'The Punisher' Didn't Set Up 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' - It Killed It
The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), which premiered on Disney+, rewrote the status quo of Frank Castle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something that was needed for a long time. Now, protecting innocents as a stone-cold killer with a twisted brand of justice feels like the norm for him.
Of course, with his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), the Marvel Special Presentation set up the character to meet the Web-Head. The problem is that the version of Punisher introduced in One Last Kill could never properly operate in Spider-Man’s world. Now, the question is: How can they make Jon Bernthal’s Punisher work with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ Establishes How Violent Frank Castle Truly Is
Though Marvel properties like Marvel’s Daredevil (2015) champion the idea that murder is never the answer in stopping crime, the Punisher has always stood against that, and it’s made him a great antihero. His methods are the most extreme of any hero aligned with good, but in Frank’s eyes, it’s the only necessary outcome.
The Punisher: One Last Kill proved his perspective as he existed in a part of New York City torn apart by crime based on his actions. Because everyone innocent has seen how bad it can get, it’s easy for Frank to justify his actions and possibly even be praised for it by the people.
This has put Frank Castle at his most violent, and The Punisher: One Last Kill’s ending showed him embrace his Punisher persona fully and no longer question when enough is enough. The problem that comes with that is he can’t do this in front of everyone, and a world like Spider-Man’s poses an inherent problem with that type of mindset.
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Teases A More Lighthearted Tone Without Deadly Violence
Spider-Man’s universe can be dangerous and violent, but he never resorts to killing. In fact, the only time Spider-Man ever wanted to was in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) when the Green Goblin killed his Aunt May. But aside from that, murder is never necessary.
There are also villains like Scorpion and Boomerang that make it hard even to land a punch, let alone take a life, which shows why Spider-Man’s methods are effective. In the mind of Spider-Man, the goal is to beat the bad guy, web them up, and leave them to the authorities so they go to jail. He may be a vigilante because he breaks the law, but he doesn’t take lives.
Morally speaking, Spider-Man could never take a life to begin with because it goes against his stance of helping everyone and the great responsibility that comes with his great power. He’s a perfectly constructed character with a message and motivation that everyone can understand and should follow. Compared to Frank, they are two characters who would never mix in the first place.
The MCU Can Make Punisher And Spider-Man Work In Subtle Ways
For better or worse, the Punisher is coming in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and considering he first appeared in a Spider-Man comic, this feels like a long time coming. That said, One Last Kill effectively killed any logical way a brutal character like Frank could interact with Peter Parker.
There are still ways to work around this, though, as it’s not the first time it’s happened. For one, Frank shouldn’t hold back. Have him be as brutal as he needs to be, but consistently have Spider-Man stop him at every turn from taking things too far.
The other option is to put Frank in a situation where, even if he went all out, it would mean nothing, whether it be against supervillains or even Spider-Man himself, should he turn into a monster with his new power evolutions. Difficult as it may seem, there are ways to have the Punisher be as brutal as he should be in Brand New Day. If that doesn’t happen, then One Last Kill ensured that the Punisher and Spider-Man’s first meeting won’t make sense.
