Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle has worn a few versions of the Punisher skull over the years. The Netflix run gave him a simple, tactical bulletproof vest, ammo belt, and waist holsters that fans came to know across two seasons of The Punisher and his original appearances in Netflix's Daredevil. When he returned for the MCU proper in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, the costume was close enough to the Netflix look to feel like a continuation.
A new teaser for the ongoing Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 featured a new look at the character in his upcoming Disney+ special, and his appearance has changed. Marvel used the teaser to offer the first proper look at Frank Castle's design in The Punisher: One Last Kill, the Marvel Television Special Presentation arriving on Disney+ on May 12. The glimpse is brief, but it reveals a suit that's visibly distinct from both his Born Again Season 1 appearance and from what's been shown of his look in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The One Last Kill suit looks similar to the one in Born Again, but has a few noticeable differences. It's a full black ensemble with additional padding and a newly painted skull logo on his vest.
The skull itself is more refined and vibrant compared to the weathered version worn in Season 1 of Born Again. Also, Bernthal now sports a full beard and black tactical gloves that weren't part of the earlier look.
The gear is also noticeably different from the Spider-Man: Brand New Day one seen in the trailers. The skull logo on the Brand New Day vest looks implied rather than explicit, blended into painted ammo pouches on a highly militaristic vest. The skull is still there, just far less overt.
It is worth noting that Brand New Day is set after One Last Kill, so Frank changes his costume after the events of the Disney+ special.
Watch the first official look for Punisher: One Last Kill at the end of the mid-season trailer for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 below.
What to Expect From The Punisher: One Last Kill
With Frank's new design comes new problems. The official synopsis for The Punisher: One Last Kill describes Frank finding new meaning beyond revenge until a new enemy leaves him no choice but to get back in action.
This new villain is widely believed to be Isabella "Ma" Gnucci, the ruthless leader of the Gnucci Crime Family created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon in The Punisher #4 in 2000. Her crime family has appeared in the MCU before, briefly in Netflix's The Punisher Season 1, but Gnucci herself has never made a live-action appearance in the MCU. Set photos that popped up last year suggest she'll appear in a wheelchair.
The show packs an exciting cast with Jason R. Moore returning as Curtis Hoyle, Castle's closest ally from the Netflix era, and Reinaldo Marcus Green directs from a script he co-wrote with Bernthal. The pair previously worked together on King Richard and We Own This City, so the creative shorthand runs deep.
The special runs roughly an hour and is set to release one week after the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale. Its events are concurrent with Season 2, which means Castle's absence from Murdock's story is for a good reason. The Punisher is busy elsewhere, fighting a different kind of war. This war promises to be a visceral and brutal one, as the project is confirmed to carry a hard R rating. This allows for an uncompromising level of violence that honors Frank Castle’s roots
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
