The Punisher: One Last Kill is out now on Disney+ – and even though it’s a ninth episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 in all but name, it is nevertheless an important pit stop in Frank Castle’s history.
In fact, the Marvel TV Special not only reunites us with Jon Bernthal’s fan-favorite anti-hero for the first time since Born againseason 1 finale, but also confirms that – his upcoming appearance in Spider-Man 4 despite – Castle’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) journey is far from over.
What does the One Last Kill subtitle refer to in The Punisher’s TV Special?
The sections that follow describe scenes of a suicide attempt. Reader discretion is advised.
It’s not spelled, but my reading of it One last kill‘s subtitle is that it concerns Frank contemplating suicide.
The TV special’s first act reunites us with a castle whose mental health has taken a nosedive since we last saw him. He’s killed everyone involved in his family’s death (more on this later), is haunted by memories of his fallen Marine Corps buddies, tries to numb his anguish with a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, and has even given up the mantle of The Punisher.
As Castle leaves his new hideout in the downtrodden New York neighborhood of Little Sicily, we begin to fear the worst. In fact, aside from a brief stop at a local cafe to grab a cup of coffee, Castle’s latest – and potentially last – walk takes him to the cemetery where his wife and children are buried.
He sits down at his daughter’s grave and tells his deceased relatives that he has no fight to go on before pulling a gun and putting it to his head. As memories of his family flash before his eyes, he prepares to pull the trigger. But a hallucination of his daughter stops Castle in his tracks. He looks away from her briefly as he puts the weapon down, but when he looks up again, he realizes that she was just a figment of his imagination. I’m not sobbing, you’re sobbing!
Is Curtis Hoyle dead in The Punisher: One Last Kill?
This is arguably the hardest question to answer, but I’m inclined to say yes.
For context: Curtis Hoyle, aka one of Castle’s former marines and his closest ally in Netflix’s The Punisher TV show, is still alive and well at the end of said live-action series. However, given that he is another of Castle’s hallucinations, the implication is that he must have died sometime between The Punisher season 2 finale and One last kill.
Unfortunately, we don’t get any proof that Hoyle is actually dead, or that he’s just a figment of Castle’s imagination until One last kill ends. Here’s hoping an answer comes in a future MCU project that Castle is a part of.
Who is Ma Gnucci in The Punisher: One Last Kill?
Returning to his small block of flats in Sicily, Castle is greeted by a mysterious, wheelchair-bound woman played by A life to live and Ugly Betty star Judith Light.
At first, she seems quite pleasant, even going so far as to compare her own trauma-filled past to Castle’s. However, her mask slips when she reveals her identity to the MCU character: Ma Gnucci.
For the uninitiated: in the comics, Ma Gnucci – full name Isabella Carmela Magdalena Gnucci – is the head of the Gnucci Crime Family. She is the primary antagonist of The Punisher: Welcome back, Franka 12-issue comic series first published in April 2000. In it, Castle kills her three sons as he restarts his war on crime in New York City, instigating a feud that ends with Ma Gnucci’s death in its final chapter.
It is clear One last kill draws heavily from the aforementioned literary works. In fact, in the first act of the Marvel Phase 6 project, a news bulletin reveals that Castle murdered Ma Gnucci’s husband and three sons in retaliation for their involvement in the death of his loved ones. And after finally finding him, Ma Gnucci now wants revenge on Castle.
What happens to Frank Castle in The Punisher: One Last Kill? And what is ‘One Batch, Two Batch’?
Knowing that she cannot physically deliver the fatal blow, Ma Gnucci tells Castle that she has put a bounty on his head (everyone else gets John Wick Chapter 2/3 vibes?), meaning all nearby criminals are now after him. He also only has until 6.47pm that evening to prepare. Why that time? Because that was the exact hour and minute Castle killed the last member of Ma Gnucci’s family right in front of her.
True to form, when 6:47 PM arrives, a bloodthirsty mob shows up at Castle’s apartment. In an inexorable sequence akin to The RaidCastle uses his expert marksmanship, close combat skills, and the legendary fire rekindled within him to dispatch every assailant he encounters in typically hyper-violent fashion. He even saves some of his fellow apartment complex residents for good measure.
Finally, a bloodied and battered castle enters the main street where he spots Ma Gnucci. He makes a quick one for her, but his attention quickly turns elsewhere when he sees and hears that the owner of the coffee shop he had visited earlier and his family are under attack.
Castle makes a split second decision and lets Ma Gnucci escape to save those in need, and after another brutal battle inside said cafe, Castle defeats and kills countless outlaws who want him dead. With the family safe and sound, Castle heads for the exit, but not before being stopped by the store owner’s daughter. Heading to the back of the store, she returns with a hand-painted paper rose, which she presents to a clearly moved Castle.
Returning to his family’s graves, Castle wipes away the other trinkets he has placed at his daughter’s headstone before placing the rose at its foot. He tells her he’s not done yet before reciting a passage from ‘One Batch, Two Batch’. It is the bedtime story he used to read to his daughter.
In the special’s final scene, one of the thugs we see kills an elderly homeless man’s dog at the start One last kill prepares to attack a married couple with a baseball bat. However, he is stopped by Castle, who is now back in his iconic Punisher suit.
Reuniting the homeless man with his veteran hat, which the thug also stole earlier, Castle learns from the rough sleeper that the thug had also murdered his dog. As the hooligan tries to escape, Castle wounds him with a well-thrown knife to the leg before executing him with a well-placed shot to the skull.
Are there any Marvel cameos in The Punisher: One Last Kill?
Yes, there is a significant cameo in it One last kill: Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page.
Admittedly, Page only appears briefly midway through One last kill as another made up Castle’s fantasy. Nevertheless, given their shared history Daredevil and The Punisherwhich originally aired on Netflix, and its Disney+ sequel series Daredevil: Born Againif anyone was going to be in The Punisher’s TV special, it would be Page.
Does The Punisher: One Last Kill have a mid-credits and/or post-credits scene?
No. There’s nothing to stick with between or after the end credits of Disney+ specials. It’s sure to disappoint some viewers who might have expected some kind of tease for The Punisher’s next MCU outing in the new Spider-Man movie. Speaking of which…
How does The Punisher TV Special set up Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
It doesn’t. Okay, One last kill shows us how Castle gets his mojo back as The Punisher, which he needs to emerge as his vigilante alter-ego in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, The Punisher’s TV Special does not set up any story threads for Tom Holland’s next Marvel film. If you were hoping for a surprise cameo from Sadie Sink’s mysterious character ahead of the latter’s own appearance in Brand new daythen you will be deeply disappointed.
Either way, there’s plenty we already know and have speculated about one of this year’s most exciting new movies. So be sure to find out everything we know so far Spider-Man: Brand New Dayand see who will join Holland, Bernthal and Sink in it via my Spider-Man 4 cast and character guide.
Will there be a third season of The Punisher?
Nobody knows. Currently, Bernthal is only confirmed to appear Brand new day and while I suppose he will appear Daredevil: Born Again season 3, there is no indication that The Punisher’s own series will be revived.
For what it’s worth, One last killThe director has said that he and Bernthal “would love” to do a Punisher-led film. However, it all depends on how this TV special performs and if there is an audience appetite for more stories involving the anti-hero. If we get The Punisher season 3 or an R-rated movie, then it’s up to you and me.
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