While the MCU prides itself on reimagining some of the most popular comic book stories of all time, somehow, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is about to embark on his third outing with practically the same storyline as before. There is no doubt that Bernthal’s take on Frank Castle has proven to be the most popular in live-action, but despite his playing the character since 2016, he has yet to explore its depths.
Frank Castle is indeed a challenging character to get right, and being a true anti-hero vigilante who behaves in a lot of ways like the bad guys, doling out excessive violence and killing almost anyone who stands in his way, Punisher is not an easy hero to root for. And yet, when his origin story is opened up, and the character’s troubled past is approached, it begins to establish a foundation for the ultra-violent executioner that fights alongside ultra-moral heroes like Daredevil.
Punisher: One Last Kill Already Feels Very Familiar
The trailer for Punisher: One Last Kill follows a version of Frank Castle who is being haunted by visions and voices, as he wrestles his inner demons, then takes his fight to the streets and the criminals who seek to tear apart and hurt families in a similar way to how his own family was taken from him.
However, the trailer also shows a version of Castle who appears to embrace his dark Avenger, even donning the iconic Punisher logo. And as thrilling as all of that is, I can’t help but feel like this is yet another iteration of the same story that Jon Bernthal was given in seasons 1 and 2 of The Punisher on Netflix, and even when he shows up briefly in Daredevil: Born Again season 1.
Frank struggles to embrace becoming The Punisher, but when tensions rise or an enemy that needs punishing appears, he sheds all sense of reluctance and unleashes hell. With that in mind, Frank has never truly embraced his identity as The Punisher, often even finding himself at odds with the idea and ideals that his logo has inspired, among others, like the AVTF in Daredevil: Born Again.
Punisher: One Last Kill marks the first time Jon Bernthal is contributing to a project as a writer, which means he will have a say in how this version of The Punisher’s story plays out.
Frank Castle Might Just Be More Conflicted Than Matt Murdock’s Daredevil
While Matt Murdock, the Catholic Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, is often given the reputation of being one of Marvel’s most conflicted heroes, the MCU is making a case for Frank Castle to hold that honor. In all honesty, Matt doesn’t put up that much of a fight with his inner desire to beat up bad guys because he gives in to it regularly.
Now, it’s true that Matt struggles with pulling back and not crossing the line when it comes to murdering his rivals, but he manages to hold up pretty frequently, and his mental state doesn’t seem to be all that mixed up. On the other hand, we have Frank Castle, literally seeing visions of the dead, and struggling to find peace with his choices.
In general, Castle has been careful to avoid hurting innocent people who are not involved in the conflict, and he doesn’t appear to lose sleep over the people he does kill and who they may have been to their friends and loved ones. Instead, his inner conflict comes from being unable to move on from losing the people he loved.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Has The Best Chance Of Exploring A New Punisher Story
Punisher: One Last Kill has yet to reveal many details about the TV Special, but we already know that the character will be returning again a short time after the special drops in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In the trailer for that film, there appears to be no conflict for Frank in embracing his role as the Punisher, or even shooting at a well-loved hero when Spider-Man gets in his way.
This could mean that Frank has finally moved on from his overwhelming grief, found peace with his identity as the Punisher, and now sets out on a mission more in line with the unleashed version of the character from the comics. And of course, this is likely to tie in to what happens in Punisher: One Last Kill, which will set up Frank Castle for the adventure ahead.
- Release Date
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May 12, 2026
- Director
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Reinaldo Marcus Green
- Writers
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Reinaldo Marcus Green, Ross Andru, Jon Bernthal, Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr.
Cast
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Frank Castle / The Punisher
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Jason R. Moore
Curtis Hoyle
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