Marvel Studios will finally be releasing a crossover movie between Netflix's Marvel universe and the MCU, but the company recently confirmed that another project and in-universe event will have to premiere before the crossover can happen. The MCU has been the home of multiple crossovers throughout its history. From the three Spider-Man actors (Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield) appearing in the same movie to the Fox X-Men appearing in an Avengers film, fans have been able to witness some insane moments where two entirely different universes came together on-screen.
Marvel Television recently confirmed that The Punisher: One Last Kill will be released on Disney+ on Friday, May 12. Before this announcement, many fans did not know when to expect the Special Presentation to debut on the streamer, and nearly everyone was surprised that its release date was set as early as May, largely due to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Jon Bernthal will be the lead of The Punisher: One Last Kill, as the project will center around his character, Frank Castle, who is better known as the Punisher. Bernthal will also have a major role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will be released on July 31.
Many fans previously thought that Bernthal's appearance in Brand New Day would come before One Last Kill, and that what happened in Brand New Day could directly set up One Last Kill, but now that One Last Kill will be released before the Spider-Man flick, it is actually the opposite.
So, whatever happens in The Punisher: One Last Kill will likely be vital to Punisher's role in Brand New Day. It has not been confirmed how much time will pass between the two projects, but considering they will be released back-to-back within the MCU, one would have to assume that One Last Kill will lead right into Brand New Day, at least in terms of Punisher's character arc.
It is also worth noting that Brand New Day is not just a Spider-Man project, but also a historic crossover between the MCU and Netflix's Marvel universe. Specifically, the upcoming movie will be the first time a character from the Netflix universe will have a major role in an MCU film. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock already appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it was more of a cameo. Based on the synopsis and the trailers that have been released for Brand New Day, Punisher will seemingly be a main character.
However, he won't be the only entity from the Netflix universe to be featured in Brand New Day. It has also been established that the Hand, a massive criminal organization that was showcased all throughout the Netflix universe, will be one of Brand New Day's biggest antagonists. So, multiple elements from the Netflix universe will be heavily focused on in Brand New Day, essentially making it a pure crossover project.
To make the crossover even stronger, Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple (who was a major character in the Netflix universe) reportedly has a role in the upcoming movie. That has not been confirmed, but, if true, Brand New Day will absolutely be just as much of a Marvel Netflix movie as it is a Spider-Man film.
If The Punisher: One Last Kill did not have any importance to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Disney and Marvel Television likely would have no problem waiting to release it after the Spider-Man movie. However, since it is coming out before the film, at least something that happens in the special has to be crucial to Brand New Day's plot, and fans are trying to figure out what that could be.
How Will The Punisher: One Last Kill Set Up Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
The Punisher: One Last Kill looks to be a deeply grounded project that will deal with extremely heavy themes. For example, the trailer revealed that it will explore Frank's PTSD and his emotions regarding the death of his daughter and family. Most likely, that will take up most of the special's runtime.
However, something is going to have to happen that will change the Punisher from being his vicious, rage-filled self who is okay mowing people down to the more family-friendly version that will be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. One Last Kill could showcase the fulfillment of Frank's goal to avenge the death of his family. Once that task is complete, he could rid himself of his demons and vow to become a more traditional MCU vigilante, with his first appearance in that role being Brand New Day.
If One Last Kill took place after Brand New Day, it would be extremely jarring tonally. As mentioned, Frank seems a lot different in the Brand New Day footage, so it would be extremely weird for him to go from his Brand New Day self to his One Last Kill self, but since the projects will be the opposite of that, and One Last Kill will come out first, fans can almost definitely expect to see a completely different character.
It is also important to mention that Spider-Man knows Frank by name in Brand New Day. In the official trailer, Peter lands on Frank's truck and calls him by his real name, suggesting they already know each other. That does not mean that Spider-Man is going to make a cameo in One Last Kill, because he almost definitely will not, as that would completely take away from the story the special is trying to tell, but it doesn't mean the web-slinger won't be referenced or name-dropped.
At the end of the special, Frank could simply say one or two lines about a spider-like superhero that he has heard about and wants to meet, or another person could mention Spider-Man to Frank and confirm that they will set up a meeting between the two.
Once again, since the Hand is involved in Brand New Day and the Netflix universe, it is possible they could be mentioned in One Last Kill, or that it could be established that Frank will get caught up dealing with the Hand. That would provide some connective tissue between One Last Kill and Brand New Day, and could explain how Frank knows Spider-Man in the upcoming film.
