Jon Bernthal Takes The Punisher to His Darkest Place Yet in 'One Last Kill'

"Frank Castle is Marvel's most complicated antihero. He's a military veteran who returns home from the war, only to find a new one waiting for him when his family is murdered after they witness a mob killing. So, he arms himself to the teeth and enacts revenge on the city's criminals while wearing a skull and crossbones emblem on his chest. It's a story about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and loneliness, wrapped in a bundle of crazy cartoon violence."

"In The Punisher: One Last Kill, a new film on Disney+ that continues the character's story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bernthal portrays Frank Castle at rock bottom. He's attempting to live a life without wanton killing when he's drawn into another violent conflict. According to Bernthal-who also wrote and executive-produced the special-it's a story about the difficulties that special forces veterans go through when they feel their purpose slipping away. It's a battle, he says, that too often ends in suicide."

""You cut ties with every pillar of belief, whether it's religion, whether it's the Marine Corps, whether it's your family," Bernthal tells Esquire in our latest digital cover story. "Basically anything that was important to you, you start to see as a corruption. You look at yourself as the reasons for the problems in the world around you, and 99 percent of the time it results in suicide.""

Frank Castle, a military veteran, returns home to find his family murdered after they witness a mob killing. He becomes a revenge enforcer, arming himself and adopting a skull emblem while targeting criminals. His story centers on PTSD and loneliness, blending intense violence with a portrayal of psychological collapse. In The Punisher: One Last Kill on Disney+, Frank is at rock bottom and tries to live without wanton killing, but is pulled into another violent conflict. The narrative focuses on special forces veterans struggling when their sense of purpose slips away, a battle that often ends in suicide. Frank’s worldview fractures as he cuts ties with religion, the Marine Corps, and family, seeing former pillars as corruption and blaming himself for the world’s problems.

Read at Esquire