Kastle

"The deal is just that nobody goes after her, okay? Not on my watch."

- Frank to David about Karen.

Kastle is the het ship between Frank Castle and Karen Page from the Daredevil fandom.

Daredevil Season Two
Karen is still working at Nelson & Murdock, when Grotto, a man who survived a massacre, comes to them and begs them to save him. Frank Castle, the Punisher himself, is after him. When Grotto is brought to the hospital by Karen and her associates, the Punisher attacks. The man dies, and Karen, distraught, begins investigating the mysterious assassin. She learns his true identity and real name, Frank Castle, once a husband and father who was hospitalized with a bullet in his head. She finds truth about him having been a marine, about him having been on the verge of death and having been tortured. She breaks into his home to find more information, where she finds a picture of his family and learns that Frank’s entire family has been murdered.

Frank is captured and awaits trial (and possible death sentence), when he is visited by Karen, Matt, and Nelson. When they meet face to face, Karen reveals to Castle what she knows about his past, earning his trust. They seem at ease with each other, their conversation makes them both laugh. After Nelson and Murdock agree to part ways, Karen continues her personal investigation on Frank. She finds another victim in his case, in addition to Frank’s family. Castle escapes the prison. When Page is attacked, Castle saves her, which she openly admits to Murdock. Karen believes that the Blacksmith is targeting her, so she needs to leave. Murdock wants to go with her, but she tells him that she is not his to protect. Later she meets with Frank in the parking lot. She is uneasy because they are lying to the police, but she trusts Castle enough to leave with him nonetheless.

Frank takes Karen to a diner, where they discuss how they might find the Blacksmith. Changing the subject, he compliments her on her choice of gun, and says he's surprised she didn't shoot him. Castle then asks her about Murdock, guessing correctly that she is in love with him. When she argues that Murdock hurts people, Castle tells her that he would give anything to have his wife hurt him again. He then tells her to get the waitress and cook, and for them to hide. Castle is attacked by men, but he easily fights them off. Karen sees Frank beating information out one of the men, and then murdering them all. Castle then tells a terrified Karen to stay away from him for her own good.

Castle later locates the man who he thought was the Blacksmith, however he ultimately finds out by Murdock that the man had lied. When the man spoke into a walkie-talkie and called reinforcments, Castle pushes Murdock off the ship and waits for the men to show. When the reinforcments show up and open fire on Castle, due to him spraying acid all over the ship, it blows up. Karen shows up with police and looks at the burning ship with tears in her eyes, whispering Castle's name.

When police believe that Castle is dead, Page reluctantly agrees; rather than dropping her investigation into Castle, which she was going to write an exposé on for the New York Bulletin, Page decides to write a profile to show the public that there was more to Castle than just the Punisher. She interviews Castle's marine commander, but realizes that he is the Blacksmith. Castle arrives, and murders him despite Karen’s pleas.

The Punisher
The two are reunited again, when Frank asks Karen to help him find the man stalking him. Karen invites him to her apartment, but he doesn't stay long. When he is about to leave, Karen tears up and grabs him, drawing Frank into a tight hug. They both seem to be extremely relieved and comforted by the embrace. Afterwards Karen seems embarassed as she drops her gaze and runs her fingers though her hair (one of her nervous tics).

Later they meet by the docks and Karen says she found the man Frank is looking for. She is anxious about disclosing the man's identity as she fears Frank might want to kill him. Castle promises that if Micro proves to be no threat to him, then he will not kill him. Before Frank leaves, Karen asks when they will meet again; he is surprised she wants to see him again. Karen says she cares about what happens to Castle, even if he doesn't care about himself. She tells him to be careful. Some time later, they meet by the bridge. Karen tries to convince Castle to allow either her or Madani to expose the criminals he is hunting, but Frank refuses to let that happen. Frank begs her not to put herself in grave danger as he does not want Karen to become a target like his family. He kisses her on the cheek and leaves.

When Karen arrives at the Royal Hospitality hotel, they get under a terrorist attack. When things go awry, Lewis, the terrorist, captures Karen and tries to escape, shielding himself with her. Frank persues them and tries to talk him down. Frank gives Karen a signal and she disarms the bomb and shoots Lewis in the foot. When the bomb is rewired, Lewis sets it off, and Karen and Frank get hit by the blast. When Frank comes to, he checks Karen. The forces are waiting behind the door, convienced that it was Frank who set off the bomb, and Karen lets herself be used as a human shield to get him escape to an elevator. Inside, they catch their breath. Before Frank escapes through the zip-line, he and Karen share a silent moment, pressing their foreheads against each other and saying goodbye.

Quotes
"You're still all heart, huh?"

- Frank to Karen.

