LUKE CAGE Creator Calls Out the One Big Issue with THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL and He’s Right
Marvel fans are still processing the emotional gut-punch that is The Punisher: One Last Kill, and now Cheo Hodari Coker, the creator of Marvel’s Luke Cage series on Netflix, has weighed in with a take that hits pretty close to home.
The special has been getting a lot of attention for its brutal tone, psychological depth, and for delivering arguably the most comic-accurate version of Frank Castle we’ve seen onscreen. But according to Coker, there’s one thing holding it back.
He wrote on X: "The problem with One Last Kill is it's too short. That's who Frank Castle is. No mercy. Very much like the comics. It needed more space to breathe. But Bernthal is the best Punisher by far and RMG did a great job directing. About to watch it again."
It’s hard to argue with that. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and co-written by Jon Bernthal, The Punisher: One Last Kill throws viewers into the shattered mental state of Frank Castle.
He’s isolated, haunted by PTSD, drowning in hallucinations, and barely hanging onto reality. This isn’t the rage-fueled Punisher mowing through criminals every five minutes. It’s a broken man slowly collapsing under years of trauma and guilt.
Things finally spiral once Frank crosses paths with Ma Gnucci, played by the Judith Light, who wants revenge for the deaths of her family members. Of course, the ugly irony is that the Gnuccis were responsible for the murder of Frank’s wife and children in the first place.
The atmosphere is grim and uncomfortable. You feel the emptiness of Frank’s world almost immediately. The issue is that the special only runs around 48 minutes, and the story spends a huge chunk of that time building tension and exploring Frank’s fractured psyche before the action fully kicks in closer to the final stretch.
That slower burn absolutely works for the story being told, but it also makes the runtime feel restrictive. By the time One Last Kill really gets rolling, it’s already heading toward the credits.
This easily could’ve worked as a feature length film. There’s enough emotional weight, psychological horror, and character drama packed into the story to support a longer format. More time with Frank’s deteriorating mental state and Ma Gnucci’s revenge mission would’ve made the eventual violence hit even harder.
Still, even with its pacing issues, the special succeeds where it matters most. Bernthal once again proves why fans consider him the definitive live-action Punisher. He doesn’t play Frank Castle like a superhero. He plays him like a man rotting from the inside out, and it makes every scene feel heavy.
The Punisher: One Last Kill isn’t exactly a “fun” watch, but it’s a powerful one. It’s ugly, tragic, violent, and emotionally exhausting in ways that feel ripped straight out of the comics. Another hour or two probably would’ve made it even better.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+.