After months of rumblings, Marvel has finally unveiled its Punisher special.
Titled The Punisher: One Last Kill, Jon Bernthal's gun-toting vigilante returns in a 60-minute Disney Plus presentation that aims to bridge the gap between Frank Castle's appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the next target he has in his sights.
So, what is there to know? Below, we'll run through The Punisher: One Last Kill's release date, first poster, cast, and more. It looks like the Punisher will be joined by at least one familiar face for his special, and set photos also hint at the MCU debut of a Marvel villain from the comics.
For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies on the way and our guide to Marvel Phase 6.
The Punisher: One Last Kill release date
The Punisher: One Last Kill will be released on May 12, 2026.
The Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release schedule has even been shifted to make way for Frank, with its finale now airing on May 5.
The Punisher: One Last Kill first look
No, there isn't a trailer for The Punisher: One Last Kill yet, but we have a worryingly solemn first look at a black-and-white Frank Castle in the special's first poster. You can see it for yourself below.
The Punisher: One Last Kill cast
Jon Bernthal is the only confirmed cast member for The Punisher special just yet, but other actors (namely Jason R. Moore returning as Frank's trusted friend Curtis Hoyle) have been spotted on set. Other set photos have also suggested that crime boss Ma Gnucci could be going up against the Punisher, but we don't know who'll be playing her yet.
You can see the full list of confirmed cast members below, which we'll add to as it grows.
- Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher
- Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle
The Punisher: One Last Kill plot
Marvel hasn't released any official plot details about The Punisher special just yet, but we can start to paint a picture thanks to set photos from filming in New York City in summer 2025. The main clue comes from an establishment that could be Gnucci's Restaurant from the comics, which is owned by the Gnucci crime family. In Marvel Comics, Ma Gnucci, the family matriarch, is out for revenge against the Punisher after he kills her two sons.
We last saw Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again when Matt Murdock confronted him for not doing anything about the people misusing his symbol (in a previous episode, White Tiger is murdered by a man sporting the Punisher's distinctive white skull). So, as well as taking on New York's criminals, he may be going up against his own appropriative copycats, too. Plus, we know that we'll see Frank again in Spider-Man 4, officially titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so it's likely that the special will set up Peter Parker's next big-screen outing, too.
At any rate, we can definitely expect something dark and gritty. "I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve," Bernthal said when the TV special was first announced. We're giving it our all and we're trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we're going to turn our back on the audience – it's not going to be easy, it's not going to be light, and I think it's the version that this character deserves and I'm just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity… It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that."
For more from the MCU, check our our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