"... Good luck, Frank."

- Karen to Frank.

"I think he was looking out for me."

- Karen about Frank.

"All of them, they all think you're a monster. But I know that you're not. You're not!"

- Karen to Frank.

"Karen... hey. I cannot let that happen to you, you got that? I can't let that happen. Please."

- Frank to Karen about her getting hurt.

"Are you okay?"

- Frank after he saves Karen.

"Listen to me. Listen. I’m only gonna say this once. So is Karen."

- Frank to David after he says that Sara is his wife and family.

"If anything happens to her I..."

- Frank to David. "I will come for you."

- Frank to Karen after she gets taken hostage.

Behind The Scenes
"The big difference for me is that with Frank, I can be more honest about who I am, in my past, even if I don’t show specifics."

- Deborah Ann Woll about how Karen feels about Frank.

"I think a lot of the connection with Frank was that if he's a monster, then so am I.. because I did the same thing. Now, I did it once, maybe twice. I think that connection was that I, on a deeper level, can understand his pain and the instinct. I maybe wouldn't follow through in the same way Frank does, but he can't fully be a monster to me."

- Deborah Ann Woll about Karen's connection to Frank.

"I think part of what makes Karen and Frank so special, is they’ve allowed each other deeper. So that every time we see them with other characters, you go, ‘Oh, but they’re not showing their whole self,’ and that’s why it’s such a breath of fresh air when they come together, because there’s much more of a revelation."

- Deborah Ann Woll.

"I think if anything, it’s easier for Karen to sympathize with Frank than it is with Matt in some ways, because Karen in a lot of ways is more like Frank… I think the relationship growth for Karen and Matt will be ‘How can they really open up and show their true self to each other?’ And in a way, I think she’s already there with Frank. I mean, Karen’s a vigilante more akin to Frank in many ways than to Matt, who has his religiousness and his righteousness that is sort of pulling him in many directions. I think in some ways, Karen can’t be really honest about who she is with Matt in a way that she can be with Frank."

- Deborah about Karen, Frank and Matt.

"Deborah Ann Woll of “Daredevil” returns as Karen Page, there to remind you that “The Punisher” is connected to the rest of Netflix’s Marvel universe, even though the show is so good that it doesn’t need to lean on that. She provides the role of caring friend and possible romantic interest — if Frank can ever allow himself to love again."

- David Betancourt. "After months in hiding, Frank resurfaces to again seeks out Karen on The Punisher, as she's one of the few people who knows he survived the explosion in Daredevil Season 2. His stated reason is that he needs help finding information about this Micro who has tracked him down, but it's obvious he requires more: a human connection; family. His Marine buddy Curtis Hoyle can give him advice, and lend him books, but Franks longs for something more. Not romance, necessarily, just ... more. He knows Karen, probably better than Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson do. He knows she still carries "that hand cannon" in her purse (knowledge that becomes crucial later in the season), but that she's also softhearted enough to stop and give a "homeless" person some money. However, Karen knows Frank, too, enough to realize she cares more about his well-being than he does. She also understands that for Frank Castle there can't be a happy ending, and it tears her up inside. But Frank and Karen aren't alone, not entirely. They have each other, a notion that's as problematic as it is comforting. Karen's proximity to Frank places her in as much danger as anything she might right for the Bulletin. He rebuffs her offer to help expose the people who killed his family, saying, "Look, I ... I can't go after these men and keep you safe. I can't do both at once. [...] What do you mean, I don't have to keep you safe? My famiy's gone because of what I know -- they're gone! ... Hey, come on, I cannot let that happen to you, you got that? I cannot let that happen. Please." There again, Frank conflates Karen with his family, because in his mind, that's precisely what she is. It's not that he views her as some kind of surrogate for his late wife Maria, who still both haunts him and brings a smile to his face. No, Karen is perhaps the only person with whom he can display tenderness, and honest-to-goodness human emotion. She embraces him -- a bit too long, she realizes -- in their initial reunion, and he chastely kisses her on the cheek in Episode 5. It's the danger posed to Karen, and not to some liberal senator or the good people of New York City, that later pulls Frank from his mission to stop Lewis Wolcott, the troubled young veteran who becomes fixated on overthrowing a government that, in his view, refuses to protect its citizens' Second Amendment rights. Lewis sees in Karen a possible ally -- after all, she was sympathetic to The Punisher -- but when she publicly ridicules him for killing innocent people by setting off a series of bombs in Manhattan, she and an anti-gun senator become his targets. In one of the strongest episodes of the season, the Rashomon-like "Virtue of Viciousness," Frank risks public exposure, arrest and death to save Karen, who's interviewing the senator in a hotel suite guarded by Anvil, the private military company owned by Billy Russo (Ben Barnes), the ex-Marine believed by Frank to be his best friend. It's an episode that not only makes the public aware that The Punisher is still alive, but finally reveals to Frank the involvement of Billy in the conspiracy. But the events of Episode 10, the last time we see the two of them together in the season, also demonstrates the strength of Karen, and of her bond with Frank."

