Warning: spoilers ahead for Reacher season 3’s finale.
Jack Reacher meets John McClane, withReacherseason 3 paying tribute to one of the action genre’s all-time great movies. 1988’sDie Hardremains one of the defining pieces of high-octane action cinema, and its influence remains visible on both the big and small screen. Since Prime Video’sReacheris arguably the genre’s current champion as far as TV output is concerned, it comes as no surprise thatReacherandDie Hardshare certain strands of DNA.
In many ways,Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacheroccupies the opposite end of the action hero 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, whereas McClane begins as a regular NYPD detective. Nevertheless,ReacherandDie Hardboth revolve around the notion that one man going rogue in the name of justice can bring down pesky criminals the authorities cannot, andReacherseason 3’s endingmakes that comparison far more direct.
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 transforms Roberto Montesinos' Guillermo Villanueva into the show’s version of John McClane - all with one simple costume change. The moment comes after Reacher’s gang infiltratesZachary Beck’s mansionon their final mission to thwart Xavier Quinn. Neagley decides to go undercover as a server, which requires borrowing Villanueva’s white shirt as a makeshift disguise. Left without a replacement,Villanueva is then left to complete the entire mission in his white vest, which gets progressively bloodier and dirtier across the remainder of the episode.
Any action hero who has saved the day while wearing nothing on their top half but a white vest is almost certainly paying tribute to Willis' action hero.
A relatively small detail it may be, but the sight ofa vest-clad Villanueva playing action hero cannot help but evoke memories of John McClaneroaming around Nakatomi Plaza inDie Hard. McClane’s rough-and-ready attire is an iconic image burned onto 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.
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Bruce Willis' Die Hard changed the action movie genre forever and inspired many great action movies, some of which come close to being just as good.
SinceDie Hard’s release, any action hero who has saved the day while wearing nothing on their top half but a white vest is almost certainly paying tribute to Willis' action hero.Villanueva inReacherseason 3is no exception 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 unlikely to be coincidental, the fact that Villanueva is specifically chosen for the white vest treatment also carries a deeper level of significance. While Jack Reacher and John McClane are quite distinct as individuals,theDie Hardprotagonist shares far more in common with Villanueva.
Both men get the happy endings they desire.
Unlike Reacher,Villanueva and McClane both possess the aura of an every-manfigure - a cop or agent who just wants to do their job, do the right thing, then go home at the end of the day. When circumstances call upon them to step up, however, both characters beat the odds by rising ably to the challenge.
Roberto Montesinos also appeared in the 2011 Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson movieWe Bought a Zoo.
Villanueva and McClane are also both motivated by love for their respective wives. InReacher, the veteran DEA agent is desperate to get throughseason 3’s Xavier Quinncase in one piece so he can spend a peaceful retirement with his spouse 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 happy endings they desire, but only after shedding plenty of blood and sweat along the way.
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 veteran typically fails to cover himself in glory when doing so. Reacher protected him during the warehouse shootout in episode 5, and he fumbled behind Duffy when shots started firing at the scrapyard at the outset of the finale. InReacherseason 3’s ending, however,Villanueva finally earns the right to wear John McClane’s vest, fully embodying the spirit of a movie action hero.
Reacher Season 3’s Villain Operation Explained: Every Character Involved & What They Do
Although Reacher season 3 intially maintains an air of ambiguity surrounding the villains’ main operation, it eventually reveals the truth about them.
The character’s standout scene comes during a claustrophobic bathroom scrap against a much younger, fitter, deadlier opponent. Villanueva defies his age to overcome the villain, ultimately using a toilet’s ceramic cistern lid as an impromptu weapon. It’s the kind of dogged win John McClane himself is notorious for, and proves beyond any doubt that Villanueva is not on Reacher’s team just to make up the numbers and look handsome. LikeDie Hardseveral decades prior,Reacherseason 3 proves the value of grit, heart, and determination in a fight between justice and evil.
