Expanding on the runaway success of season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios is continuing to expand the street-level corner of the MCU, and this time, it’s bringing one of its most brutal antiheroes back into the spotlight. Titled The Punisher: One Last Kill, the newly announced special presentation will see The Punisher return in a project that already sounds like a far cry from the studio’s more polished, family-friendly output.

Set to once again star Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, One Last Kill is being positioned as a gritty, character-driven action fest for the fan-favorite vigilante. While plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, early reports suggest the special will lean heavily into the grounded, violent tone that defined the character’s previous appearances in the Netflix-era series and his recent reintroduction into the MCU through Daredevil: Born Again.

Marvel’s “Special Presentation” format, previously used for projects like Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, has proven to be an ideal playground for stories that don’t quite fit the traditional film or series mold. In the case of The Punisher: One Last Kill, that likely means a tightly focused narrative with a distinct (and R-rated) creative voice; something that could allow the character’s moral complexity and unflinching brutality to take center stage without compromise.

For longtime fans, the title alone carries a sense of finality. Frank can, of course, be seen in the recent trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but there is a sense that this could be the end of a chapter of sorts. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (We Own This City, King Richard), this special holds the promise of a definitive, no-holds-barred story. Bernthal’s portrayal has long been praised for its intensity and emotional depth, and a project like this offers the opportunity to give his version of the character the kind of spotlight he deserves.

As Marvel continues to experiment with tone and format in its current period of reinvention, The Punisher: One Last Kill stands out as one of its most intriguing upcoming projects, one that could deliver a raw, uncompromising antihero story in a Disney-branded universe that doesn’t always allow for it.

’The Punisher: One Last Kill’ streams exclusively on Disney+ May 12th.