The new Special Presentation from Marvel Studios follows Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) as he lives a life of solitude. After leaving Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) to his own devices at the end of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Frank has been living in Brooklyn and operating as a man haunted by the past.
It is common knowledge that Frank’s family was killed and their ghosts are always on his mind. While the Frank we see in Daredevil felt a little further removed from that pain, the Frank in One Last Kill allows the audience into Frank’s mind. Quite literally. We see Frank talking to his former Marine Corps friends but it is all in his mind.
So much of Frank’s journey is a solo one. He’s alone in his apartment when Little Sicily is being overrun. People are attacking random New Yorkers on the street and Frank is locked away during it all. So a lot of One Last Kill is completely Frank on his own. But when he’s forced into the madness, it is high octane Frank Castle violence as only the Punisher knows how to bring to audiences.
On the other hand, those action sequences are colored by Frank’s inner turmoil. He’s struggling to find the will to live and so his violence is a lot more aggressive, even for Frank. But more than anything, One Last Kill sets up a pretty cool future for Frank and gives a lot of insight into where he is mentally in a way that the character of Frank Castle would not tell to anyone out loud.
The violent Punisher we all love but more emotionally raw
If you were worried that One Last Kill wasn’t going to lean into the violence, don’t be. Frank Castle literally starts his blood bath on fire. So no punches are pulled in this special presentation. But it really does make that violence so much harder to watch, knowing that he is struggling through it all.
The insight into Frank’s mind we do get does include cameos from characters we know and love in the greater Marvel universe, including confirmation on how Frank feels about one character in particular. But as is the case with all stories in The Punisher universe, Frank’s dedication to protecting those he deem worthy is what drives him through most of this.
The Gnucci crime family make their appearance in Little Sicily, with Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) confronting Frank at one point. But even with the larger comic influences, what makes The Punisher: One Last Kill special all comes from the information we are given about Frank and his well-being. We’re in his mind which is not always a great place to be. But it makes this an incredibly worthwhile entry into the character’s lore.
The Punisher: One Last Kill feels like a one off comic, which is the point, but it also makes it a great reintroduction to Frank Castle with hope that fans can see the Punisher yet again. The Special Presentation is streaming on Disney+ now.
(featured image: Disney+)
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