Disney is about to get really, really violent
Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Written by: Reinaldo Marcus Green & Jon Bernthal
Starring: Jon Bernthal, Judith Light, Deborah Ann Woll
Rated TV-MA
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Runtime: 51 minutes
This review may contain spoilers
Return of the MCU Special Presentations
Seriously, it’s been a few years since the first two Marvel specials, Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Werewolf came out around Halloween 2022, and Guardians was around Christmas the same year, so I figured it was Marvel doing holiday specials.
But then, they stopped the specials, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it was too expensive, or they didn’t get as many views/attention, or both.
But now it’s back to let the Punisher do what he does best – shooting lots of bad guys.
One Last Kill
Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, is lying low after the events of Daredevil: Born Again. While trying to live without punishing bad guys, the Punisher is haunted by visions of his Marine squad and family, driving the murdering vigilante crazier than usual.
Seriously, Frank may now have full-blown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at this point.
However, a Gnucci Crime Family survivor has put a large bounty on Frank’s head and will force the Punisher back into action.
Start the bad guys’ body count!
“Bound to violence!”
It takes a minute, but when he’s back in action, it’s like mixing John Wick and The Raid. Castle is fighting for his life and for his innocent neighbors when every lowlife attacks his shanty apartment. And ooo boy, is it epic! Punisher is stabbing and shooting every intruder while Hatebreed’s “I Will be Heard” is playing as his murderous soundtrack.
The metalhead in me is very pleased!
Afterwards, he gets his Punisher vest back out and takes out a street thug who chucked a homeless vet’s dog into a bus. Fuck that guy, he can eat a bullet. Oh, look, he does!
The man behind the skull
What I always liked about Bernthal’s Punisher is how real his character is. Even as a murderous vigilante butchering any bad guy on the streets, his version is very human. Keeping Frank Castle human comes with a toll, though…
It’s explained in Daredevil: Born Again that when Castle slows down from killing, he sees visions of his slain family. Now that he’s taking time off from being the Punisher, he’s haunted by hallucinations of his Marine squad and, again, his family. It’s not just a callback from Daredevil, it’s a visualization of what Castle was talking about (plus it shows he has some serious and dangerous PTSD).
And seriously, can Frank stop retiring and just be the Punisher? Dude retires like Brett Favre.
This bloody special brought to you by Disney
It cracks me up, watching violent bloodbaths and shootings on a Disney platform. I just wish we could get a moment where one of the Punisher’s victims’ mutilated faces points to the camera, and the Disney theme plays. Ooh, ooh, or their bloodstains make the Mickey Mouse symbol. Yeah!
I also like that the special starts with Danzig’s “Mother,” which is about keeping kids away from him. Pretty appropriate for a very violent special on Disney+, and a great tune to start the show with.
Welcome Back, Frank
The Punisher: One Last Kill was fucking great! 51 minutes of giving the Punisher a personal insight into his inner torment and then just fucking up bad guys in gratuitous violence, just like the Punisher fucking should. Hell fucking yeah!
Marvel Studios, seriously, can we get more of this?
Aw, man, no post-credits here, and it ends on a cliffhanger? Boo, there better be another special or a goddamn movie to follow up!
The Punisher: One Last Kill is streaming on Disney+.
