The Punisher: 10 Ways It Saves Netflix's Marvel Universe

6. The Final Third Is Phenomenal

As good as the padding is, nothing comes close to The Punisher's closing act, which takes everything fascinating about Frank Castle, Billy Russo and the conspiracy at hand and places it all inside this big, giant pressure cooker. When it erupts, we're treated to a bonafide bonanza of bullets, badness, torture and sniper-fire that pretty much gifts us the defining image of Frank Castle this generation, saying plenty and promising even more by the time the guns are holstered in episode thirteen.

It takes a while for things to come together, but when it does, The Punisher treats viewers to a bloody spectacle that excites as much as it provokes. Bernthal takes his portrayal of Frank up a whole other level altogether, staring Hell in the face and emerging for the better with his revenge - and future - readily assured. Micro gets the ending we all hoped he would, and Barnes' Russo takes on a whole new life as an out and out villain, a fact that's best exemplified in a rooftop exchange where he confronts Curtis in an attempt to discern Frank's whereabouts.

It's such a tense moment, with the only safety net between Curt and Russo coming down to Frank's marksmanship and a few well placed 7.62s. The fact that this then directly fed into the fairground sequence is even better though, with Frank and Billy's battle to the death ending in a way that ties things back to the comics, sets up another season of TV, and provides a fitting conclusion to the show's phenomenal third act.

Plus, we find out Madani makes it out alive, which is a great bonus too.