The Punisher's New Chapter: Frank Castle's Evolution in One Last Kill
By Published May 12, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers.
Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
The following review contains mentions of suicide and self-harm.
brings Frank Castle back into the after his long hiatus, and the Disney+ story is exactly what Jon Bernthal's character needed at the perfect time. a week ago, but the street-level stories are far from over in the MCU, with the focus now shifting to Punisher. After escaping his imprisonment in Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Marvel Studios has left so many unanswered questions about his future, until now.
For Marvel Studios' next MCU Special Presentation, the spotlight is given to Bernthal's Punisher, nearly a decade after his Netflix series came to an end. The Punisher: One Last Kill utilizes the vicious anti-hero in territories that make it refreshing and exciting, especially in a genre where things can tend to get very repetitive. Luckily, the Phase 6 entry does not fall victim to feeling like it is recycling old material.
The Punisher: One Last Kill Reminds The MCU Why Jon Bernthal Was Born For This Role
Bringing a complex character like Punisher to life from page to screen is never easy, and only some actors can do that. But as Bernthal has proven for over a decade, ever since he landed the role, the actor understands Frank on numerous levels. Allowing him to take a bigger charge behind the camera for the anti-hero's latest chapter is one of the smartest choices Marvel Studios has made, and One Last Kill is a testament to that.
On the outside, Punisher is one of the most vicious players in the whole Marvel canon, but there is more to him than just the number of bullets he fires to execute his enemies. From losing his family as tragically as he did to the many lives he has changed during his tenure, Frank continues to be one of the MCU's devastating characters to this day, which One Last Kill never forgets during its runtime, as short as it may be.
The Punisher: One Last Kill shows Bernthal's Frank Castle as we have never seen him before, starting a whole new era for the anti-hero.
Prominent cameos by Jason R. Moore's Curtis Hoyle and another surprise guest remind the audience that, as alone as Frank may seem to be, he truly isn't on his own. While his encounter with one familiar figure is short, I'm one of the many admirers of the relationship between Frank and this ally, and Marvel Studios knows what they're doing by bringing them back together for One Last Kill.
In fact, there's a single scene in One Last Kill that could impact a huge part of Daredevil's life moving forward. If were to bring Frank back into the fold, it would be interesting to see what kind of future Marvel would envision for Punisher because One Last Kill both warms the heart, while also feeling like a tease that Frank's attempt at some normalcy in life could possibly go nowhere.
Frank Castle Can Never Leave The Punisher Behind, But He Can Evolve As An Anti-Hero
For as long as he has been in the franchise, Frank's biggest challenge has never been the crime lords or gangs that pull up on him, but rather the ability to leave the Punisher behind. While One Last Kill could have benefited from being longer in runtime, Bernthal and director/co-writer Reinaldo Marcus Green do stellar work in showcasing Frank at his lowest, going as far as seeing the anti-hero almost end his own life. Anyone who has followed this iteration of the character since Netflix's Daredevil season 2 is bound to have their heart broken when he decides his own fate.
However, Frank's past will always find a way to catch up with him. In One Last Kill, it's Ma Gnucci, thanks to a chilling performance by Judith Light. Even though there was never a chance that the Marvel special would end with Punisher being dead, it almost serves as a rebirth, to a degree. Wherever Frank goes, blood will be spilled, but the number of casualties will seemingly change with Punisher's next MCU chapter.
may be over, and while Disney+ can only capture so much of that era for their darker MCU series that are ongoing, One Last Kill still comes with plenty of bloody action that should leave long-time viewers pleased. Still, the title does honor what many expected, as it shows that Frank is taking a new - but still violent - path as he goes forward in the franchise.
The MCU's One Last Kill Needed To Happen For Punisher To Have A Brand New Day
The Punisher: One Last Kill is slightly ambiguous as to where it takes place in as a whole, but it seemingly has to be set sometime after Daredevil: Born Again season 2. Given the violence that endures during Frank's latest story, it's hard to imagine that the events are happening while Wilson Fisk is still the mayor. Granted, the most important reason why the MCU Special Presentation came out in May was to get Bernthal ready for his Marvel Studios film debut.
While The Punisher: One Last Kill may not necessarily be laying the foundation for a new TV show surrounding Bernthal's character, it left me wanting to see more of him across the wider MCU
As the Marvel veteran will be reprising the role of the , One Last Kill is essential in setting up Frank's appearance in the upcoming MCU movie. Time will tell how he and the web-crawler cross paths, but the transition from Netflix and Disney+ to cinema feels a lot more organic now. That doesn't mean that Marvel Studios is "limiting" him down to being another PG-13 player, but someone that can serve the best of both worlds, where it both honors the character's purpose in a larger, interconnected franchise.
While The Punisher: One Last Kill may not necessarily be laying the foundation for a new TV show surrounding Bernthal's character, it left me wanting to see more of him across the wider MCU, especially with other heroes that the Netflix characters can now engage with after being made canon to the franchise properly. The Special Presentation is the character study that makes you more invested if you weren't already on board, while paving the way for .
The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+ worldwide.
Cast
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Frank Castle / The Punisher -
Colton Hill Colton
Main Genre Executive Producer(s) Brad Winderbaum, , Louis D'Esposito, Sana Amanat, , Reinaldo Marcus Green Studio(s) Expand Collapse
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