At first glance, the conclusion of The Punisher: One Last Kill might seem straightforward. The second half of this Marvel TV special unfolds as a relentless action spectacle, where Frank Castle, portrayed by Jon Bernthal, faces a relentless barrage of assassins. This brutal onslaught follows Ma Gnucci, played by Judith Light, placing a bounty on his head. However, amid the neck-stabs, head-shots, and violent skirmishes, the narrative offers a glimpse into Frank’s troubled psyche. Despite having dispatched members of the Gnucci crime family—suspected to be linked to his family’s demise—Castle’s grief remains unassuaged, a slight retcon from previous appearances where their connection was less emphasized.
In reality, Frank appears more unstable than ever. Residing in what seems like public housing, in a sparse apartment with only his inner turmoil and unkempt beard for companionship, he spends much of the first half of One Last Kill steeped in alcohol, guilt, and anger. His mental state deteriorates further as he succumbs to hallucinations, adding to the episode’s perplexing elements.
The Punisher: One Last Kill Ending Explained: Is Curtis Dead?
Technically, the special’s conclusion marks Frank’s return in full Punisher regalia, poised to dispense vigilante justice to local threats and seek retribution for ordinary citizens seeking justice. This aligns with his Avenger-like persona. However, the special also delves into more surreal territory.
During the first half of One Last Kill, Castle is plagued by visions—not only of his deceased family but also of significant figures from his recent past. Notably, Curtis Hoyle, portrayed by Jason R. Moore, appears as a spectral presence. Hoyle was a pivotal character throughout the two seasons of The Punisher. A former military man and steadfast ally to Castle, he endeavored to reintegrate Frank into society after the presumed death of his family. Drawn into Castle’s violent world, Hoyle became increasingly disturbed by Frank’s brutal path. Their last encounter saw Hoyle distancing himself, as Castle spiraled deeper into vengeance.
It’s entirely possible, then, that Curtis Hoyle died sometime between that show’s summer 2018 endpoint and the 2027 setting of the new special. After all, nearly a decade has elapsed (albeit five years during the Thanos “blip” where half the population was disappeared into dust). It would also fit with Castle’s running visions of his wife and children, which have popped up throughout the series and recur in One Last Kill, if he was seeing more dead people. However, there aren’t really any other signs that Curtis is dead, and in fact there’s a pretty good indicator that he’s not: One of Castle’s other visions is of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), a Daredevil character who worked on Castle’s defense case in the first Daredevil run, and became close to him in the process.
Karen Page is not dead. While Curtis Hoyle might have conceivably died offscreen for story convenience, Karen is a notable enough character in Daredevil that her death definitely would have been addressed. So if Karen can appear in Frank Castle’s visions — smooching him, even! — than clearly there isn’t some kind of ghosts-only rule. He’s thinking about the people who matter to him and, we can infer, those who might be most concerned about his descent into a self-created hell of grief and bottomless need for vengeance. He’s not haunted by his friends’ deaths; he’s haunted, in a sense, by his own spiritual death at his own hands, which at one point in the special he nearly literalizes before a vision of his daughter stops him.
So while the ending of One Last Kill is pretty straightforward — the Punisher is back in action, baby! — it’s also a sign that even if he goes to violent ends in his pursuit of justice, Frank has escaped this purgatory where he’s haunted not just by his dead family, but by his perceived disappointment of his allies. It’s unclear as to the next time we might actually see Curtis Hoyle; he seems unlikely to make an appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. And, sure, the MCU could ultimately reveal that Castle was specifically haunted by unresolved issues with a friend who died off-screen. But the point of One Last Kill is less whether Frank Castle’s friend is dead and more that the Punisher is alive.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.
Stream The Punisher: One Last Kill on Disney+