Alan Ritchson defends his Jack Reacher character against complaints that he doesn’t grow or have a meaningful arc in the hit Prime Video series.

SUMMARY

 Alan Ritchson defends Jack Reacher’s lack of character development, citing Tom Hanks’ character in Cast Away as an example of someone who doesn’t change.
 Ritchson says that Reacher’s unchanging nature is something that should be enjoyed, not criticized.
 As in Child’s novels, the character of Jack Reacher excels due to the different situations he is put into.

Reacher star Alan Ritchson defends the character against one big complaint. Based on the novels by author Lee Child, Ritchson debuted as Jack Reacher in Prime Video’s hit series in 2022.

The actor recently returned to play the former military police officer in season 2, with the sophomore outing once again being met with positive reviews from critics.

With the wait now on for Reacher season 3, Ritchson defends the character against complaints that he hasn’t experienced any meaningful change or growth over the course of seasons 1 and 2 during a recent interview with Stream Wars.

The actor pushes back against the notion that characters need arcs, citing a character played by one of Hollywood’s most beloved movie stars as an example. Check out Ritchson’s full comment below:

“You know, people want to know how he’s grown or changed… How addicted are we to character arcs? Why can’t we have more Tom Hanks’s, you know?

Like that dude’s never had a character arc in the world. He’s not changing just because he’s off the island with the volleyball now, like, he’s the same dude. He’s still trying to deliver packages on time. That’s Reacher.

“And maybe we should just enjoy the fact that he hasn’t grown at all. Maybe he hasn’t grown. He doesn’t have any new responsibilities or a contract that he has to uphold and honor, he has a toothbrush. Maybe he brushes his teeth more, maybe he’s got better hygiene.”

Reacher’s Lack Of Character Development Explained

Jack Reacher Doesn’t Need To Change

In Child’s book series, the character of Jack Reacher remains a constant. This is actually a big reason why the book series became so popular, with Reacher traveling to new places to solve new problems with new supporting characters.

Reacher is really the only thing in the books that doesn’t change, and he solves each new problem with the same brand of wit, humor, and brawn that he always does before setting back out onto the road.

Reacher seasons 1 and 2 are currently available to stream on Prime Video.

While characters having arcs is certainly part of what makes countless movies and TV shows compelling and emotionally resonant, Reacher’s consistency as a character is part of why the series could have a great deal of longevity.

There are now 28 Jack Reacher novels and Child is still pumping them out, and this speaks to just how “plug and play” the character is. Reacher is only really as interesting as the scenarios he’s put into, and the scenarios are consistently entertaining and give him plenty of opportunity to shine.

Reacher season 3 is now confirmed to adapt Child’s Pursuader, which will once again see him working with a new set of characters in a new location.

Reacher is also far from the only character to remain mostly unchanged. Reacher takes after the likes of James Bond, Indiana Jones, Jon Snow, and even Superman as a character with a flat arc.

Following the Reacher season 2 finale, the character is once again poised to embark on a new adventure, and Ritchson’s latest comment affirms that audiences should expect the same old Reacher when the series returns.