- Primary Subject: The Punisher: One Last Kill
- Key Update: Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle in a blood-soaked, 50-minute psychological character study that critics are calling a dark, mature masterclass.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: May 12, 2026
- Quick Answer: Critics praise the Disney+ special for its raw action and deep dive into Frank Castle's psyche, calling it a must-watch, violent return to form.
Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle is back, and critics have shared their reactions to the Marvel Studios Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill.
Members of the press were able to watch the TV movie in advance, and many have offered positive feedback on Frank Castle’s return to the MCU.
So, is The Punisher: One Last Kill worth the hype? Read on the reviews below.
Is The Punisher: One Last Kill Worth Watching?
After his last appearance in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Frank Castle leads his own TV special in The Punisher: One Last Kill.
Set after the events of Born Again, the movie sees Frank returning to his violent past after being pulled back into another dangerous mission. So, what do the critics say about it?
FilmSpeak’s Griffin Schiller claims that while One Last Kill could perfectly fit as a “good bottle episode” within Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, it’s also a “dark, remasrkably mature examination of Frank's fractured psyche and existential torment” on its own.
Collider’s Lead News Editor Maggie Lovitt swears that One Last Kill “didn’t disappoint” for fans who are patiently waiting for the Punisher’s “true return.”
Rotten Tomatoes’ approved critic Zach Pope adds that the Punisher’s followers will truly “love” the film for its raw action, viciousness, and feeling like they’re watching a comic book come to life.
YouTube and also Rotten Tomatoes’ approved critic, Cris Parker, praises One Last Kill for being “the blood soaked violent rage rush” he was hoping it to be.
Lastly, The HoloFiles - Movie/TV News & Reviews describes the Jon Bernthal-led special as “the deepest, darkest dive into the tormented psyche of Frank Castle ever put to screen,” praising the actor for his “masterclass performance.”
With these positive reviews and only about a 50-minute runtime, it looks like One Last Kill is indeed worth watching.
Jon Bernthal Talks About The Punisher: One Last Kill
According to Jon Bernthal, Frank Castle returns not just to fight enemies but also himself in The Punisher: One Last Kill.
The Disney+ special sees the vigilante coming to terms with his true self amid a bleak period in his life.
“I just think this version is… It’s always with Frank kinda digging into the essential question of who he is,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Is he really this grieving father and husband? Or is he a man who's most comfortable knee-deep in blood and guts?”
His two, always-conflicting personas leave Frank unsure how to continue his life. Despite that, he’s still leaning toward the good side of it.
“There’s always been this sort of effort, I think, to try to get him to this next stage beyond the spiraling, reeling, kind of vigilante who's just trying to make people pay to sort of suppress his own trauma,” Bernthal continued. “And how can we get him kind of past that place and actually start to act upon things like justice…? And that's what we do.”
However, not everything is easy for Frank.
“We're really honing in on him kind of at his end, when he doesn't know what to do and he's completely sort of enveloped in hopelessness,” he added. “That's kind of the place where this piece picks up.”
The Punisher: One Last Kill drops on Tuesday, May 12, on Disney+.
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