If there's one thing audiences know about Jack Reacher, it's that getting into a fight with him is generally a terrible idea. The enormous former military policeman has spent four seasons of Reacher dispatching criminals with the kind of efficiency that would make most action heroes jealous, but while the Prime Video adaptation has earned plenty of praise for bringing Lee Child's bestselling novels to life, some fans aren't entirely convinced by how the show handles its fight scenes. However, its star is fighting back.
Alan Ritchson has responded to a fan who criticized Reacher for making its fight scenes look too difficult. The exchange took place on Threads, where a viewer praised Ritchson's performance but argued that the television series had misunderstood one of the fundamental rules of the books. The fan wrote:
"I enjoy Reacher. I like the books way more, but I think Alan Ritchson is a great Reacher. However, if you read the books, you know Reacher never loses a fight. Never comes close to losing a fight. It’s because of the Reacher Rules. So, when they are having fight sequences where someone thought it was a good idea to make it seem like the outcome is in doubt. I can’t abide that."
Unfortunately for the commenter, Ritchson is clearly a Reacher geek because, rather than simply defending the show's creative decisions, he went straight to the books and highlighted an incident in which Reacher comes considerably closer to dying than the fan suggested. It's a terrific example of receipts being dished out.
"In Tripwire (3rd book), during the final fight with 'Hook' Hobie, debris from a shotgun blast drives a large nail into Reacher’s skull. He continues fighting unaware and takes a .38 to the chest. Thankfully hobo-ripped… He woke up from a three-week coma after that fight. The idea that he should fight effortlessly or unscathed is cray cray at best and non-canonical at worst."
'Reacher' Has Never Been Completely Invincible
In Tripwire, published in 1999, Reacher faces Victor "Hook" Hobie (inside the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, no less) and the confrontation leaves him hospitalized. As Ritchson points out, the character ultimately survives, but only after suffering injuries serious enough to leave him unconscious for weeks. In fact, Reacher's scarring from the incident remains in place for the rest of the series, as did the legacy of him surviving a gunshot wound to the pectorals due to digging swimming pools, which is still the funniest thing.
The recently released fourth season adapts Lee Child's Gone Tomorrow, the 13th novel in the bestselling series. It begins when Reacher encounters a distraught stranger on a subway, only for the situation to go horribly wrong and pull him into a conspiracy involving enemies occupying some of the highest levels of power. And Reacher gets beaten the hell up, too.
All four seasons of Reacher are streaming on Prime Video, with Season 5 currently in production and Season 6 already confirmed. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest news and updates on the biggest and best movies and shows heading to your favorite streaming platforms soon.
