One Last Kill First Reactions Are In For Jon Bernthal's Marvel Special

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Frank Castle’s Marvel Cinematic Universe hiatus is almost finally over as Marvel Studios has big plans for him in 2026.

The next release from the MCU franchise on Disney+ will be The Punisher: One Last Kill, serving as the latest Special Presentation from Marvel Studios. As members of the press have seen it in advance, the first batch of reactions is finally arriving on social media for Jon Bernthal’s R-rated offshoot.

ScreenRant’s Rob Keyes teased how The Punisher: One Last Kill is “the most adult thing yet from Marvel Studios. It’s Frank at his lowest, Jon Bernthal giving it his all, with some haunting sequences.”

Collider’s Maggie Lovitt praised how “the special is a heavy, introspective look at where Frank’s head is as of late — and while it does retread some narrative beats that the Netflix run handled well, what Jon and Reinaldo Marcus Green have done here is really special. “

MovieWeb’s Joseph Deckelmeier added that One Last Kill “feels less like we’re watching Frank Castle from the outside and more like we’re trapped inside his head, the war, the trauma, the rage, and the violence all closing in around him.”

The Mary Sue’s Rachel Leishman celebrated Bernthal’s MCU return, calling how it “is gory and a fascinating character study of Frank Castle’s continued grief. It’s violent as all hell but a pretty cool set up for where Frank is heading”

Comic Book Movie’s Josh Wilding shared how the MCU special “is a relentless, no-holds-barred exploration of grief and PTSD, and an ultra-violent pitch-perfect take on” the Punisher.

The Direct’s Richard Nebens said “the story isn’t overly complicated, it brings drama, action, and intensity from start to finish, continuing Frank’s story after we last saw him in Born Again with him a scary new mission.”

ComicBook’s Tom Bacon commented on how Bernthal’s latest project as Punisher “is just what it needed to be: A brutal, intense story focused on Castle’s psyche. The title is very smart indeed, because it conceals a twist.”

ScreenRant’s Andy Behbakht stated that the Disney+ special is “a powerful reminder why @jonnybernthal was born to play” this role for the MCU.

Bernthal, who has been playing the famous anti-hero since the Marvel-Netflix era, worked on The Punisher: One Last Kill both as an actor, executive producer, and co-writer. The Bear star penned the screenplay together with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who also directed the Disney+ entry.

After his return in the MCU Special Presentation, audience members won’t have to wait long to see Bernthal back in the MCU timeline. The Marvel veteran will reprise the role of the Punisher this summer in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which opens on July 31.

Marvel Studios

The Phase 6 film will mark the first time Bernthal’s iteration of Punisher has been used outside the MCU television properties. The last time Frank was seen on the big screen was with Ray Stevenson’s incarnation in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone.

After 2026, it’s unclear where Bernthal will show up next in the MCU since Marvel Studios hasn’t announced any further plans for him. However, it’s always possible that he could be one of the surprise characters in Daredevil: Born Again season 3, which is currently in production and slated to premiere in 2027.

The Punisher: One Last Kill is set to premiere on May 12 at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on Disney+.