The Punisher: One Last Kill Star Judith Light Confirms Supervillain Role

The Punisher: One Last Kill will premiere on Disney+ soon, and the actor playing the series’ main supervillain is hyping up their MCU debut.

In summer 2025, Ugly Betty and Transparent alum Judith Light was spotted on set, and she was later briefly shown in The Punisher: One Last Kill’s trailer. Although Light’s role still hasn’t been officially revealed yet, it’s been speculated that the actor is playing antagonist Ma Gnucci, who’s been a member of Punisher’s rogues gallery for over 25 years.

In an interview with TODAY, Light didn’t go so far as to proclaim she’s bringing Ma Gnucci to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, she did have some positive words to share about her experience working on the TV special, including acting alongside its lead, Jon Bernthal:

It’s gonna be a surprise. Jon Bernthal is just remarkable. Jon Bernthal wrote this with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who directed King Richard, and we did this in 12 days. The crew was amazing. Jon is extraordinary. We were able to go deep really fast. I think people will be surprised. I think they will really appreciate it. This is really about transformation and what it means to be a person who holds on to revenge. It’s really special.

Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, Ma Gnucci made her comics debut in 2000’s The Punisher #4. Gnucci was introduced as the head of New York’s largest Mafia family. When Frank Castle killed her three sons upon returning to New York, she retaliated by sending both assassins after him and using her connections in the NYPD to put together the Punisher Task Force to hunt him down.

Ma Gnucci ultimately met a grisly fate at Punisher’s hands. First, she lost her scalp and all four limbs from a group of polar bears that attacked her when Frank freed animals at the Central Park Zoo as a distraction. Later on, he set her mansion on fire while she was still inside, and she was burned alive. While there was a brief period where it looked like Gnucci was brought back to life, this proved to be a ruse orchestrated by another villain named the Elite.

Marvel Studios

Assuming Gnucci will appear in The Punisher: One Last Kill, which would be the character’s first live-action appearance, Light is confident that viewers will enjoy what’s coming up with her character and the entirety of the MCU’s latest Special Presentation. Other Punisher enemies that have been depicted in the MCU include Ben Barnes’ Jigsaw, Clancy Brown’s Ray Schoonover, and Paul Schulze’s William Rawlins.

Although Bernthal’s Frank was most recently seen in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, his new TV special chiefly functions as a follow-up to Netflix’s The Punisher, which aired for two seasons as a spinoff of the original Daredevil show. The forthcoming MCU project follows Frank trying to search for meaning in his life beyond revenge. That’s complicated when an “unexpected force pulls him back into the fight,” as described in the official synopsis.

Along with Bernthal and Light, The Punisher: One Last Kill also sees Jason R. Moore reprising Curtis Hoyle, Frank’s close friend who led a therapy group for military veterans. Additionally, Bernthal wrote the TV special with director Reinaldo Marcus Green. This is Marvel Studios’ third Special Presentation, following Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

The Punisher: One Last Kill arrives on Disney+ May 12. After that, Bernthal’s Frank will share screen time with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which opens in theaters on July 31.

Release Date

May 12, 2026

Runtime

60 Minutes

Director

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Cast

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  Frank Castle / The Punisher

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  Jamal Lloyd Johnson

  Barry

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