A sinister new villain for the third chapter of the MCU’s Netflix reboot on Disney+ was unveiled, and her introduction was historic for one key reason. Marvel Studios’ continuation of the Defenders saga brought Daredevil back into the fold with two seasons of Daredevil: Born Again. Now, the reboot’s third chapter, The Punisher: One Last Kill, highlights Frank Castle’s (Jon Bernthal) journey following his intense face-off with the Anti-Vigilante Task Force led by Mayor Fisk.
The Punisher: One Last Kill introduced Ma Gnucci as a historic antagonist of Frank Castle, making her the first female villain in a Punisher project. Aside from serving as the MCU’s version of DC’s Carmine Falcone, Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation transformed Ma Gnucci into something far more terrifying: the living embodiment of maternal vengeance.
Having lost her husband and sons to Frank Castle’s warpath, she dragged him out of his fragile attempt at peace and forced a brutal mirror to his own unending cycle of violence, one that nearly broke the Punisher himself.
Ma Gnucci was not a cartoonish mobster. By being a vicious matriarch, she weaponized her grief, turning the neighborhood into a literal warzone to draw Frank out and putting a massive bounty on his head to eliminate him.
What made Ma’s introduction in The Punisher: One Last Kill so intriguing was that Frank decided to let her go amid the chaos to save an innocent family being attacked by random assailants.
Marvel Comics provided a strong hint at what happened to Ma Gnucci after her escape in The Punisher: One Last Kill. There, the Punisher and Ma’s conflict culminated in a brutal fight at the Central Park Zoo, where Frank used the animals as weapons. A polar bear mauled Ma; she lost her limbs and was forced into a wheelchair. Frank ultimately ended Ma’s life by burning her alive in her own home.
It remains to be seen whether the MCU’s Ma Gnucci will return after One Last Kill. Ma’s escape set up potential unfinished business for Frank to deal with in future stories, such as in Spider-Man: Brand New Day or a continuation of The Punisher Netflix series (akin to Born Again).
Every Other Known ‘Active’ MCU Villain Lurking in the Shadows
Abomination
Following his rampage as Abomination and eventual defeat in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Emil Blonsky was placed in a high-security prison. The MCU villain returned in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as a member of an underground flight club, going toe-to-toe with the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong.
Blonsky resurfaced in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where Jennifer Walters took on his parole case. He claimed to be reformed and took anger management classes to start fresh, but the footage from his fight from Shang-Chi complicated matters. Despite that, Wong, who had been treating Blonsky as his friend, helped him escape from prison and begin a new life in Kamar-Taj under his protection.
Given that She-Hulk emphasized his turn to the good side, it remains to be seen if Abomination will return to his evil ways. It’s worth noting that Wong and the full force of Kamar-Taj will be there to contain him if he does decide to go bad.
Zemo
Baron Zemo made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, with him succeeding in tearing the Avengers apart as revenge for his family’s death in Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, he was captured by T’Challa and handed over to the authorities.
Zemo returned in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where Bucky Barnes broke him out of prison to help track down the Flag Smashers and the Super Soldier serum. Following his unlikely alliance with Bucky and Sam Wilson, the Dora Milaje captured him and transferred him to the Raft.
Zemo remains alive and imprisoned. Since he has powerful fellow inmates, such as the Leader and Thaddeus Ross, by his side, he could manipulate them into an alliance.
Vulture
Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes was defeated by Spider-Man at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
While Toomes was confirmed to have survived Thanos’ Blip, the MCU villain was involved in Multiverse shenanigans during the post-credits scene of the Jared Leto-led Morbius film.
The events of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse explained why Morbius was present in Sony’s Spider-Man universe: they caused rifts that dragged Spider-Man villains from one reality to another. At this point in the MCU timeline, it’s reasonable to assume that Toomes is back in the Sacred Timeline, meaning that he could still be in prison during the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Scorpion
Mac Gargan survived the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming after his plan of buying alien tech from Toomes was spoiled by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
However, Homecoming‘s post-credits scene confirmed that Gargan vowed to target Spider-Man once he got out, leading to his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Gargan will fully transform into Scorpion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, becoming one of the villains Peter Parker must contend with and protect New York from. Equipped with a high-tech exoskeleton suit, he will be a major antagonist, raising the stakes for Peter as he tries to start fresh following the game-changing reset he experienced in No Way Home.
Sonny Burch
Ant-Man and the Wasp introduced Walton Goggins’ Sonny Burch as an opportunistic black-market dealer who wanted Hank Pym’s quantum technology for himself.
Following a chaotic chase through San Francisco, Burch and his crew were cornered and injected with Uzman’s truth serum that forced them to confess their crimes. The MCU villain has not made a live-action return since, but he did return briefly in What If…? Season 3.
