I recently went to see Daredevil/Punisher 2: The Accountant. The film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon.

Seeing advertisements for a new movie featuring both Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, the Marvel nerd in me became very excited. Finally! it’s been a long time since Daredevil graced the big screen in a titular role. Surely Marvel is trying to capitalize on the success of the small-screen versions of the characters featured in Daredevil: Born Again, Daredevil, The Defenders, and The Punisher. My excitement grew when I saw Daredevil and Punisher forgo their masks and feature in a cute video for Recess Therapy. I excitedly paid my money, eager to see these two dish out some street-level justice.

But almost immediately, red flags started appearing. First, Daredevil no longer goes by Matthew Murdock in this film. Instead he goes by the less alliterative pseudonym Christian Wolff. Confusing things further, “Christian” brings up a DC character named Solomon Grundy–apparently teasing a future movie villain! But how did Feige get the access rights to feature not just Solomon Grundy but also Jim Gordon (J.K. Simmons)?!? And how does Affleck not remember his old confidante from his Justice League days? It was a bold move to feature characters from the Dreaded Competition, but in Feige we trust!

As the movie proceeded, I began to develop a theory that this was an alternate universe; it was the only way to rectify the numerous glaring continuity errors. First, Murdock finds himself in Meridian, Idaho instead of Hell’s Kitchen. Second, Murdock has given up practicing law and has instead become an accountant with a surprisingly large firearm collection. Third, Frank Castle now puzzlingly calls himself by the moniker “Braxton.” The only other theory that I could come up with was that one of the main characters had hit his head. In this trope, the character appears in a new reality with the same friends, a la seasons 8 through 10 of the television series Archer. Archer eventually rectified the situation in season 11, so I sat back, took a big swig of Dr. Pepper, and waited for Affleck to emerge as Daredevil.

As I determined to enjoy the movie instead of finding plot holes, Bernthal and Affleck teamed up in an attempt to stop the bad guys. Finally–a plot line that I had expected to find! Bernthal in particular really began to look and feel like the Punisher, inflicting violence with both weapons and fists. It was disheartening to see Affleck exhibit a similar gusto for doling out pain (since Daredevil is normally such a peaceful, nonviolent character). But then again, who hasn’t gotten upset and rage-filled in 2025? In fact, Affleck has been known to use brute force and fisticuffs over somebody using the name “Martha.”

I’ll save everybody a few dollars and some time by simply saying: this new Daredevil movie is not in the lines of the classic MCU movies. The tangled web of actors appearing in different universes trapped yours truly and, unlike in a classic Spider-Man action scene, the web did not prove useful. Save your money and go see Thunderbolts* instead!