Frank Castle makes his long-awaited return to TV screens in Marvel Studios' The Punisher: One Last Kill. The third Disney Plus Special Presentation crafted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it will see Jon Bernthal reprise his role as the hard-hitting vigilante known the world over as The Punisher. And, based on the title, teaser trailer, and imagery, it may well be his most violent adventure yet.
Bernthal made his official MCU debut in 2025 when he brought the character back in Daredevil: Born Again season 1, but he's been a part of the franchise for far longer than that. And with the character making his MCU movie debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he's set for more stories in the franchise's future.
Taking all of that into account, if you're planning on diving into The Punisher: One Last Kill and would like to know Frank Castle's backstory, here are all of the projects you should watch ahead of his Special Presentation.
Daredevil season 2
Episodes: All 13
Where to stream: Disney Plus (formerly Netflix)
Jon Bernthal made his official debut as The Punisher in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil. Frank Castle wastes little time making his presence felt on the streets of New York City, violently disposing of the criminals that inhabit the buildings nobody else thinks to look in. And his bloody approach very quickly puts him in direct conflict of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen himself, Daredevil.
As that series is now retroactively considered canon in the MCU, it marks the official debut for the character (even though that was somewhat unclear at the time). Bernthal quickly showcases himself as a force-to-be-reckoned with in the role and he shares some absolutely stunning scenes with Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, starting a legendary story that would lead to his own standalone series.
The Punisher
Episodes: All 26 episodes (but especially season 1)
Where to stream: Disney Plus (formerly Netflix)
After Bernthal's incredible debut as The Punisher in Daredevil, Marvel Television and Netflix opted to have him headline his own series. With that, The Punisher arrived on screens in 2017, showcasing Frank Castle in all his gritty glory and exploring his tragic backstory for 13 hard-hitting episodes. The show was renewed for a second season, which allowed him to focus on a more straightforward Punisher storyline before the show's cancellation (due to the end of the Marvel Netflix deal).
While Daredevil did delve into Frank's origins, The Punisher allows audiences to spend more time with him, getting to know him better - what drives him and why he continues to do what he does. And it sounds like The Punisher: One Last Kill might mirror some aspects of the Netflix series in that it might just tackle the possibility of Frank putting his weapons down for good - something we actually see him do in the early episodes of the series.
While both seasons are important Punisher watching, the first season in particular is probably more imperative viewing as it places a greater focus on Frank's character, which we know One Last Kill will be doing as well.
Daredevil: Born Again season 1
Episodes: 4 and 9
Where to stream: Disney Plus
After six long years, Jon Bernthal finally made his return to screens as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again's first season. Disney Plus' revival of the Netflix show picked up years after the events of the third and final season of Daredevil, and things were a lot more hopeless than they were during that show's conclusion. After the death of his best friend Foggy Nelson, Daredevil sought counsel from the one man he knew would tell it to him straight: Frank Castle.
Despite their differences, The Punisher showed up for Daredevil again later in the season, as the two fought against Wilson Fisk's corrupt Anti-Vigilante Task Force agents, allowing us to appreciate the true grandeur of the pair's return to screens. Now as official members of the MCU, the journey for both has just begun.
TIP: If you do watch the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale, make sure you stick around after the credits!
BONUS: Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Although Frank Castle does not appear in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, it's worth watching for two reasons: First of all, it's easily one of the best projects that Marvel Studios has ever produced, matching the standards of the original Netflix show and surpassing season 1 in just about every way. It's also set at the same time that The Punisher: One Last Kill takes place.
With that in mind, we may well hear about Wilson Fisk's continued reign of terror as mayor of New York City and the outlawing of vigilantes. While The Punisher never adhered to the typical rules and regulations around superheroes and vigilantes because of his more violent approach, you can bet that Marvel will weave in some nods and references to what is happening in the wider MCU throughout the Special Presentation. Having the knowledge of what goes down with Daredevil and the Kingpin (while also catching up with the likes of Karen Page and Matt Murdock) makes this one valuable knowledge if you have the time.
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