MANILA, Philippines — Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle is fully making his presence felt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following his appearance in "Daredevil: Born Again" and now in the television special "The Punisher: One Last Kill."
Castle was a welcome addition during the Netflix era of "Daredevil," which spawned his own two-season series. Fans were ecstatic to see the Punisher return in "Daredevil: Born Again" and officially becoming an MCU canon.
The latter series ended its first season with Castle escaping a prison set up by Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin currently the mayor of New York City, though the anti-hero is very much absent in the recently-concluded second season.
The 44-minute (not including credits) "One Last Kill" takes places concurrently during the events of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 as Castle holes up in a Little Sicily apartment, tormented by the memories of his fallen military brothers and deceased family.
Trauma takes a toll on the character particularly during a cemetery scene, but the remaining member of a crime family from Castle's past sees him take another stand with guns ablazing.
Marvel has really utilized Disney+ to showcase as much comic book characters possible, and the television specials are no different.
"Werewolf By Night" was a fun step away from the franchise's main storyline, while "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" set a Christmas stage for James Gunn's finale for his bunch of misfits.
Well-intended as it may be, a television special under an hour does not fully encapsulate the complexity of the Punisher, still expertly portrayed by Bernthal for a decade now.
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That is in no way a shot (no pun intended) at Bernthal, who co-wrote the special with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, the latter best known for "King Richard" and "Bob Marley: One Love."
The short runtime makes the special feel disjointed at times, trying to balance Castle's internal battle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the aggressive way he deals with them.
But when given the chance to shine, Bernthal delivers with high-octane action set-pieces, fending off a flurry of attacks as he plots revenge — only to be pulled back by the voices of his loved ones.
It is a welcome sight to have the Punisher achieve his full form, though his presence was sorely missed in "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 so hopefully a reunion with the Defenders is on the cards.
Questions also remain how a violent character like Castle can sustain himself in the upcoming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which will do everything to maintain a PG rating.
Bernthal has vowed to carry over his portrayal from "One Last Kill" into the new "Spider-Man" movie coming out in two months' time so the dedication is there.
Where the MCU chooses to go afterwards remains up in the air, but fans will agree that Frank Castle should stick around, regardless of what Dr. Doom has planned.