"The special, which was released after the second season of Born Again and takes place concurrently, once again introduces Frank at his lowest, dealing with a mental breakdown as a result of his trauma from the military and the consequences of his frequent murder sprees. Although it introduced a beloved Punisher antagonist in Ma Gnucci, for the most part, the 40- minute TV movie repeated many of the same beats as Castle's Netflix series, a wishy-washy "reclaiming the mantle" story that marks what is the third time we've seen Frank pick up his crusade again after a period of false retirement."
"Although everyone's favorite murder machine didn't appear in Born Again's second season, he'll be back to terrorize New York's criminal underworld in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a little over a month after the character received his very first special: The Punisher: One Last Kill."
"After 10 years of much of the same thing, I feel that Bernthal's version of the Punisher is at an impasse: either the MCU needs to figure out a direction for the character and fast, or it's time for him to hang up the skull for good. One Last Kill isn't the final kill - we know Frank is back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day - but it really should be."
"Ten years after his debut in Daredevil, everyone is still waiting for Bernthal's Punisher to actually become the Punisher."
Frank Castle’s Punisher has appeared sporadically since debuting in Daredevil and later receiving a two-season Netflix spin-off. After Daredevil moved into the MCU, Frank appeared briefly in Born Again, killing corrupt cops in his signature style. He will return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day shortly after The Punisher: One Last Kill, his first special. The special takes place alongside Born Again’s timeline and shows Frank at his lowest, suffering a mental breakdown tied to military trauma and the fallout from repeated murder sprees. It introduces Ma Gnucci but largely reuses familiar beats from earlier stories, including another “reclaiming the mantle” attempt after false retirement. The character’s trajectory now feels stuck, requiring a clear MCU direction or a final end.
Read at Inverse
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