Reacher Fans Can Enjoy More Incredible Alan Ritchson Fight Scenes In A DC Superhero Show

Before he was kicking ass as Jack Reacher on Prime Video, Alan Ritchson was tearing it up as a masked vigilante in the DC Universe. And no, we're not talking about his awesome multi-episode stint as Aquaman on "Smallville" at the very start of his career.

From 2018 to 2021, Ritchson played the macho half of the Hawk & Dove duo on "Titans." As Hank Hall, aka Hawk, the actor was able to showcase some incredible and brutal physicality, absolutely demolishing goons while garbed in a sick, comic-accurate costume. Seriously, props to the costume department; for all of the show's faults, "Titans" did a stellar job when it came to crafting some of the best superhero suits adapted for live-action, with Hawk's arguably being the best.

For fans who love watching Ritchson punch bad guys in the face, "Titans" is must-see viewing. Episodes like "Hawk and Dove" (season 1, episode 2, where he gets to beat on overly cocky criminals interrogating him) and "Faux-Hawk" (season 2, episode 12, where he gets involved in some underground cage fighting) perfectly foreshadow the action star that Ritchson would soon become. Hilariously, "Reacher" fans going back to watch Ritchson's work on "Titans" may find the actor to be a bit small, which is saying something because Hank Hall is absolutely jacked; he's simply not built like Jack freakin' Reacher.

Full disclosure: even as a hardcore comic book fan, it's difficult to consider "Titans" to be on the level of its sister series "Doom Patrol" or a prestige superhero drama like Netflix's "Daredevil." The DC show easily stumbles into cringe territory and often falls into the same trap CW's "Arrow" did by trying to be a "Batman" series instead of, well, a show about the Titans as a whole. (There was absolutely no need to sideline fan-favorite characters like Ryan Potter's Beast Boy for more Wayne family drama!)

However, for all its faults, Hawk from "Titans" remains one of Alan Ritchson's best roles. Beyond all his great fight scenes, the actor was really able to dive into the emotional complexities of a tragic character like Hank Hall, a hero who suffered sexual abuse as a child and lost his half-brother before the events of the show. Season 1, episode 9, "Hank and Dawn," sees Hank encounter his past abuser in a scene that fully proves just how talented of an actor Ritchson is. Honestly, and I'm sure many "Titans" fans would agree with me, if I had to recommend only one episode to watch, it'd be season 1, episode 9. From the exploration of grief and trauma to finding love in unexpected places, "Hank and Dawn" is one of the show's greatest gems, and might be proof on why the "Reacher" star needs to be the next actor to play Batman.