Child meant for Reacher to break the mold of established crime-thriller protagonists who were mostly anti-heroes bogged down by their demons, and always at war with themselves. While Reacher’s past does tint his worldview, his sight remains fixed on the future while firmly rooted in the present. Moreover, his vagabond lifestyle is not escapist, but a necessity to become an untraceable man who can intervene and set things right and leave unnoticed. In many ways, he is a legend, a Paul Bunyan-esque figure on a never-ending mission of uncovering lies, conspiracies, and shady cover-ups, where he uses his brute strength to his favor.
When asked about the challenges of playing such a larger-than-life character, Ritchson talked about the necessity of humanizing and ground someone who is “mythologically large in our minds,” by identifying the innately human purpose that drives such an interesting individual:
“I think there’s something very human driving him, this undeniable pursuit of righteousness in his own way. He’s got his own rules, his own set of laws, but there’s something very human about his desire to see right done and wrong eliminated in the world. I think as long as I remain faithful to that desire then I’m connecting to his humanity.”
Both in the books and the show, Reacher demonstrates this need to eliminate evil without any vested interests, where the only goal is to fix as many wrongs as possible and keep moving forward. Such uncompromising discipline and ethical conviction come with personal sacrifices, but Reacher does not dwell on these difficult decisions — he makes these choices with sincere logic and empathy, wandering toward the next nefarious conspiracy waiting to be uncovered with cool, quiet confidence.
The first three episodes of “Reacher” season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.