Why The Punisher: One Last Kill's Ending Could Catch Marvel Fans Off Guard

One batch, two batch, penny and spoilers. Read on only after watching "The Punisher: One Last Kill."

Forget about the impending arrival of Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom or the wacky changes occurring in the body of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" — real ones know that the biggest talking point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe revolves around the whereabouts of one Frank Castle. Star Jon Bernthal makes his highly-anticipated return in "The Punisher: One Last Kill" and, lucky for us, answers the question of where the heck he's gotten to during the events of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2. Sure, we probably could've guessed that it had something to do with him embarking on a dark night of the soul and laying waste to a small army of criminals. But that's not quite as fun as seeing it for ourselves.

So, with Marvel's "Special Presentation" now in the rearview mirror, surely we know exactly how the Punisher will next appear in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" ... right? Wrong! In a bit of a twist, director Reinaldo Marcus Green instead keeps the focus squarely on our deeply-traumatized vigilante in his own little corner of New York City, far from the drama swirling around the Mayor's office in "Born Again" or the Wall-Crawler and his web-swinging antics in the heart of Manhattan. It's both a commendable choice amid a franchise so obsessed with crossovers and intermedia Easter eggs setting up the next big thing, and a slightly puzzling one considering how soon "Brand New Day" will be upon us.

Still, that doesn't mean this special is completely disposable. Those itching for more Punisher action get plenty of that and then some. At the very least, however, the ending helps fill in the blanks ... to an extent.

Whenever Frank Castle's not on-screen in the MCU, all the other characters should be asking, "Where's Frank Castle?" Despite teaming up with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock in the debut season of "Daredevil: Born Again," the unpredictable Punisher went his separate ways by the end and completely sat out the events of "Born Again" Season 2 — even if his presence might've helped turn the tide against Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk much sooner. No, he had much more pressing matters on his mind, as we saw in "One Last Kill." But while the entire special makes no specific reference or even any real plot setup to Frank's upcoming collision course with Spidey, fans left scratching their heads could at least hang their hat on one key aspect that helps link the two properties.

Surely you didn't fail to notice Frank's new threads in the very last scene of "One Last Kill," right? Actually, make that his old threads. The character has had a quiet, somewhat amusing history with having to "earn" his Punisher outfit between his first appearance in the second season of the Netflix "Daredevil," his spin-off series "The Punisher," and finally his arrival in the MCU proper. But as much as his various shows have pulled a "Surf Dracula" meme on us, Frank's final moments in this "The Punisher" special puts him back in that familiar bulletproof vest with the skull logo. Granted, this is exactly how he appeared when we last saw him in "Daredevil: Born Again," so viewers who skip this special altogether won't miss a single beat when he pops up again in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

But for completists like us, we'll have the inside scoop.

If there's one significant failing of the MCU to this point, it would have to be the business-minded decision to go all-in on a bunch of Disney+ spin-off shows that diluted the market, turned a relatively simple shared universe into a cross-media nightmare, and forced audiences to have to watch practically every movie and show if they wanted to fully understand everything happening in the big crossover movies. Even just the thought of it is enough to make us feel exhausted.

Thankfully, that's not the case with "The Punisher: One Last Kill." Where one can easily imagine the MCU of old trying to turn this standalone special into required reading in order to fully understand "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the script (co-written by both director Reinaldo Marcus Green and star Jon Bernthal) makes the smart call to stand entirely on its own merits. Sure, there are certain cameos and appearances referencing the old Netflix shows, along with the basic premise relying on knowledge of Frank's tragic backstory as seen in "The Punisher" series. But otherwise? Anyone can feel free to either watch or ignore this one-off TV episode and go on their merry way. 

Homework? Who said anything about homework? When "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" swings into theaters later this year, it'll also feel like a brand new day for the MCU as a whole. Hopefully, gone are the days when entire storylines and plot points depended on information established in shows that only a fraction of the moviegoing audience ever even bothered to watch. For those who never got around to the Netflix shows, Frank Castle's (likely) brief appearance in "Spider-Man" will simply come and go.

"The Punisher: One Last Kill" is now streaming on Disney+.