I wanted to boycott this bloodthirsty thriller – but I underestimated Jon Bernthal

After two confused Netflix series and a glorified cameo which ultimately went nowhere, I was ready to give up on The Punisher.

A fan of the Marvel character since my edgelord teenager phase, I’d already suffered enough – soldiering through flawed adaptations from Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane in 1989 and 2004.

Ray Stevenson hit all the right notes in Lexi Alexander’s 2008 re-adaptation, but it was a critical and commercial flop, ending Frank Castle’s career before it ever really began.

Over a decade later, and Jon Bernthal donned the iconic skull vest to embody the Punisher for series two of Netflix’s Daredevil.

What seemed like a fresh start soon hit a stumbling block with a convoluted spin-off which never really seemed to grasp the core of Frank’s character.

By the time The Punisher: One Last Kill pulled up on Disney Plus, I’d all but give up hope… but I shouldn’t have doubted Bernthal.

The title of this one-shot had me fearing the worst – that Bernthal’s Frank Castle was gearing up to retire again.

He’d already done so at the end of his first Netflix series, before being reluctantly pulled back into the game in 2019.

Befriending a teenage drifter, Frank appeared to be mellowing, even letting his new friend talk him into sparing the life of a literal paedophile.

By now, this roaring, nervy, and constantly retiring nutcase couldn’t have been further from the cold, committed monster I’d grown up reading.

His appearance in Daredevil: Born Again Series One did little to assuage my worries – offering a flimsy rebuttal of law enforcement officers who’d cop-opt his symbol, before bowing out again.

And, as One Last Kill begins, it seems as though the murderous menace has given up his war on crime yet again.

Still, it’s hard to blame the man for needing a break. He’s been a busy boy, having just wiped out the last remnants of those responsible for his family’s death.

With the Gnucci crime family decimated (a name comic fans might remember from Garth Ennis’ beloved Marvel Knights run), Frank’s at a loose end.

He’s about to join his family for good when he’s confronted by the sole survivor of his Gnucci massacre – the sinister Ma, played by Judith Light.

She informs Frank that she’s put a bounty on his head and that those looking to collect will be here soon.

As the criminal population of New York turns his home turf of Little Sicily into a veritable war zone, Frank’s thrown back into the thick of the action.

A relentless onslaught of bone-crunching violence and blood-pumping action, One Last Kill delivers the Punisher at… well, Punisher Max.

Once again, Bernthal is a force of nature. As the episode begins, he’s as jittery and weird as he’s ever been, seeing visions of his dead family and one-time lover, Karen (Deborah Ann Woll).

Was he always like this, the show (and his haunted subconscious) asks. Is he using the death of his family to justify the monster that was always lurking within?

As it turns out, the title was a double-bluff, referring not just to Ma Gnucci’s vendetta, but also Frank’s bloodthirst, or his addiction. His war will never be over; his watch unending. There’s always another fellow monster needs putting down… one last kill.

As the first wave of Ma Gnucci’s footsoldiers strike, there’s a sudden switch, and there’s the Frank Castle we know and fear.

Co-written by Bernthal with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, One Last Kill finally succeeds in marrying Netflix’s version of the character with that of the comics, treating his prior appearances as something of an extended origin story.

Created by Gerry Conway in 1974, Frank Castle has always fluctuated between murderous antihero and outright slasher villain – although live-action adaptations have tended to curb his worst impulses.

Blending the real-world implications of his PTSD with the body count of a John Wick film (including dog!), One Last Kill is a Punisher adaptation which doesn’t shy away from the character’s pitch-black heart.

Partly informed by real-life veterans, Bernthal understands the turmoil at Frank’s core, realising that he’s only capable of finding peace in the heat of war.

And nor does the film skimp on the violence either, featuring some truly gnarly action sequences from which few walk away unscathed.

If there’s a criticism, it’s that the film is too short, ending just as it’s getting started (once again, he barely wears the vest at all!) and setting up the character’s future in the MCU.

None of this would work without the former star of The Walking Dead and The Bear, who extends a depth to the character that’s never been seen in live action before.

As the film ends, the actor makes it clear that Marvel’s Punisher is finally here.

And, so long as the teased follow-up doesn’t start with him retired and sulking in a safe house again, I’m willing to give him a second shot.

But first is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will find the character in more family-friendly territory.

The bloody, brutal One Last Kill might seem like a far cry from Spidey’s friendly neighbourhood version of New York, but the superhero sequel promises a renewed, revitalised Punisher, now fully committed to his never-ending mission.

The footwork done, The Punisher is here to stay.

Welcome back, Frank.

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

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