With The Punisher: One Last Kill delivering the brutal, no-compromise take on the vigilante fans had been craving, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle has once again proven why he remains one of Marvel's most compelling characters.
The Special left blood on the streets and a trail of bodies in its wake, but it also left the door wide open for more standalone stories. Unlike the congested team-ups and multiverse events dominating the MCU, The Punisher has always worked best in focused, hard-edged tales that don’t pull punches. So what’s next?
In this feature, we have five possible future Special Presentations that could continue Frank's war after One Last Kill, ranging from grim, grounded revenge stories to bold, even unhinged swings that would let Bernthal go places we’ve never seen before.
Click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below for some insights into what's next for the MCU's Punisher...
5. The Slavers
During his usual nightly activity of killing bad guys, Frank meets a woman who claims the men he just took out played a role in the murder of her baby. The vigilante listens to her story and uncovers a nightmarish slavery ring which exists within the bowels of New York City.
Livid at the idea that there are men forcing young women into prostitution, The Punisher cuts a bloody trail, dispatching them in gloriously violent ways. While gory, it's impossible not to get some satisfaction from seeing those bastards get what's coming to them.
To get the audience to root for the character, they need to see him killing the worst of the worst and those who truly deserve it. Tackling a subject as dark as this would be a good fit for a standalone Special, and it would tie into how Frank feels about the loss of his own family.
4. In The Beginning
Revolving around a CIA officer who sets out to capture the vigilante, "In The Beginning" saw Frank's former partner Linus "Microchip" Lieberman sell him out to a government stooge. They want to put Frank on a task force meant to take out America's enemies.
Sounds like Mr. Charles, right? Back to the comics, and refusing to be used as a pawn, The Punisher was inadvertently released by some Mafiosos looking for revenge. What followed was an all-out war between the three factions.
There's a lot here which would work in a series, and while some elements would inevitably need to be altered, Frank going up against the Mafia and the CIA would certainly make things interesting. It's also a good way to pick up on plot threads from Daredevil: Born Again.
3. Franken-Castle
During the "Dark Reign" era, Norman Osborn controlled the Marvel Universe and sent Wolverine's son, Daken, to deal with The Punisher. The villainous clawed mutant sliced Frank to pieces, leaving him dead and buried...well, so the Dark Avenger thought.
Instead, the Legion of Monsters found Frank's remains and managed to bring the vigilante back to life as "Franken-Castle." Vowing to protect innocent monsters, The Punisher continued his mission, albeit in a much different way from what comic book fans had seen before.
This would be a crazy, inventive use of Bernthal in the MCU and a great way to do something new with the character. We'd save this for much further down the line, when his street-level adventures have largely run their course, and he can be added to the Midnight Sons cast.
2. The Omega Effect
"The Omega Effect" also includes Daredevil and Spider-Man, but there are ways to make this story work as a solo outing for Frank. We're primarily referring to Rachel Cole-Alves, a standout character from Greg Rucka's stint writing The Punisher's solo title.
Moments after getting married, Rachel's new husband and entire family were killed in a hail of bullets, something which led to this former Marine also embarking on a quest for vengeance. Eventually, she met up with The Punisher, and what followed was a compelling partnership.
Pairing Frank with someone like this would be hugely beneficial to the character, and, beyond that, the idea of Frank trying to get his hands on a drive with information capable of taking down every crime family in New York is an enticing proposition for a Special.
1. Welcome Back, Frank
A natural direct continuation of The Punisher: One Last Kill, Frank going to war with Ma Gnucci makes perfect sense for any follow-up. She's failed to kill him once, but there's no way she'll give up her quest for vengeance after the anti-hero killed her husband and sons.
Garth Ennis' back-to-basics approach to The Punisher helped redefine the character back in 2000, and lifting some of the comedic moments from this tale would be no bad thing...after all, who doesn't want to see Jon Bernthal punch a polar bear?
Seriously, though, Bernthal has repeatedly talked about being inspired by "Welcome Back, Frank," and there are still heaps to mine from this tale. For example, we'd throw in wannabe Punishers, The Holy, Mr. Payback, and Elite, to see the kind of men Frank's actions have inspired.