No other character in the Marvel Comics canon seems more justified in his anger than Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle.  In two seasons of Netflix’s series The Punisher, fans finally got a worthy live-action take on the darker than dark comic book vigilante, a guy who makes all of the Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, and Keanu Reeves action heroes look wimpy by comparison.  Bernthal’s performance as a 21st century hero offered more than the beatings he dished out (which are guaranteed to make viewers wince, flinch, and duck).  Bernthal has that subtlety and nuance that shows he has real acting chops, and could one day be up there in league with Robert De Niro.  He’s certainly the most believable actor as a Marvel comic book tough guy on the big or small screen.

Since the Marvel-Disney team-up and Netflix was brushed aside, Kevin Feige & Co. haven’t seemed to know what to do with Frank Castle.  He doesn’t make sense stuck with bit parts in the Daredevil series, or even as merely a supporting hero in the next Spider-Man movie (see him in the trailer here for Spider-Man: Brand New Day).  He deserves a new series or standalone movie.  But a TV movie? Marvel and Disney+ announced he’s getting his own TV movie, but it’s another one of those odd, one-shot “Special Presentations,” which means the story likely isn’t connected to the MCU in any real way.

Here’s the trailer for the next “Marvel Television Special Presentation”–The Punisher: One Last Kill:

The TV movie is written by Bernthal and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard).  Look for The Punisher: One Last Kill on Disney+ streaming May 12, 2026.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg