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Marvel enthusiasts eagerly anticipatingtheir next MCU instalment won't have much longer to wait.

*Warning: Contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again*

Just this week, Disney Plus viewers watched Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock being thrown behind bars after exposing his identity to the public. This followed an explosive confrontation with former Kingpin turned Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), with Fisk ultimately succumbing to his violent tendencies.

In a brilliantly frustrating final showdown, Kingpin is stopped short of defeat before accepting a deal, finding himself alone on a beach - but has his story truly come to an end?

With Daredevil Born Again Season 3 anticipated to bring back the Defenders, viewers can get their next MCU hit in the interim as Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle is set to return to screens within days, reports the Mirror.

Despite being absent from the Born Again Season 2 episodes, Frank Castle will take centre stage following Disney Plus's announcement of a TV special entitled The Punisher: One Last Kill.

But what can audiences expect from The Punisher special, and where does it fit within the MCU timeline? Here is everything we know so far.

Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as the titular vigilante, aka Frank Castle, as he searches for purpose beyond vengeance, only to be dragged back into the fray by an unexpected force. The TV special is set to arrive on Disney Plus on 13 May at 2am BST.

Disney Plus has teased: "As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, he's unexpectedly pulled back into the fight."

According to reports, One Last Kill will follow Frank as he attempts to live life without the Punisher persona, though fans are already voicing their predictions on what lies ahead.

One Reddit user wrote: "I may be wrong, but what if the last kill isn't an enemy, it's Frank himself. He has to kill off Frank Castle for good in order to fully embrace the punisher."

Another speculated: "We know Frank isn't conflicted about his purpose now. We saw him fully embracing his role in the brief Born Again cameo."

However, a third suggested: "I think he is just an addict. He keeps telling himself one more one more but literally cannot stop killing."

A fourth wondered: "I understand the sentiment, though it makes me wonder what exactly this means. Forgetting his family? Forgetting his name?"

Daredevil's showrunner Dario Scardapane, who also served as executive producer on Netflix's The Punisher series, has shed light on when One Last Kill will be set.

Speaking to Variety, he revealed why Jon had barely featured in Born Again Season 2: "...not having Jon in Season 2 more reflects about the story he wanted to tell with the Punisher special."

When asked whether the TV special serves as a continuation of Punisher breaking free from Kingpin's prison or a prologue to his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the showrunner revealed: "I think this tells the story of what happened next after 'Punisher' and before and during the events of Born Again Season 2."

The announcement of the TV special was met with great enthusiasm from fans, with one viewer previously commenting on YouTube: "A one hour short is criminal. Give him a full length feature." Another remarked: "Feels like they're setting up Frank to be his most unhinged and ruthless self, with the hallucinations."

A third enthused: "Honestly, Marvel should've done this a long long time ago. John has proved himself plenty in the business of action movies and will definitely pull this off. Time for his character to be elevated to the true icon it is. You can count on him to neve disappoint."

A fourth commented: "As a grown man, I'm not ashamed to say, that this trailer gave me wonderful chills!"

The Punisher: One Last Kill premiers on Disney Plus on May 13.