Whenever Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expect gore and bloodshed. It follows through from the character’s tenure on the Netflix’s Marvel shows, cementing Frank’s image as a one-man army. After helping Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) stave off corrupt vigilante-hating cops in Daredevil: Born Again, Frank returned in The Punisher: One Last Kill — a one-shot that saw him escaping a bounty John Wick-style. But while this special proves Frank has more lives than a cat, it highlights two things. Firstly, that Frank has become an expendable character in the grand scheme of the MCU. And, secondly, Disney+ has the perfect villain to extinguish his fury in Ma Gnucci (Judith Light).
To recap how we got to this point, let’s revisit Frank’s seedy past. The Marine saw nothing but tragedy after returning from tour in Afghanistan. The Netflix Daredevil and Punisher TV series stitched a violent tapestry together to unravel this history. Trips into yesteryear illustrated why Frank’s family was gunned down in Central Park. It was tied to a conspiracy from his time in Afghanistan. Frank had no clue his squadron was a dark tool for Operation Cerberus. This was nasty plot that saw his superiors, Ray Schoonover (Clancy Brown) and William Rawlins (Paul Schulze), illegally deploying the soldiers to slaughter terrorists and people they perceived to be enemies of America.
An unknowing Frank didn’t like their methods, so upon returning home, the cartel deemed him a liability who could expose their sins leave breadcrumbs leading to their downfall. These, in turn, would reveal they never got sanctioned from the government. And worse, they sold drugs using the corpses of dead soldiers to fund their project. Alas, Frank’s former colleague, Billy Russo (Ben Barnes), got in on the assassination plot, helping manipulate gangsters to duke it out with each other and shoot up Frank’s family.
Unfortunately for the perpetrators, Frank survived, garnered clues and eventually became the Punisher. He used assistance from a CIA Agent Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Micro (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and the therapist/ex-NAVY operative, Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore). In time, Frank murdered most of the folks involved in the conspiracy. He did land in prison but after a feud with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), the Kingpin brokered a deal to get the Punisher back out on the streets.
As usual, the mission continued. Billy became Jigsaw after Frank disfigured his face and altered his memories, but he, too, would be killed in The Punisher Season 2. Now, Frank’s rampage wasn’t totally personal. He helped people who needed aid along the way, ergo why he assassinated the Schultz family in Season 2 for using their wealth to ruin lives. Once these jobs were done and Jigsaw was taken off the board, Madani helped wipe Frank’s slate with the CIA and put him back in public. Smart choice, eh?
That led to Frank working with Karen to assist Daredevil, only to get arrested by Fisk’s corrupt Anti-Vigilante Task Force. This resulted in him going free, continuing his crimson spree in Little Sicily and setting the stage for the Ma Gnucci showdown. Admittedly, while One Last Kill didn’t give fans resolution, aka her death, closure is possibly on the horizon. Let’s distill why, though, tragedy could ensue for Frank, yet turn out to be a fitting finale given what Gnucci encapsulates.
Ma Gnucci Is Set Up to Punish and Kill Frank Castle
As expected, the MCU changed Ma Gnucci from the source material. In the comics, Ma Gnucci was created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon in 2000. She targeted Frank as he ended several folks from her clan. This wasn’t linked to his family, but to his overall omerta: all criminals deserved death.
Frank was sending a reminder to the underworld he was back. Ma Gnucci engaged in a war that saw him pulverize more of her gang and kin. One incident at a zoo saw him release polar bears to maim her. She survived and continued the rivalry. Frank persevered, decapitating her main hitman, the Russian, and then burning her mansion down. Frank ensured Ma died in the blaze, putting an end to the Gnucci legacy for good.
The MCU offers extra nuance and a lengthier stint for Ma. Come One Last Kill, Frank slays Ma’s husband and sons, finishing what he started in his own series. The Gnuccis were part of the plot that saw his family get shot down, so it was an eye for an eye. Ma meets him up with her bodyguard, Barracuda, and lets him know in the evening, a hit will be put on his head. Not too smart to warn him, admittedly.
When several thugs pursue Frank, the Punisher does what he does best. He shreds and shoots up several goons, while remembering his purpose. He felt guilt and pain from his time as the Punisher, but Ma made him recall that he was meant to act as judge, jury and executioner. With Ma concluding the special in hiding, the stage is set for one more kill.
Many assume Frank will finish her off and achieve full retribution, and then go on to work with Daredevil, Karen, the Defenders, or even Spider-Man and the Avengers. Hey, if he’s in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there must be a bigger plan, right? The thing is, however, Ma is the antithesis to Frank. He created the monster in her. That’s not to say she isn’t culpable for benefitting from the crimes of her family. She clearly has no problem watching lives perish if it benefits her.
But she is very much the polar opposite to Frank, and a product of his vendetta. She lost her family to him, further perpetuating a cycle of rage and hate. Just look at the innocents who suffered when her attack dogs came after Frank. It tore Little Sicily up even worse than it was before. It’s like the dilemma DC fans discuss with Batman, Joker and other Bat-rogues. The more vigilantes punish, the more they leave a trail of destruction. In that wake, someone aggrieved by the concept of loss will want revenge. It’s a toxic reminder these vigilantes are their worst enemies.
