The Punisher: One Last Kill Special Presentation has been praised as a brutal epic in which Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle goes up against a staggering number of foes. Most Marvel films and TV shows boast massive casts, drawing a lot of different characters in from the comics, but One Last Kill is different; it’s been positioned as a more intense story, and so adds only five Marvel characters to the MCU.
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That said, these are major names from the comics. One Last Kill debuts a major Marvel villain from the Garth Ennis run, Ma Gnucci, and also features at least one returning Marvel Netflix character (with rumors of others). Here are all the confirmed cast members of Punisher: One Last Kill.
Judith Light is Ma Gnucci
Hailing from hits One Life to Live, Who’s the Boss?, Ugly Betty, and Poker Face, Judith Light is generally viewed as something of a television darling. For all that’s the case, though, she’s playing one of the nastiest villains in the Punisher’s rogues’ gallery; Ma Gnucci, a crime boss with a vendetta against Frank Castle. In the comics, Ma Gnucci was the matriarch of a crime family who were wiped out by the Punisher. She hired several mercenaries and bounty hunters to kill Castle, with the final confrontation taking place at a zoo; the Punisher fed Ma Gnucci to polar bears.
“I think people will be surprised,” Light told The Today Show. “This is really about transformation and what it means to be a person who holds on to revenge.” The comic book version of Ma Gnucci is noted for being wheelchair-bound, and a wheelchair has indeed been seen on the set. That said, the MCU’s Ma Gnucci doesn’t appear to be quite so dramatic, given she has all her limbs – unlike the comics.
The Gnucci Crime Family
Marvel has apparently confirmed four members of the Gnucci crime family:
- Ma’s husband Benny Gnucci, whose death was unrelated to the Punisher in the comics
- Ma’s three sons Eddie, Bobbie, and Carlo Gucci, all of whom have apparently been killed by the Punisher (as in the comics)
Jon Bernthal is the Punisher
Jon Bernthal has played the Punished since his 2016 debut in Daredevil Season 2. The character transitioned into the mainstream MCU in 2025’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, and stars in this Special Presentation. The Punisher will then appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where he appears to be acting as a protector for Sadie Sink’s mystery character (rumored to be the MCU version of Jean Grey). Punisher: One Last Kill is essentially connective tissue between two different incarnations of Frank Castle.
Jason R. Moore is Curtis Hoyle
Trailers for Punisher: One Last Kill have confirmed the return of Marvel Netflix alum Jason R. Moore, reprising the role of Curtis Hoyle. In The Punisher show, Hoyle was a former Navy SARC who lost his leg during service. He agreed to help the Punisher in his campaigns, but he and Castle eventually parted ways. You may also recognize Moore from Sentinel, First Kill, and The Quad.
Deborah Ann Woll is Karen Page
Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page had a close relationship with Frank Castle in the Marvel Netflix shows, and is confirmed to return in The Punisher: One Last Kill. Woll has become one of the most noted Marvel Netflix stars to return, stealing every scene in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. Her relationship with the Punisher has left a lasting impact on Karen, as shown by her philosophical differences with Matt Murdock ahead of Born Again Season 2’s ending.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
