Punisher: One Last K*** may be packed with brutal action and emotional trauma, but sharp-eyed viewers have also noticed something else — the Marvel special appears to quietly pay tribute to one of modern action cinema’s most beloved films, The Raid.

The return of Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle has already generated strong reactions among Marvel fans, with many praising the darker, bloodier tone of the Disney+ special. At just under 50 minutes, One Last K*** pushes Castle deeper into grief, violence, and survival than perhaps any previous MCU appearance.

But beyond all the explosions, hallway fights, and bloodshed, there seems to be a very specific action inspiration hiding in plain sight.

 (Spoiler Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Punisher: One Last K***) 

One of the standout sequences in Punisher: One Last K*** strongly resembles the setup of The Raid, widely considered by many action fans to be among the greatest action films ever made. In the Marvel special, Ma Gnucci places a bounty on Frank Castle, triggering chaos as criminals swarm his apartment building. What follows is an intense survival gauntlet in which Frank battles enemies floor by floor, moving through hallways, stairwells, and outside walkways while trying to stay alive.

The similarities to The Raid are difficult to ignore. In director Gareth Evans’ acclaimed 2011 film, protagonist Rama — played by Iko Uwais — is trapped inside a dangerous apartment complex and forced to fight his way through wave after wave of enemies. Much like Frank Castle in One Last K***, survival becomes the only objective as the violence escalates without pause.

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Interestingly, this is not the first time The Raid and The Punisher have crossed creative paths.

Years before One Last K***, screenwriter Adam G. Simon, who was once attached to a planned American remake of The Raid, had pitched a hard-R Punisher project starring Jon Bernthal. Speaking to ComicBook.com in 2020, Simon revealed that his version would have followed Frank Castle hunting down the person he believed responsible for a mass tragedy: Nick Fury. The twist, however, would have involved Frank realizing he was being manipulated.

Simon had even envisioned Ma Gnucci appearing in the story, years before the character ultimately appeared in One Last K***. While that version of the Punisher never moved forward, Marvel’s newest special unexpectedly carries some of the same DNA — delivering a claustrophobic, floor-by-floor survival story that feels strikingly close to the spirit of The Raid.

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Did Punisher: One Last K*** remind you of The Raid, or was the inspiration not that obvious? Let us know in the comments.