From Vengeance To War: The Punisher’s New Mission In The MCU Explained

Right off the rip, I want to get this out the way: I'm a HUGE Punisher fan. Have been ever since I was a kid. I own basically every Punisher key comic book issue you can imagine including Amazing Spider-Man 129. I've seen every movie. Watched every TV show, from Spider-Man: the Animated Series to Daredevil. I love the Punisher.

So, when I saw Frank Castle was back and starring in his own "Special Presentation" on Disney+, I was both excited and a little nervous. We knew Frank was going to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But, going back the Netflix era of Marvel, they've had the same problem with the Punisher: He starts a war, he finishes the war, then he has an identity crisis until he figures out what to do next. And the special falls into that same trap. However, what it does next is what makes 'One Last Kill' special.

SPOILERS AHEAD - IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ONE LAST KILL STOP READING NOW

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Punisher: One Last Kill - A Review

Was One Last Kill perfect? Absolutely not. Running just 48-ish minutes, the Special Presentation felt a bit rushed and a bit sloppy at times. And, as mentioned above, the special spends a lot of it's limited run time covering the same ground as all of his previous MCU appearances. The MCU has basically treated Frank like a serial killer: he goes on a murder spree, has a cool down period, then he strikes again when urge becomes overwhelming to resist.

And that's where this story begins. Frank has finished (sort of - and we'll get to that in a minute) killing off the Gnucci Crime Family. And since he has killed off the last of the enemies responsible for taking out his family, he's in a full blown PTSD identity crisis. He's suicidal not knowing how to move forward in a world without a personal enemy. While this isn't breaking new ground, again we've seen this in pretty much every season of the Punisher show, what is new is how it's portrayed.

Jon Bernthal does an AMAZING job relaying Frank's trauma and fractured psyche. Jon may be the perfect actor to play Frank Castle and this just might be one of the best character studies on Frank Castle we've ever seen. The downside, again due to the limited run time, some of the moments seem rushed and if you haven't watched previous Punisher appearances recently to add context, some of what's happening doesn't add up.

Then comes Judith Light's Ma Gnucci. She explains how Frank has single handedly wiped out her family. During this sequence, we see some gory flashbacks of Frank taking out her family. Here's my problem with this and it's never explained - why didn't Frank kill Ma? He had her dead to rights...but didn't finish the job.

One of Frank's key characteristics is doing whatever to finish his mission. So, why did he purposely choose to leave this obvious loose end? And, going back to the beginning here, he's having an identity crisis because he finished his mission...but Ma is still alive, which means his mission isn't complete. That part bothered me more than anything.

Any way, when Ma finishes her heartbreak tale, she tells Frank that she's put a bounty on his head and that every gangster & thug in the area will be coming to kill him at 6:47 - the time Castle murdered her favorite son. Again, she knows this because she was in the car when it happened but for some reason the Punisher chose not to finish his mission.

Guess what? When the thugs show up and begin attacking his innocent neighbors while looking for him, Frank finds his purpose and the Punisher is reborn. We get very mature, Punisher-worthy murder and mayhem. Ultimately, during the carnage, Frank is left with a choice - kill Ma Gnucci for personal vengeance or save innocents that are just innocent bystanders in his war. Ultimately, he chose to save the innocent to dish out punishment against those that deserve it.

That choice changes the path of the Punisher in the MCU. Jon Bernthal said the special would explore "the essential question of who he is". Previous appearances in the MCU, the Punisher have been relatively selfish. He's taking out the people that killed his family. He connects with a bartender that gets shot, so he goes on a murderous rampage. AVTF Goons hijack his symbol and pain. It's been personal issues that have driven him forward. In this, he focus shifts outward a bit. Using his military skills and killer instincts to save others just because it's the right thing to do.

What Does One Last Kill Mean for the Future of the Punisher?

I don't want to spoil all the moments that lead to this profound character change. But, in the end, he becomes more of the comic book character that's waging a one-man war against all criminals, not just the ones that have personally done him wrong. Instead of being Frank Castle - the punisher, he truly become The Punisher. The symbol of "if you commit a crime, you sign your death warrant".

When they said this Punisher is one that can walk off the set of the special straight into Spiderman: Brand New Day, this is exactly what they were teasing.

The special arguably was too short. Some moments were frustrating, rushed or didn't really makes sense based off the character that's been built over the last decade. But in the end, we got what we've all been waiting to see - a Frank Castle with a purpose and a mission. Not someone who dabbles in vengeance on occasion. Not a guy having an identity crisis until he finds something to kill. A Frank Castle with a definitive, never ending mission.

The special gave Frank a purpose, a true identity and leaves room for plenty more chapters in Frank's War Journal. It wasn't perfect...but it was damn good. I'd give it an 8.5/10.