Marvel's Next Street-Level Show Subtly Confirms The Death Of A 9-Year MCU Character

The trailer for Marvel's next street-level superhero show implied that an MCU character is going to die nine years after they first appeared. The next street-level MCU series, The Punisher: One Last Kill, is quickly approaching. The one-hour television special is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 12, one week after the ending of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, and act as a follow-up to Daredevil's story.

As the release date of Punisher: One Last Kill approaches, Marvel and Disney have begun releasing more information about Frank Castle's return. Thanks to the first teaser trailer for the special, it now seems that Marvel has subtly confirmed the death of Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore) more than nine years after he first appeared in The Punisher season 1.

In The Punisher, Curtis was a longtime friend of Frank. The two served together in the Marine Corps alongside Billy Russo, also known as Jigsaw. In their civilian lives, Curtis invited Frank to join a support group for veterans and began acting as his therapist. Now, it seems that Curtis has met his untimely end ahead of The Punisher: One Last Kill.

The Trailer For The Punisher: One Last Kill Implies Curtis Hoyle's Death

Though it's not official yet, the first trailer for Punisher: One Last Kill heavily implies that Curtis Hoyle is dead by the time of the upcoming television special. Curtis provides most of the voice-over for the trailer. Initially, he offers support and a chance to talk to Frank, but as the trailer progresses, Curtis begins taunting Frank, telling him that God's love won't forgive him.

The most definitive piece of evidence that Curtis has died by the time of The Punisher: One Last Kill is the fact that he never physically appears in the trailer. For the brief moments we do see Curtis, he flickers in and out of existence, implying that he's one of Frank's hallucinations. His voice-over, as well, seems ethereal and dreamy, like Frank is experiencing auditory hallucinations of his friend's voice.

Curtis being dead would be the most straightforward explanation for both his voice-over and his appearance being limited exclusively to Frank's hallucinations. It would also make sense for Curtis to be "haunting" Frank, as the two men were incredibly close in the original Netflix series, and Curtis often acted as a therapist to Frank. Curtis, in a way, represented Frank's better angels and desire to heal, and if he's dead, it would cause quite a bit of psychological trauma for Frank.

Based on all the above, it seems that Curtis is going to somehow die either off-screen or at the very start of Punisher: One Last Kill. As of Frank's last appearance in Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Curtis was still alive. His relationship with Frank, however, could easily have put a target on his back. If that is the case, Frank would also likely feel responsible for Curtis' death, which would only make his psychological trauma worse.

Curtis' Death Could Be To Punisher What Foggy's Death Was To Daredevil

There's another reason The Punisher: One Last Kill may have killed off Curtis Hoyle: to have him fill the same role Foggy did in Daredevil: Born Again season 1. In Born Again season 1, Foggy was killed by Bullseye, who was working for Vanessa Fisk. His death obviously wrecked Matt Murdock, who then attempted to kill Bullseye, breaking his no killing code. Foggy's death and Matt's attempted murder then caused him to hang up the mantle of Daredevil for most of the season.

Curtis' implied death in Punisher: One Last Kill would serve a similar purpose to Foggy's death. Losing his brother in arms, his friend, and his therapist would be a massive crisis for Frank. The synopsis of One Last Kill also teases that "Frank searches for meaning beyond revenge, when an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight," (via Marvel). Curtis' death could be exactly the catalyst for Frank's search for meaning, much the same way Foggy's death caused Matt to reconsider his work as Daredevil.

Punisher: One Last Kill's title itself is also a hint at why the series may have killed off Curtis. There's a real possibility that this special will see Frank decide to stop killing criminals and instead opt for non-lethal methods, after one last rampage. Curtis' death would fit right into that. Throughout the original series, Curtis was trying to get Frank to stop killing and start healing. If Curtis was murdered, Frank would certainly want to kill his murderers, and he could conceivably start using non-lethal methods in honor of Curtis' memory.