“I do not have time for your candy ass hero shit.” – Frank Castle, everyone. 👏
It took an old, well… not exactly a friend to push Matt Murdock back toward being the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. How many times can the legal system fail the people he cares about before he fully embraces vigilante justice again?
Episode 4, Sic Semper Systema, finally brings Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, back into the MCU. Alongside some harsh reality checks, this might be just what Matt needs to step back into the fight.
Matt Murdock’s Case of the Week
Matt’s law partner, Kirsten, knows he’s allergic to making money, so she hands him a pro bono case. He’s been reeling since Hector Ayala (White Tiger) was murdered at the end of last week’s episode—he won the case, but his client still paid the price. Kirsten hopes this new case will serve as a karmic reset.
Enter Leroy. At first, he’s just irritating—mocking Matt’s blindness, demanding parole instead of jail time, and even denying the crime despite being caught on camera. “Could it have been a Skrull?” he jokes, referencing the shape-shifting aliens from Secret Invasion and Captain Marvel. Matt deadpans a simple “Nope.” (A subtle MCU dig?)
Still, Matt does his job. Using his enhanced senses (aka super-smelling someone’s breakfast), he charms his way into reducing Leroy’s sentence to just 10 days. But Leroy isn’t happy. His frustration sparks an important realization for Matt: even short jail time can spiral into a cycle of poverty, missed public benefits, and repeat offenses. The system doesn’t work for people like Leroy—and Matt is finally seeing it.
Why Did Matt Go to The Punisher?
Before we get to the good stuff, Hector’s niece, Angela, confronts Matt at the morgue, convinced that the cops killed her uncle. Later, Matt tries to shake a confession out of dirty cop Officer Powell, but his heartbeat doesn’t lie—he’s telling the truth.
So Matt visits the crime scene and finds a bullet casing with The Punisher’s skull on it. Time for a visit.
Does Matt really think Frank Castle is behind Hector’s death? Probably not. Frank shrugs it off as wannabe vigilantes. But that’s not why Matt is there. He needs to confront someone whose justice system works differently because his own system is failing him.
Frank sees through it instantly. He pins Matt’s breakdown on his unresolved grief over Foggy Nelson’s death. Matt didn’t avenge his best friend, and it’s been eating at him. He wants to unleash his darker instincts but fears what that means. (It’s a bad day when The Punisher is giving you a guilt trip instead of the Catholic Church.)
Jon Bernthal is phenomenal in this scene, delivering a masterclass in raw intensity. But Matt’s struggles go beyond Foggy. It’s Hector. It’s Leroy. It’s Wilson Fisk being Mayor. How do you fight all that injustice inside the system?
Mayor Fisk’s Trash Problem
Over drinks, Daniel Blake spills Fisk’s big plan: partnering with a tech company to reduce garbage output—but at the cost of breaking up unions. The next day, journalist B.B. Urich publishes the story, branding Fisk as “Mayor Garbage.” While Fisk pretends to brush it off, his anger simmers.
Meanwhile, a therapy session with Heather confirms a bombshell: Fisk’s wife, Vanessa, had an affair with a man named Adam. Oh, and Fisk is keeping Adam locked in a cell. A casual reminder that no matter how powerful Fisk gets, he’s still a monster.
Fun fact: something like this happened in real life. In 1984, Providence mayor Buddy Cianci was charged with kidnapping and torturing a man he suspected of having an affair with his wife. He resigned in disgrace… then got re-elected in 1991. America!
Who Was That at the End?!
We’ve seen eerie graffiti of Daredevil, The Punisher, and White Tiger all season. Now, we know who’s behind it.
In the final moments, a masked man drags a body into an underground lair (yes, that’s three lairs total this episode) and starts draining its blood. This is Muse, a serial killer straight from the comics. And he’s about to paint the town red.
See you next week. 🔥
