The Punisher: One Last Kill Trailer Teases A Major Change For The Character
Could Frank Castle finally give in to his dark calling?
Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle was one of the highlights of the original Daredevil TV series, introduced as a snarling, seemingly unrepentant revenant haunting Hell’s Kitchen’s criminals and the halls of Washington. His introduction was so popular that he received two seasons of his own spin-off, which meant that when Daredevil was announced for a revival back in May 2022, it seemed a given that the character would be folded back into the larger MCU. Fast-forward four years, and the Punisher has appeared in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again and is returning for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
As well-received as his initial appearances were, there’s a bit of stagnation to Bernthal’s version of the character. Instead of committing to Frank’s compulsion to continue his never-ending “war” against the criminal underworld, it feels like he’s been in a continued state of false retirement and denial every time we’ve seen him since the original Daredevil’s second season, until something inevitably pulls him back in. Earlier today, Marvel Studios released the first trailer for its upcoming special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and while it looks similar at first glance, its place in the timeline could mark a change in the character’s outlook.
The trailer itself is light on plot details, opening on Frank sitting alone with the ghosts of his former Marine Corps squadmates before being forced into action by an apparent violent break-in at the apartment across the hall. From there, we see the chaos spill onto the streets as Frank fights off attackers, while haunted by visions of himself dressed in Punisher garb. Although most of the trailer seems to play out over a single incident, we get a brief closing glimpse of Frank in full Punisher gear, preparing to execute a particularly unlucky victim.
On the surface, it seems as if the special will follow a similar setup of a guilt-ridden Frank Castle hiding until an all-too-close act of violence forces him back into the fray, which would be a little disappointing if One Last Kill is a title to be taken at face value. But last year, Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum confirmed that the special will take place concurrently with the timeline of Born Again season 2 (in which Frank is conspicuously absent), which raises a question: is the title meant to be ironic? What if One Last Kill sees Frank give into his urges in what he believes will be “the last time,” only to finally accept the truth of who he is?
Frank has never been able to outrun his demons, and in the source material he eagerly embraces them.
In the comics, the death of the Punisher’s family is the catalyst for a perpetual, inescapable campaign against all criminals, but in actuality, Frank’s crusade is a direct continuation of the maddening violence he witnessed and perpetuated in Vietnam. It can’t end, because Frank now has an appetite for killing and a somewhat justifiable outlet for it, all of which is exacerbated by his PTSD. The history of the MCU’s Punisher evokes this, changing the context to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and having Frank Castle unwittingly serve in a corrupt black ops death squad. But Bernthal’s Punisher has never fully become the eternal, emotionally deadened “soldier” committed to his endless crusade above all else.
With the character’s upcoming appearance in Brand New Day, perhaps the events of One Last Kill will finally push Frank over the edge into a colder, resolved, and more active Punisher, which could be part of the conflict between him and Spider-Man. A self-assured, murderous vigilante is certainly going to be a major problem for Peter Parker, but in a twisted way, Frank Castle’s newfound acceptance of his own “purpose” could be a mirror to Peter’s inevitable acceptance of his own responsibilities. Regardless of whatever justification OLK ends up giving us, it’s clear that Frank Castle’s war isn’t ending any time soon.
