Entertainment
Marvel’s Bloodiest Ever Disney+ Release Racks Up An Insane Body Count
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Jon Bernthal is really having a moment right now. Not only did his popular Punisher character return for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, but he’ll be popping up on the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That will mark the biggest, most substantial cameo any Marvel TV character has ever made in an MCU film. On top of that, this violent vigilante character just got his own TV special, The Punisher: One Last Kill. With the svelte runtime of a TV episode and the ambitious plotting of a short film, this movie provides plenty of action and drama while leaving you wanting more.
What is The Punisher: One Last Kill about? We catch up with Frank Castle after he has done what once seemed impossible: he’s killed everyone that had anything to do with the brutal murder of his family. After seemingly wiping out the Gnucci crime family, he is at a crossroads, unsure of what to do with his life now that he’s completed his quest for vengeance. But when Ma Gnucci (played by Judith Light) shows up and puts a bounty on his head large enough to attract every thug in the tricity area, the Punisher’s new purpose is simple: survive the day or die trying!
Straight Down The Barrel
If you’re a big fan of the original comics, you’ll quickly clock that One Last Kill is a very loose adaptation of the “Welcome Back, Frank” arc written by The Boys creator Garth Ennis. “Loose” is the keyword here, though. Since he’s already killed the rest of the family (something we later see through a hilariously violent flashback), Ma Gnucci is the only significant comic character who makes an appearance. She’s really just there to kick off a barebones plot that is (no points for guessing) just an excuse to have Punisher kicking a lot of ass onscreen.
The simplicity of the storytelling is really a double-edged blade here. On the one hand, this is the perfect TV movie for any Marvel fan who has ever complained about the TV shows feeling like homework because, after the prerequisite dramatic setup, The Punisher: One Last Kill descends into balls-to-the-wall action. On the other hand, if you’re actually invested in Frank Castle as a character, you’ll likely be disappointed at the relative lack of characterization and even resolution because this short film is laying the seeds for a new TV show that we may or may not even get.
A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence
With that being said, this huge Frank Castle fan found the whole thing very enjoyable. To paraphrase Wolverine, The Punisher: One Last Kill is the best there is at what it does, but what it does isn’t very nice. The action is dynamic and intense, and there are several brutal, bloody kills that would give your favorite horror movie a run for its money, and it’s not just gunplay, either. While you do get to see Frank using a small arsenal of firearms, he also weaponizes everything from a baseball bat to his own burning body. Really, there’s so much chaos and carnage onscreen that the subtitle to this movie should have been “So Many Kills.”
The secret ingredient of The Punisher: One Last Kill is Jon Bernthal. He handles the emotional weight of his scenes (which include heartbreaking flashbacks to his family and an intense scene where he contemplates suicide) well, giving an otherwise one-note character a surprising amount of nuance and depth. The performance also sells the idea that Frank Castle is a tragic figure; someone who just wanted to be a family man before he was transformed into a living weapon. Frank’s rage is as righteous as it is terrifying to behold, and Bernthal sells every bloody moment of his character’s descent into a baptism of blood.
A Movie Worth Peeping At
Honestly, I was deeply surprised by the quality of The Punisher: One Last Kill. I thought this TV movie might be a vanity project at best (Bernthal cowrote the screenplay) or a boring filler episode at worst. Instead, the movie convinced me that Bernthal really understands Frank Castle’s character and how he is both driven by and tormented by his past. At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, it’s always rewarding to see a Marvel actor who (not unlike Ryan Reynolds with Deadpool) really loves his character and sees this job as more than an easy way to get a fat paycheck from Mickey Mouse.
Speaking of pleasant surprises, I was delighted by how well The Punisher: One Last Kill functions as a standalone film. For the most part, you don’t need to have watched Daredevil: Born Again or the previous Punisher series for this story to make sense. That means that Marvel gets to effectively have it both ways. Existing fans of the character will love seeing Frank Castle fighting his demons and delivering vigilante justice, one bullet after another. Meanwhile, those fans can use this movie to introduce their friends to the character, growing the Punisher fandom before he pops up again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is a movie that plays for keeps, and nobody (including, sadly, the world’s cutest doggie) onscreen is ever truly safe. There are no quips, no comic sidekicks, and no mustache-twirling villains.
Instead, this is Marvel’s tribute to John Wick, and it focuses on one of the most brutally compelling characters in the entire MCU. No need to reload your remote. You’ve already got batteries in the chamber. Just aim at your TV and fire up Disney+ to watch the absolute bloodiest thing Marvel has ever put on television.
THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL SCORE
Entertainment
Durobos Krono e-reader is the perfect palm-sized e-reader — and a great Kindle and Kobo alternative
Table of Contents
In my hunt for the best e-readers, I’ve been determined to find a great alternative to a Kindle or a Kobo. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of these e-readers and generally think they are the best e-readers you can buy, but I know there’s a hunger for variety in the e-reader community beyond the big two. I’ve tried Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Remarkable e-ink tablets, and Boox e-readers, but none of them have impressed me. But the Durobo Krono caught my eye at CES 2026.
I’ve often called an e-reader a library in your pocket, and the Durobo Krono is more than that. It’s a library, bookstore, notebook, and MP3 player all in one. But that’s a lot of promise in a palm-sized device. Luckily, it totally nails it. Here’s what you need to know about the Durobo Krono and why I named it the best open-source Android e-reader.
Durobo Krono e-reader: Our quick verdict
Have lots of different books on different apps? The Durobo Krono might just be for you.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
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Best for: The person with books in multiple apps — Kindle, Kobo, Audible, Libro.fm, and Libby. Plus, great for the person who likes to listen to audiobooks and read at the same time, and people seeking an on-the-go voice notetaker.
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Key tech: 6.13-inch Carta 1200 e-ink display, 128GB of storage, 6GB RAM, 300 ppi resolution, adjustable warmth and brightness, octa-core processor, and Android 15 OS.
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MSRP: $279.99
Your entire digital library on one device
Access your Kindle library from the Durobo Krono.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
I find myself in a unique conundrum as an e-reader tester: I have collections of books across many different e-reader platforms. While I could just get used to cycling through different e-readers regularly, that’s a lot to keep track of. The dream is to have them all on one device, and the Durobo Krono is that dream realized.
Running Android 15, the Google Play Store comes preinstalled on the Krono, so any app available in the store is available on the e-ink tablet. Suddenly, all the apps I use regularly from Audible, Kindle, Kobo Books, Libby, and Libro.fm are now on my Durobo Krono.
The apps appear on a separate page from Krono’s built-in library, so you will need to navigate between them. A small price to pay for the convenience of accessing them from one device.
Technically, you could get this convenience from a tablet, too. Except an iPad doesn’t have the matte, easy-on-the-eyes e-ink display that the Krono does.
Since it’s an Android device, Apple apps (like Apple Music and Apple Books) aren’t available, so as an Apple Music listener, I couldn’t use the device as a music player.
It’s fast — until it’s not
In my testing, I find open Android e-readers to be too slow, especially compared to Kindles and Kobos, which are zippy e-readers. The Boox Go and Boox Palma 2, similar devices to the Durobo Krono, have both had disappointing performance, even right out of the box. Yet, the Durobo Krono is brilliantly speedy. Even when moving between different books on different apps, I was impressed by how quickly it sped through them.
Its speed is conditional. Too many apps, or more demanding apps, will slow down the device. After a week of use, I added the Substack app to the Krono, which was too demanding for it. Even when I wasn’t using the app, it slowed down the whole device. Once I deleted the app, it sped back up.
Other demanding apps I found were audiobook players like Audible. I especially noticed this when listening to an audiobook while reading an e-book on a separate app. It’s disappointing that two apps geared toward readers slowed down an e-reader device. For the best performance on the Krono, use one app at a time and avoid high-demanding apps.
A perfect palm-sized e-reader
The Durobo Krono is perfectly palm-sized.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Durobo Krono has a 6.13-inch screen, slightly bigger than the basic Kindle‘s, but the entire device is narrower than the Kindle. It’s about the same size as my hand and weighs 6.1 ounces. The small size makes it comfortable to hold for hours at a time — especially if you add a PopSockets grip on the back as I did. But that doesn’t make the screen size feel cramped either.
It needs better battery life
When you’re used to the months-long battery life of a Kindle, it’s a hard adjustment to go to an e-reader with significantly less. With a couple of hours of use per day, the Durobo Krono e-readers have about one week of battery life. Compared to a smartphone or tablet, that’s pretty good, but when you’re coming from a Kindle or even a Kobo, the Krono e-reader’s battery life feels too short.
More features to enjoy
Access Durobo AI on the Krono e-reader.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Easily scroll through articles and apps with the Krono’s smart dial.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The features on the Krono Durobo are extensive. It has a smart dial on the side that refreshes the screen, starts recording, and scrolls on the device. It has a built-in AI called Spark, which captures voice recordings and produces transcripts and summaries. It’s a lot more than just a standard e-reader, but in the months of use, I never used the Spark AI. The Smart Dial is a fantastic addition for smooth scrolling.
Is the Durobo Krono worth it?
Looking for an alternative to a Kindle or Kobo? Try the Durobo Krono e-reader.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Durobo Krono is the best open Android e-reader. If you’re exploring the world of the Boox Palma or the Remarkable Move, the Krono is my preferred pick for its fast processing and support for third-party apps. In a perfect, palm-sized package, it provides access to all your digital libraries. It’s more expensive than other e-readers, but for its extra benefits, it’s worth the extra price.
