Reacher Season 4 Reveals A Tragic, Unseen Side Of Alan Ritchson’s Character

Alan Ritchson’s Reacher has experienced quite a few tragedies and grim moments in the first three seasons, but his story will take an even darker turn and reveal an unseen side of him in season 4.

Reacher season 4 has officially wrapped filming, which sets it up for a late 2026 release. Although there is time before it lands on Prime Video, it is hard not to be excited about it already. Not only is it adapting one of Lee Child’s best Jack Reacher books, Gone Tomorrow, but it also promises to feature the best action scenes from the entire series.

Alan Ritchson, too, has assured viewers that Reacher season 4 will not disappoint and become the best installment in the franchise. A closer look at Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow also reveals that Jack Reacher will not be the same character viewers saw in seasons 1, 2, and 3. Instead, he will be forced to experience losses and tragedies that will change him forever and prompt him to walk down a path he has never been on before.

Jack Reacher’s Story In Season 4 Will Begin On A Grim, Traumatic Note

In all three Reacher seasons so far, the Alan Ritchson character’s story has begun with slam-bang action scenes that establish how insanely strong he is. In season 1’s opening arc, he puts his sheer power on full display when he breaks free from zip ties wrapped around his wrists and single-handedly dominates a group of inmates in a prison showdown.

Season 2 features an opening sequence where Jack Reacher saves the day by protecting a woman from a robber. Even in season 3, Reacher agrees to work with the DEA and successfully manages to win Zachary Beck’s trust before becoming one of the members of his security team. Reacher season 4, however, will finally break this trend and walk through a devastating opening scene that will leave the titular character scarred.

Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow begins with Jack Reacher growing suspicious about a passenger’s behavior on a train. He runs a mental checklist to determine whether she is a suicide bomber. To his concern, she ticks all the right boxes, prompting him to stop her before it is too late. Unfortunately, this time around, he fails to save the day, which leaves him traumatized and ridden with guilt.

Since Gone Tomorrow‘s opening moment is considered one of the most iconic sequences from Lee Child’s books, the Prime Video show will undoubtedly adapt it. By doing so, the series will reveal a far more vulnerable and broken side of Jack Reacher viewers have never seen before in the series. After almost always succeeding at saving the innocent and serving justice to the wrongdoers, Reacher will fail for the first time.

Jack Reacher Will Be Driven By A Significantly Different Purpose In Season 4

Alan Ritchson staring at someone in Reacher season 3

In all three seasons so far, Reacher was primarily driven by a desire to seek revenge. His brother’s death was his motivator in season 1, while the murders of his former team members from the military encouraged him to hunt down Langston in season 2. Similarly, in season 3, he only agrees to help the DEA because it gives him the opportunity to punish Quinn for killing Dominique Kohl.

Although he will not have any personal stakes in Reacher season 4, the stranger’s death on the train will deeply affect him and force him to walk down the path of guilt. Guilt will be his main driver to seek justice and unravel a dark conspiracy that will almost kill him. Since Reacher has almost always appeared tough and nearly invincible in the show, it would be fun to see this new side of him.