Recap: Frank Castle Returns to the Streets of New York in a Big Way in Marvel's "The Punisher: One Last Kill"

Last we saw Frank Castle, he was fighting his way out of one of Wilson Fisk's holding cells guarded by his anti-vigilante task force. Now, with fist out of power and his task force gone, the Punisher is back on the streets of New York and ready to complete his mission. And even when he thinks he's finished with his work and out of the game, it pulls him right back in.

The Punisher: One Last Kill spoilers ahead!

The Special Presentation opens with Frank working out in an apartment he now appears to be calling home. On the wall, we can see a series of photos and maps. Many of the photos have red Xs over the men in them, indicating that Frank has eliminated these targets. The music begins to distort after we see Frank swallow some pills and wash them down with liquor before collapsing on his floor. In a rage, Frank rips the photos and maps off the wall before we see a title card.

We then get a news report detailing the recent rise in crime in the Little Sicily neighborhood of New York. As we see chaos and violence around the neighborhood, a citizen says the Gnucci's "kept the peace" in that neighborhood. He is alluding to the Gnucci crime family, which was linked to the murders of Frank's family and consisted of the men in the photos on Frank's wall. It appears that Frank killing the Gnuccis has led to chaos in this neighborhood.

We then meet an old homeless veteran, who carries his small dog to a spot where they can sit and eat. As the man is enjoying his meal, he is jumped by a thug as others cheer him on. The thug takes the man's USMC hat, as well as his dog, which he eventually kills. The group excitedly passes a man who scrambles to get past while holding his daughter close. It's clear there are no consequences for the thugs, or anyone else on the streets for that matter.

Back in his apartment, Franks recites the Recon Creed, an oath taken by Marines, in an empty room. However, as he continues to recite it, men appear and disappear sporadically around him. It's clear Frank is not doing well mentally these days. One of those men is Frank's former friend Curtis Hoyle, whom we have not seen since the Punisher's days on Netflix. Tormented by these hallucinations, Frank carves an X over his USMC tattoo on his chest. Eventually, Frank admits to his hallucination of Curtis that he needs help.

Frank puts seemingly all of his weapons in a bag and locks it up in a safe, taking the key with him. In the halls of his apartment building, a small boy stares at Frank as he walks boy. The boy acknowledges him to his mother, letting us know the people in Frank's building know who he is. Frank heads to a nearby bakery and coffee shop, owned by the man who we saw carry his daughter away from danger earlier. We later learn the man's name is Dre and his daughter, who sees Frank from the back room, is named Charli. A news report on the TV again explains that violence is up since the death of the Gnuccis and that Frank is the prime suspect in their murders. Frank notices Charli staring at him, and she waves with a smile.

Frank leaves with a coffee and sees a man stare at him from inside a car that proceeds to pull away. He walks through the streets, passing countless violent crimes without so much as breaking his stride. We are seeing a broken Frank Castle in this moment. As we get a view of the blank expression on his face, the sounds of New York give way to the sounds of Frank's military experience, likening his current neighborhood to a warzone.

As he continues to walk, the same car from earlier pulls up next to him again before pulling away. Frank arrives at the graves of his deceased family, his son Frank Jr., daughter Lisa and wife Maria. Frank places the key to his weapons at his wife's grave and begins talking to them. Bernthal shines in these emotional moments for Frank and he delivers one of his best here. He tell his family he is tired and pulls out a gun. As he puts it to his head, he begins to see visions of his family, including his daughter asking him to read her the book "One Batch, Two Batch," which has been referenced in multiple other Marvel projects involving Frank. The visions end with his daughter soaked in blood. However, before Frank can pull the trigger, he sees his daughter in the cemetery with him. He reaches out for her but she disappears.

Frank makes his way back home s he is taunted by his hallucination of Curtis. Frank notices the same car watching him yet again but he simply walks away. As he does, he passes a vision of himself in full Punisher gear.

