‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ Just Became Disney+’s Biggest Original of the Year by One Key Metric

Marvel’s Disney+ output has faced plenty of scrutiny in 2026, with streaming numbers becoming a constant talking point around whether the platform’s originals are actually connecting with audiences. Against that backdrop, a scrappy 48-minute special starring one of Marvel’s most beloved anti-heroes has quietly emerged as a genuine standout.

Jon Bernthal returned to the role of Frank Castle for ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill,’ a standalone Disney+ special that premiered on May 12, roughly a week after the Season 2 finale of ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’ Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and co-written by Green and Bernthal, the special picks up with Frank still struggling with his mental health, forced back into action after his past catches up with him.

Now new data suggests that story resonated with viewers in a way that outpaced everything else Disney+ released this year. According to Luminate data shared by Defenders Updates, ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ earned the most “season views” of any Disney+ original project in 2026, logging 12.2 million season views, ahead of second-place ‘Wonder Man’ at 7 million and ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 at 5.8 million.

That level of engagement lines up with a critical response that, while mixed, consistently praised Bernthal’s performance. Multiple reviewers pointed to how naturally the actor slips into the role, having played Frank Castle since 2016. Bernthal will next carry the character into ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ marking the first big-screen outing for this version of Frank Castle, with the special functioning as connective tissue heading into that theatrical debut.

Not every critic walked away convinced the story itself justified the hype. One review noted that Season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ had dropped Frank Castle entirely after his welcome presence in Season 1, and that the confusion around his sudden reappearance in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ left plenty of narrative gaps for the special to fill. Other reviewers were blunter about the plot itself, with one describing the story as “virtually plotless” and arguing the special worked better as a vanity project for Bernthal than as an essential chapter in Frank Castle’s arc.

Still, even critics who found the narrative thin generally agreed the action delivered exactly what fans expect from the character. One review described the violence as gritty and intense, pointing to up-close shotgun blasts, throat cuts and pen stabs to the face as evidence that Marvel didn’t hold back on the brutality under the Disney banner. Another reviewer echoed that sentiment, noting that the special “does not tone down the brutality” and singled out a moment in the closing scenes that earned genuine applause.

Whatever the critical consensus, the viewership numbers tell their own story. Landing at the top of Disney+’s 2026 season views chart puts ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ ahead of a crowded field of Marvel and Star Wars originals, suggesting that even a divisive, standalone special can outperform full seasons of ongoing series when the right character and actor combination is involved.

With Bernthal’s Frank Castle now set to make his theatrical debut, this streaming milestone only raises expectations for how the character will be received on the big screen.

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