The Punisher: One Last Kill Review - Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle Like You've Never Seen Before In The MCU

The Punisher: One Last Kill brings Frank Castle back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after his long hiatus, and the Disney+ story is exactly what Jon Bernthal's character needed at the perfect time. Daredevil: Born Again season 2 ended 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.

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 Daredevil: Born Again season 3 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.

Netflix's Punisher TV show 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 the MCU timeline 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.

As the Marvel veteran will be reprising the role of the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, 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 a new era for the MCU's Punisher.

The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+ worldwide.