The Punisher: One Last Kill finally completes Frank Castle’s transformation into a hero (or, perhaps, an antihero). Jon Bernthal made his debut as Marvel Netflix’s Punisher in 2016’s Daredevil Season 2, and he quickly became something of a fan-favorite. The classic Marvel Netflix shows tended to treat the Punisher as more of a serial killer than a hero; his co-creator Gerry Conway frequently described him as an “oppositional force” rather than a hero, and that was Marvel Netflix’s portrayal. Like real-life serial killers, the Punisher even had “cooling-off periods” between killing sprees.
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The Marvel Netflix partnership ended in 2019, and viewers initially feared The Punisher Season 2 was the end of the road for Bernthal’s character. Instead, Marvel Studios has now begun a revival of Daredevil and the Defenders, and Bernthal’s Punisher is back as well. In fact, the character is set to play a major role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Marvel’s Punisher: One Last Kill Special Presentation is really a smart way of transitioning him from serial killer to hero.
The Punisher is Ma Gnucci’s “One Last Kill”
Viewers assumed the Marvel Special Presentation would follow the same format as several Marvel Netflix stories: namely, that the Punisher would be portrayed as a world-weary killer who was forced to step out of the shadows on what he hoped was one last mission. Instead, Punisher: One Last Kill smartly inverts that formula. The Punisher is in the deepest cooling-off period yet, having finally killed all those connected to his family’s deaths, and he considers suicide after wiping out the Gnucci crime family. But he’s left one last person alive; Ma Gnucci.
Punisher: One Last Kill riffs on Garth Ennis’ Punisher run, with Ma Gnucci putting out a bounty on Castle and revealing where he’s living. His home in Little Sicily turns into a bloodbath when would-be bounty hunters and hoods attack en masse, storming the apartment building and wreaking havoc. The Punisher initially fights in self-defense, but he sees the growing scale of chaos and begins to defend his neighbors. Ironically, the various killers bring their own weapons, giving Castle an ever-expanding arsenal.
The Punisher Proves Himself a Hero
Little Sicily has been plunged into chaos, with riots blazing through the streets. The Punisher, who has escaped the trap, is faced with a simple choice: will he pursue revenge on Ma Gnucci or will he defend the innocents of Little Sicily? He chooses the latter, symbolically moving from vengeance to a skewed version of justice. The Punisher notably defends a local family from thugs, even receiving the blessing of a little girl. It’s a smart (if quite heavy-handed) scene, because Castle finally realizes he is no longer alone. The community appreciate his (brutal) heroism.
That said, Punisher: One Last Kill underlines the fact Frank Castle is no typical hero. The justice he seeks is the brutal and bloody kind, rather than that dished out by the courts. In fact, he isn’t even an agent of retributive justice; that’s basically “an eye for an eye,” or “the punishment must equal the crime.” Instead, the Punisher deals a death sentence to pretty much anyone who crosses him in any way; he even kills a street thug responsible for the death of a dog (granted, in as abhorrent a way as possible, with the show ensuring Castle remains sympathetic).
Still, One Last Kill certainly stresses that the innocent people of Little Sicily stand behind the Punisher. He’s embraced as a local hero, symbolically representing the entire Marvel Universe’s willingness to accept the Punisher’s presence in New York. The “serial killer” interpretation is set aside at last, with the Punisher instead seen as a champion. It’s clear setup for a very different role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
How The Punisher: One Last Kill Fits into the MCU
The MCU is often focused on continuity and lore, but Punisher: One Last Kill is all about continuity in terms of character evolution. The Special Presentation never explicitly explains why Punisher wasn’t in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, although it’s implied he was simply in the cooldown phase of his serial killer cycle. Nor does it feature a post-credits scene serving as setup for Punisher’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day; one isn’t needed, because the trailer has been widely viewed.
It is, however, an important watch in character terms. This is the necessary transition, because the Marvel Netflix Punisher – Frank Castle as more of a serial killer – simply wouldn’t be a good fit for a Spider-Man film. He’d be an enemy, too much of an oppositional force, and he and Spider-Man wouldn’t be able to find a way to work together. One Last Kill is about how Frank Castle evolves, becoming the kind of man who can play a mysterious “guardian angel” role for Sadie Sink’s even more mysterious character. This is the best kind of continuity, because it’s about a hero’s humanity and morality rather than deep lore.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
