The Punisher’s New MCU Series Title Creates The Scariest Character Death Theory Yet

Frank Castle/the Punisher is officially returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in more than one project, including as the lead of The Punisher: One Last Kill. One Last Kill will be released as a television special presentation on Disney+ on May 12, exactly one week after the Daredevil: Born Again season 2 finale.

This will be the Punisher’s next MCU appearance ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as the brutal vigilante is confirmed to be among that movie’s cast of characters as well and had an appearance in the Brand New Day trailer. Like Brand New Day, One Last Kill is also expected to be part of the MCU’s Phase Six, which seems to position the Punisher as a key character moving forward.

However, one theory about the true meaning behind the title of One Last Kill throws a wrench in that possible future role in the MCU, as it suggests that the titular final kill could refer to none other than the Punisher himself.

This Fan Theory Suggests Frank Castle Could Be The Titular Last Kill

So far, not much is known about the story of One Last Kill, although the title is obviously ominous. Audiences do know that the Punisher will not be making an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which led to significant disappointment. However, One Last Kill is curiously included on Daredevil: Born Again’s release schedule.

This suggests that the two shows are linked narratively in some way, although (while exciting) that still doesn’t provide much information in terms of what this new television special’s story could entail. The title makes it clear that someone is on the chopping block, but in terms of the Punisher’s larger story, that isn’t all that surprising.

It’s perhaps this level of ambiguity and uncertainty that has led to a range of theories about what One Last Kill could refer to, from it potentially meaning the Punisher’s final kill to fully avenge the murder of his family to the possibility that the Punisher will be walking away from the vigilante life after one last fight.

Yet another theory that has emerged, however, is that the title could refer to the Punisher himself dying. That would be truly shocking, as well as disappointing, given that he currently seems positioned as important in the MCU and is about to have a big screen appearance in Brand New Day. Those factors actually make it very unlikely that this is really where the story will go, though.

The Punisher’s MCU Future Makes It Unlikely He Will Die (For Now)

Although the timeline of One Last Kill is currently unknown in terms of when the story takes place, it seems safe to assume it will be set before Brand New Day. The MCU doesn’t mind jumping around in time—Black Widow didn’t come out until after Natasha Romanoff had already died in Avengers: Endgame, for example—but it would be an odd choice to release One Last Kill before Brand New Day if it wasn’t chronologically first.

With that in mind, it’s essentially impossible that the Punisher will die in One Last Kill, as he’s primed to play a significant role in Brand New Day. With Marvel, there’s always the possibility that the unexpected will happen, but in this case, it really does seem like the Punisher will survive this television special and, very likely, appear in that new project ready to kill someone else.

Whether that will be one last kill on his path to vengeance or some other significant death remains to be seen, and surely One Last Kill will have some surprises in store for audiences. For now, though, it’s unlikely at best that The Punisher: One Last Kill will spell the demise of this fan-favorite character.