The Punisher: One Last Kill is set to debut on Disney+ later tonight (you can check out the social media reactions here), and director Reinaldo Marcus Green has now clarified what the Special Presentation's head-scratching title actually means.
"One Last Kill" obviously implies that Frank Castle will be hanging up the skull vest for good after this one-shot, and there was some speculation that the Special may even end with the vigilante's death.
Neither of these eventualities would make much sense since we know that Jon Bernthal is going to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but there were theories that One Last Kill might actually take place after the movie, despite reports that it ran concurrently with the events of Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
Mild spoilers follow.
Green was asked about the title during an interview with The Direct, and explained that it's actually a "misdirect."
"Well, obviously, Marvel has a lot of hand in the titles and that regard. I think for fans, though, like you said, once they see it, they'll understand it, and I think that's what's most important. So I think, yeah, it's a misdirect in the best way. I think it's one of those situations where you hear it, you're like, 'Wait, is this the end of The Punisher?' And when you realize that maybe it's not, I think that makes it even more cool."
We won't go into exactly where we leave Frank at the conclusion of One Last Kill, but Green hopes that fans come away surprised by how the Special wraps up.
"So, for me, I think whatever draws the audience into subverting their expectations. I think it's fun as a filmmaker. For me, it's all about subverting that. You know, you're gonna go on an action journey... 'Oh, okay, we're 20 minutes in, and we're not! What's going on here?' So I think for us, it's always trying to look for ways to subvert, and I think the title does that. Hopefully it does it in a way that doesn't annoy people and makes people satisfied when they see the end."
The full review embargo lifts later on, so be sure to check back to find out what critics made of The Punisher's latest rampage.
Bernthal also co-wrote the script with his We Own This City director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who also helmed the Special.
"It's like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story," Marvel TV's Brad Winderbaum said in a recent interview. "It's so exciting."
Winderbaum also revealed that the idea for a Punisher standalone story manifested during production on Born Again.
"Bernthal is a generational actor," Winderbaum added. "He's incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he's a great writer. He knows the character inside and out.... Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon's Punisher in particular. The idea that he's in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever."