How Karen Page Could Factor Into 'The Punisher'

In Season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil, Karen Page and Frank Castle went through a roller coaster of emotions together and became one of the most compelling parts of the series. Now, according to an announcement at New York Comic-Con, fans will get another dose of Karen Page in The Punisher. During the Iron Fist panel, Marvel TV Vice President Jeph Loeb brought out Punisher star Jon Bernthal out as a surprise guest to get fans pumped about the upcoming show, which will hit Netflix in 2017. Then Loeb announced that Deborah Ann Woll, the actor who plays Karen, would be also be joining the cast. After the announcement (and the delighted squeals), Woll joined her co-star on stage and said, "When he [Bernthal] walked out here and you all screamed, it was deafening. The love in this room is huge… but you don’t love [Jon] as much as I do.” It's nice to know that Bernthal and Woll have just as close a bond (if a much healthier one) as Castle and Page do on Daredevil.

There had been rumblings before the Marvel announcement about Karen appearing in The Punisher, as she and Bernthal were spotted shooting a scene together in New York City, but the Comic-Con announcement made the pairing official. How Karen will factor into the show is unknown, though. After the events of Daredevil Season 2, Karen is definitely at a bit of a crossroads. She's got a great job — she even wrote a piece in her column for

The New York Bulletin about Frank Castle — but other aspects of her life don't seem to be going so hot. Matt Murdock just admitted to her that his secret identity is the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, so their relationship is probably over or at least in a weird place.

And then there's the whole confusing mystery around the death of Karen's teen brother, which certainly isn't making things easier for her. She's in an uncomfortable position, but that might be the right place for some Punisher-themed drama.

Meanwhile, in his new series, Frank Castle, who the police believe to be dead, is "haunted and hunted after the murder of his family and becomes a vigilante known in the criminal underworld as "the Punisher", who aims to fight crime by any means necessary," according to Marvel's website. So he's most likely quite ready for some Karen-led assistance in crime-fighting. And since Karen herself can't resist a good fight for the betterment of mankind, it won't be surprising if she continues to help out Frank in his battle against the imminent baddies all around. She's got much better resources these days from working at the Bulletin, so she could definitely be an asset to his crime-fighting team — which Marvel's website reports will include Castle's weapons outfitter and best friend Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) and his former NSA analyst hacker, Micro (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).

On the other hand, Karen might also need rescuing. Now that she knows Daredevil's identity, she's basically got a giant "Shoot Here, I'm A Love Interest" sign tattooed to her forehead. Besides, her mortality in the world of Marvel comic books doesn't have a great track record, so fans can assume she is always in danger. With Murdock busy hanging out near giant, endless holes, Karen will need to fight her battles herself and maybe also occasionally call in for the reinforcements of one her most violent pals, Frank.

A question fans' minds inevitably jump to is whether or not Karen and Frank (or Kastle as they could be known) are going to become Marvel's newest couple. The two have some sort of chemistry, but is it the type that leads to romance? I hope not — can't Karen just find a nice guy who doesn't have this desire to run around on rooftops at night bringing justice to the world in especially violent ways? The tenderness at Frank's core is sort of charming, but still, Karen is way better off finding a guy who isn't a dangerous criminal.

It's going to be very exciting to see Castle and Page's bond re-emerge in The Punisher. I 'ship them (even just as friends or colleagues) so hard. Bring on Kastle.

Images: Netflix, Giphy, best not to try anything/Tumblr