Jon Bernthal Explains Why The Punisher’s One Last Kill Ending Quietly Reinvents Frank Castle's MCU Story
This article contains spoilers from The Punisher: One Last Kill.Frank Castle has begun a new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for The Punisher: One Last Kill, which has officially premiered on Disney+, Jon Bernthal broke down how Frank has put himself on a fresh path in the franchise. The Marvel veteran stressed, "I hope so. I mean, that was certainly the idea. I think the idea, and I hope we are able to do it in a way that doesn't feel spoon-fed or too kind of on the nose." He commented on how he thinks "through the course of this day with that little girl sort of giving him the gift that she does, and for him to go pass that along and put that trinket of hope, that trinket of life, of gratitude, of love on his daughter's grave, it's the first time he hasn't put a trinket that belonged to somebody that he killed for his daughter. And so maybe by helping other families stay together, by fighting for justice, by keeping people safe, maybe he can honor his family that way. And I think that that is a real big step for him." After The Punisher: One Last Kill ending, Bernthal shared, "Look, I've said this so many times before, and I know that Rei understands this well because the two of us sitting here, we sit here first as husbands and fathers. That's what we are; that's our whole universe. That's why we first connected in the first place when we made King Richard. That is who we are, and there is no way I could ever begin to approach playing this part if I didn't fully understand what it means to love something so much greater than I love myself and be happily give my life, happily do whatever it takes for my family."
For Bernthal, "I think that's exactly where Frank is. I don't think Frank will ever be in a place of love or light or comfort or ease. I don't think that that's something that he's ever been, that he's looking for, but I do think he'll find different ways to honor them." However, he concluded ScreenRant's The Punisher: One Last Kill cover story with how "I do think that there are ways now after this special that we can find him in a place where I'm not going to tip off what's coming."
Jon Bernthal: But what I will say is I think you're going to get a version of him going after the bad guys, going after the people that are causing harm and havoc to good people. I think he's going to be able to start personalizing that. And with Frank, when he personalizes something, it's something to deal with.
Luckily, after The Punisher: One Last Kill, the audience has not seen the last of Frank in the MCU timeline for 2026. The MCU star is set to bring the anti-hero to the big screen, as Bernthal will be teaming up with Tom Holland's Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, set to open on July 31.
Punisher One Last Kill Star Jon Bernthal As Frank Castle in Spider-Man Brand New Day.
Following The Punisher: One Last Kill reviews and the positive response to the MCU special, his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will only continue to add more buzz for Bernthal's character. In terms of where he will show up in the franchise remains to be seen, as Marvel Studios has not shared details on what is next for Frank after 2026.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+.
Release Date
May 12, 2026
Runtime
60 Minutes
Director
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Writers
Reinaldo Marcus Green, Ross Andru, Jon Bernthal, Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr.
Franchise(s)
The Punisher