In this case, Ma has nothing to live for, reflecting Frank’s ethos. Both are unstoppable, thirsty for their pound of flesh, and don’t care about the mass casualties in between. If collateral damage is of no consequence, both should be taken off the board. Ma’s best play would be to lure Frank in for a final chat, secretly hide a bomb, and then blow both up. This trope may not be ideal for Punisher fans, but it makes for dramatic TV.
Breaking Bad is a great example of it being deployed. The Emmy-winning AMC series did it when a wheelchair-ridden Hector Salamanca baited Gus Fring to his nursing home. Both villains punished each other’s cartel for years, so Hector decided to go out in a blaze of glory. He had Walter White rig a bomb under his wheelchair and self-detonated it. Essentially, it proved that in a game where no one would win, someone had to take the initiative and remove players off the board. Hector had nothing and no one to live for. At this juncture, series creator, Vince Gilligan, knew he maxed out with these intriguing characters, so he sent them out while they were on top.
Ma is very much in the same Catch-22. She is stuck in a stalemate after trying to checkmate Frank. With nothing to live for and nowhere to go, Ma could walk the extra mile and offer up the biggest prize to distract Frank: herself. In the end, it would be the ultimate lesson for The Punisher.
Did villains like the Gnuccis deserve punishment? Sure, but Frank’s tactics keep giving the next tyrant reason to rise up and poison the world. Having the buck stop with Ma is a powerful reminder how Frank’s relentless, ruthless nature was always going to catch up with him someday. If Frank maintains this pace, he’ll keep molding warped versions of himself. Ma is that inversion who deserves punishment, while simultaneously offering Frank a fitting finale as someone who equally suffered as a parent and spouse.
The MCU Doesn’t Need The Punisher Anymore
From a narrative standpoint, killing the Punisher off makes sense. Firstly, the MCU doesn’t need him. His R-rated energy has hit a ceiling. What else can be mapped with this lone-wolf? He doesn’t have family left. His crush, Karen, is in love with Daredevil as well.
New stories will simply be a retread of him finding new friends or a home, then exacting revenge when he meets wrongdoers. Bernthal has already done this schtick regarding morals and ethics for nearly a decade. There is only so much to see with him having his breakdowns, hallucinating his family, having him yell “No! No! No!” and then rebuke retirement.
If he is migrated to the big-screen, it doesn’t feel like he’ll be done justice. He can’t curse, crack skulls or disembowel people with Peter Parker or the Avengers. The Thunderbolts won’t veer into such adult territory either. They’re family-driven properties. Even putting him with the Defenders would require some dilution. Born Again running for multiple seasons, or the Punisher getting new seasons or specials can offer Frank added storylines, but it’d be rinse and repeat.
The man deserves a happy ending. What better way to go out than where it started? The Gnuccis dying permanently with Frank would send him off to meet his loved ones in the afterlife. It’d be bold from Marvel, but nuanced to understand not to milk this cow past its prime.
One Last Kill was incendiary and intense, but many other properties such as John Wick, Nobody, and Normal use the same gimmick. They’re high-octane, rollicking adventures but this revenge-genre is saturated. Punisher was in on it early, so bowing out gracefully before overstaying his welcome just feels right.
Secondly, from a sociopolitical perspective, the less Punisher is in the zeitgeist, the better. Countries like America have major issues with gun violence. Hollywood will always highlight weapons and gunplay to sell action flicks and shows. But not many franchises like The Punisher have such a societal effect. High-school shootings are prevalent, not to mention, there are supposed-vigilantes hunting politicians and making attempts on the life of President Donald Trump.
The point is, the message of gunning down institutions and the rich could stir trouble and unrest in charged times. Political turmoil and civil turbulence can also be sown from police who wear the Punisher’s badge and think they’re stoking fear with villains. It’s not just an American thing — Trinidad’s Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro used the Punisher badge, too, and tried to justify it, despite knowing it was sending the wrong message about intimidation. The Punisher is no mercurial hero. He is no symbol of virtue, nor is he a paragon of excellence.
It’s why Marvel even changed his symbol once police appropriated it in the comics. Simply put: there is only so much war Frank can wage and be an example. Murder is his character, so it’s best to accept it in a limited doses. We must remove our blinders, no matter how much we love the character.
Yes, we felt (and will continue to feel) for Frank’s journey and the agony he endured. But after so many revenge missions in the MCU, he accomplished enough. Given the real-world circumstances, the absence of a Punisher in the MCU won’t break it. It’ll do just fine with the Avengers stories in cinemas, and other heroes families flock to on Disney+.
Ultimately, the Punisher has always been an outlier and a somewhat-niche character. Ma’s failed hit doubles down that he is indeed a black sheep who has run his course and can’t be differentiated anymore. Deny it how much you want; Frank’s arduous watch has ended.
Listen to MarvelVision:
Share this:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.