How The Punisher: One Last Kill's Ending Sets Up Spider: Brand New Day

Contains spoilers for "The Punisher: One Last Kill"

At the end of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 1, Punisher (Jon Bernthal) broke out of Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) prison and was on the run again. Marvel has confirmed that the vigilante's new special, "The Punisher: One Last Kill," occurs before and during the events of "Born Again" Season 2. And fans won't have to wait long to see him again, since the "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" trailer shows Punisher in all his glory. The question now is: Does "One Last Kill" set up anything for "Brand New Day?"

The answer may be disappointing, but we do get a hint of where Frank's mental state will be for the upcoming Spidey flick. "One Last Kill" starts off largely contemplative, with Frank Castle visiting his family's graves and considering taking his own life. However, new villain Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) sends a barrage of lowlifes after him, forcing Frank to keep fighting. By the end, he saves a family and dons his iconic Punisher suit.

It's the same suit in "Brand New Day," albeit now more faded than it was in "One Last Kill." Frank's clearly put in a lot of work between the two projects, as he's now committed to protecting New Yorkers who are unable to defend themselves. Sadly, "One Last Kill" doesn't have a scene where Frank meets Peter Parker (Tom Holland) because the "Brand New Day" trailer really makes it seem like those two have a history. 

Punisher's arc starting with "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 1 has been all about taking responsibility. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) wants him to confront the police who have co-opted his skull symbol to justify extrajudicial punishments. In the finale, when the cops tell him how big fans of his they are, he informs them that they're nothing alike and is promptly imprisoned (an arc that's based on a real-world controversy). 

After his escape, we catch him in a bad place when "The Punisher: One Last Kill" begins. He's rotting in a bare apartment by himself, experiencing Marine Corps hallucinations, and is haunted by visions of his murdered family to the point where he puts a gun to his temple. What saves him is a vision of his daughter. Later, Frank saves the little girl of a shopkeeper he visited from earlier.

"The Punisher: One Last Kill" sees Frank recognize the necessity of the Punisher persona. Criminals need something to fear, and to them, the skull means something. He didn't want cops wearing it or admiring him. They work within the confines of the law, and Frank fills in the cracks. While the special doesn't lay a ton of groundwork for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" besides establishing why Frank's still fighting. At least we'll see him again soon, albeit a PG-13 version.