Let us tell you something, man: Jon Bernthal is a Marvel history-maker. That's not the first time we've said that this year (and it probably won't be the last) for the star has been at the forefront of a lot of Marvel Cinematic Universe conversations due to his supporting roles in Daredevil: Born Again season 1 and upcoming movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But he also takes center stage in his own Special Presentation for Disney Plus, The Punisher: One Last Kill, which has officially arrived on screens - and, in the process, set a major record.
Released on the streaming service this week, the 45-minute standalone serves as a sequel to the Netflix Punisher series while also taking Frank Castle into a brand new era in his MCU journey. No stranger to complex characters after his legendary performance as Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead, it should come as no surprise to learn that Bernthal is absolutely incredible in One Last Kill. And this is part of the success story that has resulted in the Special Presentation making history.
Jon Bernthal's One Last Kill special sets major all-time Punisher record
The Punisher: One Last Kill took Marvel fans by storm upon its debut, with so many of them taking to social media to praise Jon Bernthal's gripping performance and the poignant writing (which Bernthal is also responsible for as he co-wrote the script with director Reinaldo Marcus Green). However, it also gripped the critics, as the special has earned a 77% TomatoMeter score (alongside an even better 87% Audience Score) on Rotten Tomatoes.
As impressive as those scores are alone, they are also incredibly important to, well, Punisher lore. See, One Last Kill's scores place it ahead of every other movie and TV adaptation of the Frank Castle character thus far. That includes 1990's The Punisher (24% and 33%), 2004's The Punisher (30% and 63%), 2008's The Punisher: War Zone (29% and 42%), the first season of the Netflix show (68% and 88%) and the second season as well (61% and 70%). And, with that, the Disney Plus Special Presentation has made history as the elite live-action Punisher property.
It's no surprise that the response to the special has been so strong. Bernthal's raw performance as the vengeful vigilante has always been a fan-favorite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, after the extended absence of all Netflix-originated Marvel characters, there was a lot of anticipation for his return. When that came in Daredevil: Born Again, it quickly proved to be worth the wait. And yet, it only felt like it was scratching the surface of what the character could give us. This is proof of that.
One Last Kill picks up as Frank attempts to reconcile with his traumatic past. It's not clear how much time has passed since he escaped Wilson Fisk's grips in Daredevil: Born Again season 1 but the Special Presentation is set during and after the events of season 2. And this story takes him to a place where he has to swoop into action in another life-or-death situation that ultimately helps him figure out what his next chapter looks like.
Anyone who watched Bernthal perform as Shane in The Walking Dead is fully aware of his seemingly effortless ability to get inside the minds of deep, emotionally complex characters. It's honestly no surprise that his performance in the beloved AMC series ultimately paved the way for so many roles in his career. And it's nothing short of wonderful to see him back in his most famous role of them all, as The Punisher is well and truly back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If you're ready for more Punisher, you won't have to wait long as Bernthal reprises the role again in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with the events of the Disney Plus Special Presentation influencing the version of Frank that we will see in the upcoming movie. Marvel fans are incredibly eager to see him interact with Spider-Man himself, and considering that the few seconds of the trailer - in which he and Tom Holland's webslinger interact - suggest a great chemistry between the two, we share that excitement completely.
Bernthal was already the definitive portrayal of Frank Castle before he took center stage in One Last Kill and this new Rotten Tomatoes record is just the most recent example of that. The fact that he starred in and co-wrote the Disney Plus Special Presentation that achieved this is pretty spectacular considering we once thought that the character would stay off our screens after the premature conclusion of the Netflix series. Pretty spectacular indeed.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney Plus.
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