Special: The Punisher: One Last Kill (A Marvel Television Special Presentation)
Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Jon Bernthal
Review by: Kirk Dulin
Review Type: SPOILER FREE
Now Streaming: Disney+

Marvel Television Specials History

Werewolf by Night (2022) 
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)

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In less than one week, Jon Bernthal, the Punisher himself, co-wrote and starred in TWO different special event episodes for characters that he’s spearheaded: 1) Frank Castle in a 48 minute Punisher special (Disney+) and 2) Mikey Berzatto in a The Bear special (HULU)

It’s a star power move. These characters could NOT be played effectively if a different actor led these roles. Jon Bernthal first captured audiences in his breakout performance as Shane in The Walking Dead…everyone’s favorite villain. What Bernthal brings to the projects he’s assigned is more than character service; he pours his SOUL into them. An actor who performs with unpredictable momentum and still executes appropriate individual character choices and development is my FAVORITE type of actor. 

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Hope for Spider-Man: Brand New Day 

When Netflix’s The Punisher series was cancelled along with its other sister projects (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and one more title that escapes me…) streaming audiences mourned for years. The MCU was a successful freight train of entertainment, and it didn’t have a place on the roster for any street hero or antihero. With the emerging option for Disney+, hope was returned for these actors still very much in their prime – to resurrect the characters that created their household notoriety.

Daredevil came first in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. A moronic, dismantled caricature of the Netflix Daredevil that we craved was on full display, followed immediately by a standalone series announcement in Daredevil: Born Again. While Season 1 wasn’t a total atrocity to the character, it was in storyline. Season 2 inches closer to the blind and fearless lawyer, but it, admittedly, still has a long road ahead. Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 also reprised Frank Castle in 2 critical episodes. His appearances here were strictly built as an audience engagement temperature check. How could Frank Castle’s vigilante street cop fit in with the tense culture of real world police? The answer: WE WANTED IT. But we didn’t want THIS version of Castle. 

Enter Bernthal’s writing credits for The Punisher: One Last Kill.

Bringing the complicated, instant stimuli response, quick-kill Castle is exactly the high octane shot in the arm that the MCU needs. No hesitation; just brute focus, confidence, and action. That’s what Frank Castle always was, even to a literal and literary character fault. That’s what Bernthal returns to which gives incredible anticipation for his upcoming appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. We absolutely could not enter into a new Spider-Man trilogy with a meek or lost Frank Castle. 

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Shaky Special is Still Encouraging

Audiences will be dazzled by Bernthal’s heightened personal stakes as this story drops us into a dangerous crossroad in Castle’s life.

When we are introduced to the conflict that will propel him towards his internal resolution, we stumble through a thin plot not thoroughly tested in preproduction. This special is easily the weakest story of the three we’ve seen from Marvel; they are ranked appropriately best to worst by their release order.

When the action begins for Castle, it doesn’t stop, putting to shame any “hallway” scene you’ve ever waited for in our street heroes. It’s the exact itch that we’ve been trying to scratch for years since the Netflix years.

There’s a very viral flop that Bernthal takes – or rather, his stunt double takes – us right out of this otherwise meticulously expertly crafted single location fight to the death gladiator sequence. Is it forgivable? Kind of. But why was it allowed to make the final edit when the level of excellency is established in several other story beats of this short installment? 

I’m torn, but mostly leaning towards happily surprised, which is the default now: “one of Marvel’s better stuff during its worst season of creativity.”

Kirk Recommends watching. 

Score: 6.0/10 kernels
Review By: Kirk Dulin

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