Reacher

Warning : spoilers ahead for Reacher season 3 ’s finale .

Jack Reacher meet John McClane , withReacherseason 3 give testimonial to one of the action genre ’s all - time great film . 1988’sDie Hardremains one of the defining pieces of eminent - octane action cinema , and its influence remains seeable on both the big and little CRT screen . Since Prime Video’sReacheris arguably the musical style ’s current wiz as far as TV outturn is concern , it come as no surprise thatReacherandDie Hardshare certain strand of DNA .

In many ways , Alan Ritchson ’s Jack Reacheroccupies the diametric last of the activeness wedge spectrum compared to Bruce Willis ' John McClane . Reacher is physically imposing , whereas McClane is more of an underdog . Reacher is a legend of the military police force , whereas McClane begins as a regular NYPD detective . Nevertheless , ReacherandDie Hardboth go around around the notion that one man operate scallywag in the name of Justice Department can bring down pesky criminals the authorities can not , andReacherseason 3 ’s endingmakes that comparison far more lineal .

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Reacher Season 3’s Finale Turns Villanueva Into Die Hard’s John McClane

Villanueva Copies A Famous Fashion Choice In Reacher Season 3’s Finale

In a clever nod , Reacherseason 3 ’s finale transubstantiate Roberto Montesinos ' Guillermo Villanueva into the show ’s edition of John McClane - all with one simple costume modification . The moment comes after Reacher ’s gang infiltratesZachary Beck ’s mansionon their last mission to thwart Xavier Quinn . Neagley decides to go cloak-and-dagger as a waiter , which require adopt Villanueva ’s white shirt as a makeshift disguise . Left without a substitution , Villanueva is then left to complete the total mission in his white vest , which gets progressively bloodier and dirtier across the remnant of the episode .

Any action at law hero who has save the day while wear nothing on their top one-half but a clean undershirt is almost certainly paying tribute to Willis ' action Cuban sandwich .

A relatively small detail it may be , but the sight ofa singlet - adorn Villanueva playing action hero can not help but evoke memories of John McClaneroaming around Nakatomi Plaza inDie intemperately . McClane ’s unsmooth - and - ready garb is an iconic image burned onto soda pop culture ’s eyelids , and just as the bandanna came to symbolize Rambo , the white vest became a trademark of Willis playing John McClane inDie Hard .

The-Reacher-Season-3-Finale’s-Excellent-(&-Subtle)-Die-Hard-Reference-Explained

Custom Image By Yailin Chacon

Bruce Willis ' Die Hard switch the natural action picture show literary genre constantly and inspired many bully natural action motion picture , some of which hail near to being just as good .

SinceDie Hard ’s exit , any legal action hero who has saved the day while tire nothing on their top one-half but a white-hot vest is almost for sure pay tribute to Willis ' action hoagy . Villanueva inReacherseason 3is no elision to that .

Villanueva & John McClane Actually Have A Lot In Common

In Another Life, Villanueva & McClane Would Get On

Just asReacher’sDie HardEaster egg feels unbelievable to be coincidental , the fact that Villanueva is specifically chosen for the white vest treatment also extend a deeper stratum of significance . While Jack Reacher and John McClane are quite distinct as individual , theDie Hardprotagonist shares far more in common with Villanueva .

Both men get the happy termination they trust .

Unlike Reacher , Villanueva and McClane both possess the aura of an every - manfigure - a cop or agent who just wants to do their chore , do the right thing , then go home at the end of the day . When luck call upon them to step up , however , both characters beat the betting odds by come up ably to the challenge .

Roberto Montesinos as Villanueva in Reacher pointing a gun.

Roberto Montesinos also appeared in the 2011 Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson movieWe corrupt a Zoo .

Villanueva and McClane are also both move by love for their respective wife . InReacher , the veteran DEA agent is desperate to get throughseason 3 ’s Xavier Quinncase in one art object so he can drop a peaceful retreat with his mate at home . InDie Hard , John McClane is desperate to spend Christmas with his estranged wife , Holly , who is one of the many hostages being held inside Nakatomi Plaza . Both men get the well-chosen ending they desire , but only after shedding plenty of blood and sweat along the way of life .

Reacher Season 3’s Finale Turned Villanueva Into A Real Action Hero

Villanueva Shares More With John McClane Than Just His Choice Of Undergarments

Villanueva is a valuable ally throughoutReacherseason 3 , and while he ’s never afraid to dive headfirst into the action , the oldtimer typically give way to cover himself in gloriole when doing so . Reacher protected him during the warehouse shootout in sequence 5 , and he fumbled behind Duffy when snapshot set forth firing at the scrapyard at the outset of the finale . InReacherseason 3 ’s close , however , Villanueva finally earns the right to wear John McClane ’s vest , to the full personify the spirit of a film action hero .

Although Reacher time of year 3 intially maintains an air of ambiguity circumvent the villains ’ primary operation , it eventually reveals the truth about them .

The lineament ’s standout scene comes during a claustrophobic bathroom scrap against a much younger , fitter , deadly opponent . Villanueva defies his eld to overcome the villain , at last using a toilet ’s ceramic cisterna eyelid as an impromptu weapon . It ’s the sort of chase win John McClane himself is infamous for , and proves beyond any dubiousness that Villanueva is not on Reacher ’s team just to make up the numbers and bet big . LikeDie Hardseveral decades prior , Reacherseason 3 demonstrate the value of grit , essence , and determination in a scrap between DoJ and evil .

Imagery from Cliffhanger, Die Hard, and The Rock

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Cast

Roberto Montesinos as Villanueva in Reacher covered in blood.

Olivier Richters as Paulie, Brian Tee as Xavier Quinn, and Anthony Michael Hall as Zachary Beck

Headshot Of Alan Ritchson In The New York Premiere of Lionsgate’s ‘Ordinary Angels’

Headshot Of Maria Sten

Reacher