marvel has acknowledged the series was in development and following Deadline’s report, both Richtman and fellow insider, Jeff Sneider, have revealed more information in follow up reports. According to Richtman, Strange Academy was far enough along in development that Marvel Television had planned to have Echo director Amy Rardin helm the pilot episode which would introduce the school and its mission to train the next generation of sorcerers.
Despite the delay, Sneider’s report comes with a bit of hope for the adaptation. As with Nova, Sneider’s sources believe that Strange Academy will eventually be moved back into active development once the studio has a better handle of what it’s next mystic-centric project, Doctor Strange 3, will be all about.
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