The Punisher: One Last Kill director Reinaldo Marcus Green finally revealed the meaning behind the Disney+ special's confusing title. Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle (aka the Punisher) was a major character in Netflix's Marvel universe. After that entire interconnected franchise got canceled by Netflix, everyone wanted those actors and characters to be incorporated into Marvel Studios' MCU, and those wishes were granted. However, Bernthal's Punisher has only been in one project, and his first solo outing seemingly teases that his time as the anti-hero could already be coming to an end.
In an exclusive interview with The Direct while promoting the upcoming Punisher: One Last Kill Disney+ Special Presentation, director Reinaldo Marcus Green was asked about what factored into the decision to title the upcoming project One Last Kill instead of something else. That particular title was especially intriguing (or even headscratching) because it was somewhat mysterious and had a lot of fans wondering whether it meant Bernthal's Punisher was going to lock up the guns for good.
Green ultimately admitted that "Marvel has a lot of hand in the titles," so naming the special One Last Kill wasn't solely his decision, but the director also said that it is something that doesn't make total sense until after the viewer has watched the project.
Green called the title "a misdirect in the best way," and revealed that fans were supposed to feel exactly the way many did when the title was first released, and that it was supposed to elicit questioning and a bit of worry that it would be "the end of the Punisher."
Ultimately, though, the One Last Kill director stated that it is not the end of Bernthal's character, and agreed that the title is essentially referring to Frank Castle himself, which Green feels "makes [the title] even more cool:"
The Direct: "What I think you succeeded in [was] it really did feel like a one shot comic. So, it does really have that feel and it's not a throwaway either. It's like a really important one shot, like a quick character moment. So, I think you pulled it off. Many people saw when it was announced the title of 'One Last Kill,' and we're immediately like, 'That doesn't make sense. Is Punisher just gonna stop? What does this title mean?' But now, obviously, having seen it, it seems so clear in hindsight... it's referring to himself. What did you think of that reaction, and can you just talk a little bit about why you chose that as the title?"
Green: "Well, obviously, Marvel has a lot of hand in the titles and that regard. I think for fans, though, like you said, once they see it, they'll understand it, and I think that's what's most important. So I think, yeah, it's a misdirect in the best way. I think it's one of those situations where you hear it, you're like, 'Wait, is this the end of The Punisher?' And when you realize that maybe it's not, I think that makes it even more cool."
Green then dove into explaining that "subverting [audiences'] expectations" is what is "fun as a filmmaker," and he tried to do just that with The Punisher: One Last Kill on multiple levels. He specifically added that he is "always trying to look for ways to subvert," and that the title was definitely an example of that.
The director admitted that he hopes it subverts viewers' expectations "in a way that doesn't annoy" them, though. He also revealed that he wants the special to "make people satisfied when they see the end:"
Green: "So, for me, I think whatever draws the audience into subverting their expectations. I think it's fun as a filmmaker. For me, it's all about subverting that. You know, you're gonna go on an action journey... 'Oh, okay, we're 20 minutes in, and we're not! What's going on here?' So I think for us, it's always trying to look for ways to subvert, and I think the title does that. Hopefully it does it in a way that doesn't annoy people and makes people satisfied when they see the end."
The Punisher's Role in the MCU Moving Forward
It is clear that Marvel Studios wants Jon Bernthal's Punisher to be a different character than fans are used to. The R-rated anti-hero from the Netflix days could have worked out fine in the MCU, but audiences got a two-season TV show and appearances throughout other Marvel Netflix shows with that character, so the decision makers for the MCU likely thought it would be more compelling for him to go through a major change.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is best described as a deep character study. This version of Frank Castle has largely been action-oriented, and viewers have been able to see him on a deeper level at times, but One Last Kill finally peels back all of the layers in a way previous projects have not.
It is also important to remember that Frank will be popping up in other MCU titles, and some of them will have wildly different tones than what previous projects with the Punisher have had. For example, he has already been confirmed to have a fairly substantial role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That upcoming movie won't be a light-hearted comedy all throughout and will undoubtedly have some PG-13 moments, but it also won't be a hard R entry in the MCU (unless Bernthal gets his own feature film that he has already been campaigning for).
So, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for Frank to be killing everyone in sight and dropping F-bombs in one project, and then being totally different in his next appearance. At the end of the day, some type of change was needed, and One Last Kill provided it.
