Marvel's The Punisher Season 2: What Does The Ending Really Mean?

6. Pilgrim's Redemption

It's hard to say that John Pilgrim finds complete absolution by the end of his arc. This is still a man who did heinous things, first as a white supremacist when he was younger, and then in the name of religion while being used by the Schultz family. But The Punisher deals with the grey areas of life, and Pilgrim's story comes to an interesting conclusion.

It would've been easy to have him dispatched in a similar way to Russo, but after he and Frank beat the hell out of each other, Pilgrim decides to give up the Schultz address, with Frank going to kill them instead of him - something that Pilgrim simply lets happen.

There's then a parting of the ways between them, which suggests that he has found some semblance of redemption, which comes from how he mirrors Frank. Frank serves as the Punisher because he lost his family and fights for revenge; Pilgrim kills in order to give his wife and children safe. A lot of the season is about Frank questioning whether or not he can do what he does and still be good, but that's explored in this ending with Pilgrim as much as it is the Punisher.