- CBC about Frank and Karen. "In Episode 11, Karen rushes to Frank’s bedside hearing about his hospitalization and pending murder charges to check on him and offer legal assistance. He admits to killing three women, which is against his moral code, and advises Karen to walk away because she cannot fix this situation. But, Karen insists that his actions would never change how she feels about him, which makes him scoff as he replies that it should make a difference. Karen stays by his side, sympathizing with him as he tearfully reveals details from his continuing nightmares about Maria and the kids’ deaths. He connects that pain with his guilt over killing the women while Karen gently holds his hand. And, if you listen close enough, you can hear the audible sighs from Karen/Frank shippers who are feeling all the feels."

- Bustle about Kastle. "I love, love, love working with Jon [Bernthal]. I think what we found with Frank and Karen is really unique, obviously has never been done in the comics, so it really belongs to us in the Netflix world."

- Deborah Ann Woll. "And, of course, we have Daredevil star Deborah Ann Woll reprising her role of New York Bulletin reporter Karen Page for a handful of episodes. Karen factors into the best episode of the season -- a time-shifting narrative taking place solely inside a single location -- and she also gives Frank a chance to be emotional without rage taking over, which is actually needed from time to time."

- Nick Venable on Karen and Frank.

"And for Frank and Karen, even though it ends with them going their separate ways and having made their choices, he did say that he loves Karen, and she was able to say that back. It felt great to do that."

- Deborah Ann Woll confirming Kastle.

"Yeah, I mean, I think that Frank has a soft spot in Karen's heart. And certainly with the dark history that Karen has there's very few people she can share her true, authentic self with. And certainly Matt with his Catholicism and not wanting to kill anybody and things like that- would have trouble understanding some of the... decisions that Karen has made. And I think Frank is someone who could understand, who she could potentially fully open up to. So yeah, I think she's always excited to come back into Frank's arena."

- Deborah about Karen, Matt and Frank.

"I think Frank can tell. When Karen shot Wesley in Season 1 of Daredevil, there was a mention of some stuff that happened before she got to New York, and we don’t really know exactly what her deep dark past is. I like to say that Karen wears a disguise as much as Daredevil and Punisher do. The pretty blonde smiling girl is just a way of saying, 'Hey, don't look too deep, because you might not like what you find,' and I think Frank is capable of seeing past that. Karen certainly looks at him and says, 'Well, he takes justice into his own hands. I did that at least once, so I can’t just call him a monster.' She's a little more open to understanding him instead of writing him off."

- Deborah about Frank and Karen.

"...If you were to describe their relationship, I could only describe it sort of in gestures and feelings."

- Jon Bernthal on Frank and Karen.

Fanon
Kastle is one of the most popular ships in the Daredevil and Punisher universe. It is the most popular ship for Karen and the second most popular for Frank. Kastle is a fan favorite ship in the Fandom and is popularly shipped alongside ClaireDevil, another fan favorite ship in the Daredevil universe. It's rival ships are Fratt and KareDevil.

Kastle has a big Fandom on Tumblr, Twitter and AO3. Many fans have been saddened by the surprise cancellation of the show, and believe that Karen and Frank could have had future together as a couple, had the show been renewed.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

TWITTER

SPOTIFY
 * Kastle Playlists on Spotify

Trivia

 * Frank Castle and Karen Page don't interact in the original Marvel comics.
 * In The Punisher Season 1 episode 2, Frank gives Karen white roses. White roses traditionally are often used at weddings. This is because they represent purity, making them a perfect option for marriage. They also represent innocence, young love, and loyalty. Because of this, white roses are also viewed as a way to symbolize a new beginning and have come to represent love.
 * Frank shields Karen from a bullet in The Punisher.
 * Deborah Ann Woll and Jon Bernthal are both Kastle shippers; and have expressed their support for Karen and Frank's romantic relationship on numerous occasions.
 * Deborah used the #Kastle tag on Twitter. She also retweeted Kastle fan art and called it beautiful.
 * Jon quote retweeted a post with him and Deborah during an interview from a Kastle fan account with the caption, "Miss. You. Prosecutor."
 * Deborah asked her audience on Instagram of what they think happens to Karen and Frank in their fan fiction.
 * Deborah said during an interview that while they are hyping up Season 3 of Daredevil, she wants everyone to not forget that she did a whole season with Frank Castle and she wants to keep that alive.