Burch might still be in prison throughout the Multiverse Saga, and he is due for an MCU comeback.
Namor
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Namor as the ruler of Talokan and a formidable foe against Shuri and the Wakandans. Following the devastating war between Talokan and Wakanda, Namor was defeated in combat by Shuri as the Black Panther.
Namor is set to resurface in Avengers: Doomsday as a conflicted member of the heroes, helping Earth’s Mightiest Heroes deal with the looming threat of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
Despite his deep distrust of the surface world, Namor’s motivation for joining the Avengers is due to his desire to protect Talokan amid the Multiversal crisis.
Thaddeus Ross
Following his long-standing pursuit of Bruce Banner, Thaddeus Ross became a political powerhouse, culminating in his stint as the newly elected President of the United States in Captain America: Brave New World.
Driven by years of gamma research, Ross transformed into the Red Hulk after the Leader orchestrated events from behind the scenes, leading to a rampage that cost him his position in the White House. After being pacified by Sam Wilson, Ross was arrested and placed inside the Raft.
Given that he is still alive and active, Ross is considered one of the most dangerous figures in the MCU. He could potentially transform into the Red Hulk at any moment, which would be crucial in an escape plot.
High Evolutionary
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduced the High Evolutionary as a god-like scientist who thrived on experimenting on animals as part of his twisted quest for evolutionary perfection.
Serving as Rocket Raccoon’s main rival (and worst nightmare), the Guardians rallied behind one of their own to put an end to the High Evolutionary’s reign of terror. Despite his defeat, he survived the ordeal, but his body was badly damaged; his intellect and resolve remained.
However, with Rocket forming his new team of Guardians at the end of Vol. 3, the cosmic heroes will surely find a way to contain him.
Galactus
Following his cataclysmic arrival as the devourer of worlds in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Galactus was defeated by Marvel’s First Family with the help of his herald Shalla-Bal by succeeding in hurling him through a wormhole into the far reaches of the galaxy. Galactus was delayed and stranded far from Earth-828.
What made Galactus’ defeat far more complicated was that his eternal hunger and god-like power remained undiminished, setting up an MCU return in sequels that could make him an even scarier threat.
Eleanor Bishop
Eleanor Bishop made an impactful debut in Hawkeye as Kate Bishop’s mother, who had a nefarious alliance with Wilson Fisk. As the ambitious CEO of Bishop Security, she orchestrated behind-the-scenes moves to maintain her family’s wealth and power.
Eleanor’s crimes were fully exposed, leading to her arrest by the NYPD for murder and conspiracy. While she was still in prison, Eleanor’s knowledge of powerful underworld networks and manipulative nature could lead to her eventual comeback, setting up a clash with her daughter, Kate.
Parker Robbins
Parker Robbins (aka the Hood) made his presence felt in Ironheart, serving as a magical antagonist against Riri Williams. The Hood’s deal with Mephisto granted him invisibility, flight, and escalating supernatural power.
Though defeated by Ironheart by stripping away his cloak, Parker survived, albeit broken and powerless. The Hood remains dangerously motivated, and Ironheart‘s post-credits scene revealed that he found ways to reclaim his power, starting with recruiting magic expert Zelma Stanton.
Bullseye
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 ended with Bullseye’s twisted form of redemption, assisting Matt Murdock with his battle against Mayor Fisk and helping the New York Governor fend off an attack from Fisk’s men.
The final scenes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 showed him being recruited into Mr. Charles’ shadow operations team, making him a government-sanctioned asset that could prove dangerous due to his deadly precision and mental fragility.
Bullseye is confirmed to return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, setting up eventual clashes, not just with Matt Murdock, but the rest of the returning Defenders.
Kingpin
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 ended with Wilson Fisk’s downfall, as he was defeated by Daredevil and his army. This forced him to step down as Mayor of New York, and the final scenes showed him on a distant island, reflecting on his defeat.
Fisk’s return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 (complete with comic-accurate costumes) sets the stage for a potentially dangerous comeback. He may likely be vying for power as he seeks revenge against Matt Murdock.
The Leader
Following his origin story in The Incredible Hulk, the Leader (Samuel Sterns) made a sinister return in Captain America: Brave New World as the one orchestrating the downfall of Thaddeus Ross’ presidency while aiming to unleash chaos worldwide. Driven by his resentment and intellectual superiority, the Leader almost succeeded, but he was thwarted by Sam Wilson.
The Leader allowed himself to be taken into custody, with the authorities bringing him to The Raft. Brave New World‘s post-credits scene teased that the Leader is aware of the impending Multiversal crisis, hinting at his involvement in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
