How old is Jack Reacher?

While Reacher Season 2 doesn’t state Jack Reacher’s age, it makes it clear he isn’t exactly a spring chicken. So just how old is Lee Child’s hulking hero?

It’s a fair question, given the famously hench Reacher’s fighting fit physique makes pegging his age tricky. No one looks that old with biceps that big!

Yet even casual fans know Jack can’t be too young, given the show frequently references his extensive military experience. After all, you don’t reach the rank of major before a certain age.

There’s also the canon of Child’s original novels to consider when trying to tally up the number of birthdays Reacher has (or more likely, hasn’t) celebrated. So how old is he?

How old is Jack Reacher?

Jack Reacher is 39 in Reacher Season 2. Child’s books and the Prime Video series establish that he left the army at 36, and is 37 when he arrives in Margrave, Georgia in Season 1. Dialogue in Season 2’s first episode, ‘ATM’, confirms that over two years have passed since then, putting Reacher’s age at 39.

It’s worth noting that this aspect of Reacher Season 2 deviates from its source material, Bad Luck and Trouble, in which the big guy is a bit older. That’s because Bad Luck and Trouble was actually the 11th Reacher book published and takes place much later in the series’ in-universe timeline.

Still, keeping Reacher on the cusp of middle-age makes sense within the chronology of the show, and reflects star Alan Ritchson’s real-life age, as well. Ritchson was 40 during the Reacher Season 2 shoot – so only slightly older than Reacher is supposed to be.

The same applies to Ritchson’s predecessor, Tom Cruise. Cruise was 49 when he portrayed the character in 2012 film Jack Reacher and 53 in its 2016 sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. While this is likely older than you’d expect, those movies were based on novels set even later than the events in Margrave.

Ritchson’s Reacher towers over his rival

There is one area where Ritchson’s portrayal of Reacher is unquestionably truer to Child’s novels, though: stature. Whereas the 5ft 7 Cruise is markedly shorter than the towering, 6ft 5 behemoth Child describes, Ritchson comes close at 6ft 2.

Ritchson’s Reacher is also clearly far bulkier than Cruise’s version – as you’d expect given the former’s larger frame. Ritchson packed on 30 pounds of muscle ahead of Reacher Season 1, bringing his overall weight to 235 lbs.

Reacher Season 2 Episodes 1-8 are streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up for here.

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