While I’m a huge self-appointed Marvel nerd, I have to be honest…The Punisher has never been one of my favorite characters. When I was still pretty young, my eldest sister met a guy who would eventually become my brother-in-law, who was obsessed with The Punisher. So much so that he got a tattoo of his skull logo on his arm. At the ripe age of 8, I didn’t understand it, which I would say is understandable. No young children should look at Frank Castle and idolize him for what he’s doing. However, even when I got older, I still couldn’t fathom what about this character people loved so much, as all he ever seemed to be was a moody asshole with an incredible chip on his shoulder. While that description has been attached to my name before, I had a hard time relating to Frank on so many levels. But then, Marvel Studios released The Punisher: One Last Kill, and something clicked into place.
Jon Bernthal, who also co-wrote this Special Presentation with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, which recently dropped on Disney+, has been with this character for over a decade, which seems astounding when you think of the journey that the Defenders have taken. With a journey that began on Netflix, appearing first in their Daredevil series before getting his own spin-off, it seems wild to think that the gritty underbelly of NYC has returned in the form of a family-friendly Disney streaming service. Marvel Studios seems invested in not just rebooting these beloved characters, but continuing their stories in a major way. Is it because they’re relatively cheap to produce, or because they know that fans have been scrambling to see these actors return to these? Perhaps this is a bit of a column A and column B situation, because regardless of why, it’s indeed happening, and something just feels right about it.
However, when a special presentation focused on The Punisher was announced, I won’t lie, I wasn’t the slightest bit excited. Of course, I wanted to see The Defenders fully blossom once again, but my excitement was for Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter to return to their roles. But The Punisher? I could take him or leave him. And then that first trailer dropped for One Last Kill, and I knew instantly that something felt different. This wasn’t your typical Marvel Studios special presentation; this was a true return to form, sealed with a promise of what the street-level side of Marvel can truly be.
[Warning: spoilers from The Punisher: One Last Kill are below!]
When the job is done, what comes after?
Since we first met Frank Castle (Bernthal) in the MCU, he’s been on a mission, fueled by the grief of losing his family. He didn’t lose them because of an accident or even an illness, but because of some shady CIA officials who targeted his family in hopes of tying up some loose ends. While Frank was the intended target, he somehow survived, although his wife, daughter, and son did not. And so began his crusade to eliminate any party that was involved in their murders, or die trying.
However, what he wasn’t counting on was making it until the end of his mission. He’s crossed every name off of his list, and the anger that once fueled him has now turned into a full-blown depression. He’s haunted by the ghosts of his family and friends that he’s lost, and all he wants now is an end to his pain. An ending he almost goes through with; however, life has other plans for him, in the form of a grieving mother who’s also fueled by a Frank Castle-level of anger.
Ma Gnucci (Judith Light), the matriarch and lone surviving member of the Gnucci Crime Family, has set up her own twisted game in hopes of getting revenge. You see, Frank Castle murdered her husband and three sons, the last set of names on his ledger, and Ma Gnucci wants to see him punished for his actions. Confronting Frank, she tells him that there’s a bounty on his head, and everyone in Little Sicily is working for her. As a war begins to brew between Frank and the rest of the world, the vigilante has a decision to make. Is there a reason to live, and more importantly, does New York City need a reluctant hero?
The Punisher: One Last Kill has a distinct vision for the street-level MCU
As my excitement from The Punisher: One Last Kill began to build, there was one fear I had about the project. While I’ve loved every single Special Presentation that Marvel Studios has given us, the time constraint definitely felt like a problem. For the most part, the Special Presentations have been under an hour, which means that a story needs to be either fluff, self-contained, or incredibly tight to pull off. With characters such as The Punisher, who has been established as part of the larger street-level MCU, that felt like an impossible task. How can you tell a story so complete in that time with a character we already know so well?
In my head, again, before I saw the project, this felt like something that needed to be a movie. At least an hour-and-a-half dedicated to telling a story that involves mental health, grief, and a fuck ton of action. That being said, I was beyond pleasantly shocked at the conclusion of The Punisher: One Last Kill, because it achieves all that and so much more in about 45 minutes of actual storytelling.
Where the magic truly comes from is what One Last Kill says without having to say much. For those who are tuning into this project (presumably) have watched the previous Defenders projects. One Last Kill, while it could be enjoyed in isolation, is a culmination of over a decade of cinematic work. The story of why Frank is doing what he’s doing has been told multiple times in multiple ways. We get hints of his origin in Daredevil season 2 through exposition between the Nelson, Murdock, and Page team as they attempt to save Frank from prison. We see the story play out in flashbacks across two seasons of The Punisher. There isn’t a need to rehash that in full, which would be a waste of the time we’re given for this story.
However, One Last Kill shows us the aftermath, which, to me, is brilliant. We’re seeing a guy who has lived through war, which comes with its own PTSD, and witnessed the murders of his family, which is another level entirely, unraveling at not having a mission anymore. The fight has completely left him, and all he wants is peace. All that is said without a single word in the opening moments of this special presentation. John Bernthal gives a powerful performance in that opening scene that brought tears to my eyes. As a psychologist, I have witnessed the power of grief and how it can completely shape a person. Frank has lost his entire world, with truly the only person that he seems to have any connection with being Karen Page, who is lost in her own world during the events of this show.
The Punisher: One Last Kill lays the groundwork for who Frank is and where his mental state is, before thrusting us into the vast world that is still as seedy and dark as ever. While many people are rooting for Frank, there are still consequences to his actions, a through-line that has been explored across both seasons of Daredevil: Born Again and now this special presentation. Even when we think we’re the hero or doing the right thing, every move we make has an equal and opposite reaction. Frank killed Ma Gnucci’s family, and now she wants revenge. Cause, meet effect.
These two characters, Frank and Ma Gnucci, are perfect foils for each other, as both are stuck in a vicious loop. Frank can look and see himself in Ma Gnucci, having only just been in that same position not that long ago. Ma Gnucci can gaze into Frank’s eyes and see the shell of grief she’s destined to become. This is the moment that One Last Kill shifts from one thought to another. It’s here that we see what is going on in another part of NYC, which truly all seems to be falling apart.
One Last Kill becomes a high-intensity bloodbath, which seems like the only appropriate way to portray a Frank Castle story, but it also shows the variety the MCU can be. Just like the comics, you can have a world where Spider-Man is swinging around saving the day, and Frank Castle is killing people without mercy. The MCU has had a clean image for the majority of its existence, but with The Punisher: One Last Kill, they are showing that they aren’t here to play.
Final thoughts on this Marvel Studios Special Presentation
If this project is any indication, Marvel Studios knows exactly what it wants out of its street-level heroes. While audiences may have had mixed reviews of the previous seasons of Daredevil: Born Again (although I personally loved them), there’s no denying the direction and power they are taking after seeing The Punisher: One Last Kill. Marvel Studios is giving the fans what they truly want once again, with an absolutely brutal world where some of their favorite comic characters are kicking ass and taking names. One Last Kill isn’t just a cinematic experience; it’s a promise that the future is bright for the dark underbelly of this corner of the MCU.
Punisher: One Last Kill is streaming now on Disney+!
Learn more about the project on Disney+.
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