Just before fe reaches his apartment, a woman in a wheel chair calls out his name. She tells him the story of how her family was killed and it quickly becomes evident that she is a Gnucci. In fact, she is Isabella Gnucci, who is a villain from the comics who simply goes by Ma Gnucci. We see Frank kill each member of her family before she tells him she has put a bounty on him and that every criminal in the city will be coming for him at exactly 6:47 PM, the same time he killed her youngest son.

In his apartment, Frank hears a voice ask if he's scared. We see Karen Page talking to him from the next room, again taunting him, tell him he failed his family. We a wavering voice, Frank asks Karen if she's really there. She assures him she is and she hugs him. For a moment, it does seem as though she is really there with him, but then she asks him what time it is. He sees that it is 6:47 and Karen has disappeared.

Frank hears a knock at his door and noise from the hallway. He grabs a knife and approaches his door. He peeks out to see a man in a gas mask looking at his door while another man hacks away at the door across the hall with a machete. The man breaks down the door and he and other men storm in, attacking the mother and boy Frank saw earlier in the hall. The man in the mask begins to pour gasoline on Frank's door, which slowly trickles under his door and into his apartment. Frank backs up and simply watches as the gasoline reaches his legs and ignites into flame.

With a trademark Frank Castle scream, he runs at his door and charges through it. He then proceeds to violently kill dozens of men who have stormed his apartment building. The carnage is set to "La Vie en rose," which not only provides a stark contrast to the violence, but also obviously proves someone at Marvel has read this article. Oh no, is this going to be Mephisto all over again? Will we see The Rose in a completely different series 6 years from now?

Frank gets out to a balcony to see that the same violence is taking over his entire building. He systematically works his way through countless men, saving many of his neighbors in the process. Eventually, Frank reaches the roof, where he looks down to see Ma Gnucci and her body guard looking on.

Frank is eventually forced to jump from the roof to escape more of the criminals. However, the streets are not much better and he is immediately attacked again. After fighting off more men, Frank sees Dre getting attacked in front of his shop while his daughter screams for help inside. He also sees Ma Gnucci being loaded into her car. He hesitates for a moment, deciding between helping Dre and attacking Ma Gnucci. Eventually, he chooses the former.

Frank rushes to the shop and takes out all of the men attacking Dre, before heading inside to help Charli. After taking out several more men, Frank is jumped by a large man who briefly gets the better of him. That is, until Frank gets his hands on a pen. Two minutes later, the man is dead and you'll never look the same way at a Bic again. Frank begins to make his way out but Charli runs to him and hugs him. Before he can leave, she hands him a paper rose she made. Come on! A rose?! Really? At this point I feel like Marvel is messing with me personally.

Frank walks back out into the streets, past people scrambling from the chaos as police arrive. Frank gets back to his family's graves and leaves the rose at his daughter's. He tells his daughter he thinks she was with him today as he looks down and finds the key to his weapons, still on the ground in front of his wife's grave. He tells his daughter he's going to keep going and recites "One Batch, Two Batch."

Later, the same thug from the beginning of the special is about to jump another man on the streets. He is stopped though when he is hit by an unseen man. The camera pans up to reveal Frank, now in full Punisher gear. Frank pins the thug against a pole and the homeless veteran from earlier tells him the hat he is wearing is his. Frank orders him to take it off and he returns it to the vet, who tells him that's not the only thing he took from him. As the man runs off, Frank fires a knife into his leg before standing over the man and pulling the trigger as the special comes to a close.

This was an incredibly violent addition to the MCU and one that didn't necessarily further the overall story or answer any questions. However, Bernthal's latest incredible performance is reason enough to watch. Now we won't have to wait too long to see what's next for Frank Castle, as he is set to appear again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July.

Oh, by the way, in case you were curious, Frank's kill count in this special is approximately 81. Give or take, depending on the severity of the head injuries some of them sustained.

Marvel's the Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+.