Punisher is a fascinating character. As a superhero, he not only lacks any powers, but he also has a very different character from all the others. He doesn’t mind killing, mutilating, and torturing, as long as it’s to the bad guys. This makes him an interesting, albeit controversial, character. He is as violent as he is just, and his moral compass, although well-tuned, makes him very dependent on being well-written to avoid falling into problematic areas. But that character is what makes his new special interesting.
A violent and simple special
The Punisher: One Last Kill presents us with a more reclusive and paranoid Frank Castle after the events of the two seasons of the series. Something that is not helped by the fact that New York is plunged into chaos, forcing him to act even at a time when he does not feel capable of doing so. This is the premise for a 50-minute special of pure action and emotional intensity where the series seeks to offer us two things: an unadulterated Punisher and exactly the character we should expect to see assisting Spider-Man in his new movie, Brand New Day. It achieves both, although not without compromises.
The story is violent, brutal, and puts Castle in precarious situations, but at all times it feels like his enemies are underdeveloped. They are undoubtedly evil, but their motivations and reasons for committing crimes or attacking him seem to be little more than the fact that they can. It’s something that works, but it is still a bit disappointing.
Especially because the character of Ma Gnucci is fascinating. In the comics, she is one of the Punisher’s historical enemies, and here she is artfully portrayed by Judith Light. The problem is that, as a villain, she barely has any development beyond her monologues to justify actions that hardly hold up to demonstrate the character development of the only one that matters: Frank Castle. This is where this special truly shines.
The Punisher of Spider-Man
The Punisher: One Last Kill does not aim to tell a deep story. It seeks to establish a tone. To demonstrate who Castle, The Punisher, is here and now, both as a person and as a superhero, and it achieves that with flying colors.
More tortured, more weary, no less violent, but with more empathy and more fragility, that is the character heading to the Spider-Man movie. Someone who is starting to truly feel the weight of what they do. Who is beginning to feel like a superhero and not just a vigilante, even if it’s only in occasional flashes and, due to the simplicity of the script, in a somewhat clumsy and simple way.
But that is the purpose of this special. To act as a bridge between the series and the new movie. Between the MCU and the Spider-Man movies as well. Something that makes us dream of the possibility of seeing not only more Spider-Man in the MCU but also more Punisher, something we will have to see if it ends up happening. But to know, we will have to wait at least until after Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which premieres on July 31. And in the meantime, we can watch The Punisher: One Last Kill, now available on Disney+.