Entertainment
James Gunn Finally Answers Superman's Biggest Plot Hole, But Fans Aren’t Convinced
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
When James Gunn’s Superman premiered, it leapt fan expectations in a single bound and did the seemingly impossible: made us care about DC movies again. It was perfectly cast, had plenty of action and humor, and generally felt like a fun, lived-in superhero universe. As a result, most audiences loved this film, but it did leave tights-and-flights fans with a seeming plot hole. Namely, if Lex Luthor created a clone of Superman, how the heck did he not know that Clark Kent was secretly the Man of Steel?
Recently, James Gunn took to Bluesky to answer this question. According to the Superman director, Clark Kent uses “Hypno Glasses” to fool those around him, plus Lex Luthor would never assume that a godlike alien spends his time walking among humans in a secret identity. Finally, he claimed that Luthor, like most brilliant people, still has blind spots even his genius might overcome. While these explanations work on paper, some in the fandom are disappointed because Gunn accidentally made Superman unethical and Luthor downright stupid.
Superman Or Super Creep?
What’s wrong, exactly, with James Gunn’s answers here? Let’s start with the Hypno Glasses. Gunn didn’t invent this concept. It’s actually been part of Superman comic lore since the late ‘70s. The glasses don’t give the Man of Steel broad hypnotism powers or anything. Instead, they simply keep people from making the connection that Clark Kent is actually Superman. This helps explain why the award-winning journalists who work with Clark every day and regularly have contact with Superman (like Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and even Lois Lane at first) can’t figure something so basic out.
However, some fans find the idea of Hypno Glasses to be a bit icky. Superman is always presented as this moral exemplar, but it seems more than a bit unethical for him to constantly hypnotize the people he cares about by using creepy alien technology. It’s even weirder when you consider that he spent a fair amount of time hypnotizing Lois Lane, basically making her fall in love with the man she sees in the glasses and not the real thing. Also, did Lois simply figure out his secret identity on her own? It’s unclear in the film, but if so, that means these glasses are about as effective as they are unethical.
Super Genius Or Super Stupid?
As for Lex Luthor, James Gunn claims that just because the man is a genius doesn’t mean that he can’t “miss basic things,” and that Lex was so worried about an alien trying “to take over the world” that he never considered a human identity. However, this explanation arguably makes the franchise’s genius supervillain look like something of an idiot. He knows how to fight Superman because he has studied him for years, but he can’t figure out that the guy who keeps disappearing for eight hours a day has a job? Also, he can hack the entire Fortress of Solitude, but he can’t figure out some tricked-out alien glasses?
Of course, I’m being a bit hard on James Gunn here. Superman’s titular character is a kind of modern myth, and his secret identity is part of the mythology. The idea that a guy completely obscures his identity with a pair of glasses has never made much sense in a real-world context, and, if we’re being honest, it never will. Unfortunately, Gunn’s attempt at an explanation makes Superman look like a creep, and Lex Luthor look like an idiot. At the rate the bar is lowering, the booze-swilling, party-hearty Supergirl may end up being the real role model of this entire franchise!
Entertainment
The 9 best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, tested poolside
Anglers, boaters, and all-around water lovers who want a sonically powerful and waterproof speaker that’s built like a submarine.
This third-gen release isn’t just an ideal pick for boaters, beachgoers, pool-dippers, and water sports fanatics. The speaker’s impenetrable shell also makes it a practical wireless audio solution for all outdoor activities. Turtlebox’s industrial design is crushproof, dropproof, dustproof, impactproof, and, of course, waterproof. If that isn’t enough, each unit comes with rubber feet and stability features, such as tie-downs, to firmly secure to moving vehicles (e.g., golf carts, jet skis, scooters).
You’ll enjoy up to 100 watts of deep, emphatic sound. The frequency range is well-balanced. Bass commands most tracks, but mids and highs are transparent. Noise reduction is the speaker’s unsung feature. It does an amazing job minimizing open-air noise, specifically wind. We’ve previously tested this feature in breezy climates and heard music loudly and clearly.
Turtlebox claims the speaker will last up to three days on a single charge, but it doesn’t list specifics. A full charge is rated at 25+ hours. High volume and multi-speaker pairing decrease playtime by 5 to 10 hours. Nonetheless, the speaker can last an entire weekend when listening at moderate volume and recharge mobile devices at the same time.
Sure, it’s not the most portable-friendly or stylish waterproof speaker, but most consumers will prefer the remarkable craftsmanship and sound over aesthetic flair.
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Durobos Krono e-reader is the perfect palm-sized e-reader — and a great Kindle and Kobo alternative
