Reacher Season 4 Makes A Subtle Reference To The Book's Secret Villain

This post contains spoilers for the Jack Reacher novel "Gone Tomorrow."

2009's "Gone Tomorrow" was on /Film's list of the Jack Reacher books we wanted to see adapted for Prime Video's "Reacher" and now, it's happened. "Reacher" Season 4 adapts the Lee Child book with the most bonkers reveal of the entire series, though it seems unlikely that same reveal will form part of the new season. That said, it appears the writers were eager to acknowledge the secret villain of "Gone Tomorrow" by having Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher mention him by name in Episode 4.

So much of "Gone Tomorrow" doesn't exactly lend itself to an easy screen adaptation. For one thing, it's one of the few Jack Reacher novels told from a first-person perspective, which means much of the story relies on understanding the hero's internal thought process. It's also a very post-9/11 novel in more ways than one. Not only does the story play out largely in New York City, from the very beginning Reacher relies on his military knowledge of suicide bombers to identify a distressed woman on the subway. There are also references to police agencies being provided with that same knowledge in the wake of the September 11 attacks, and the book touches on the increased powers of government authorities to detain suspects. But by far the biggest link between 9/11 and "Gone Tomorrow" is the fact that Osama Bin Laden is revealed to be indirectly responsible for almost everything that happens in the novel.

Yes, Bin Laden is the secret villain of "Gone Tomorrow," and while it doesn't look like he will appear in "Reacher" Season 4, he is mentioned by name in Episode 4.

"Reacher" has broken Prime Video viewing records by finally giving fans of the novels a book-accurate version of the titular hero. The writers have stuck closely to the world created by author Lee Child and it's paid off. But with "Gone Tomorrow," so much needed to be updated in order for it to work in a modern context.

In the book it's revealed that Lila and Svetlana Hoth — two women who claimed to be a Russian mother and daughter duo — are actually Al Qaeda terrorists on a mission to secure a flash drive containing a photograph of their former leader Osama Bin Laden standing alongside American Delta Forces soldier turned Congressman John Sansom. "Reacher" Season 4, Episode 4 confirms the show has ditched the Al Qaeda aspect completely. The show's version of Lila and Svetlana, Lila and Amisha Hoth (Agnez Mo and Anggun), are revealed to be Indonesian assassins who almost certainly have nothing to do with Bin Laden. But that same episode also makes sure to remind us that "Reacher" Season 4 isn't all that far removed from the War on Terror-infused storyline of "Gone Tomorrow."

In the show, John Sansom becomes John Sampson (Marc Blucas) — it's not entirely clear why the name was altered slightly. Rather than having spent time with Al Qaeda in his Delta Force days, this John Sampson helped train an Indonesian General named Putra, who went on to commit heinous acts of violence and torture using knowledge gained from Sampson and his fellow soldiers. After the Congressman tells Jack Reacher this information, Ritchson's hero says, "Saddam Hussein, Noriega, we were even friends with Bin Laden when he was fighting the Russians. Wouldn't be the first time America's been burned."

"Reacher" Season 3 kept its source novel's amazing twist but at this point it's almost impossible for "Reacher" Season 4 to include the same insane twist as "Gone Tomorrow." Osama Bin Laden doesn't figure into this story of an Indonesian war criminal and his deadly female assassins. Sure, the writers could have tried an Al Qaeda storyline in 2026, but it wouldn't feel anywhere near as relevant almost 20 years after the original novel debuted.

Instead, it looks as though General Putra will essentially be taking the place of Bin Laden in "Reacher" Season 4. That makes for an interesting update to the story as it deals with one of the criticisms of "Gone Tomorrow" — namely, that it was never very clear why the photo of John Sansom and Bin Laden was so sought after. It could have definitely made Sansom's bid for the White House harder, but why were Lila and Svetlana Hoth so intent upon securing a copy of it on a flash drive? Because it could embarrass Al Qaeda? Maybe, but it's hardly a secret the group worked with the United States during the Soviet-Afghan War.

With Putra as the villain, "Reacher" Season 4 doesn't need to worry about any of that, and can actually have the character appear in the show rather than appearing in photos. It remains to be seen whether Reacher will come face-to-face with the general, but according to IMDb Rodger Edralin is playing the character, so it seems he might show up at some point. Considering Alan Ritchson promised "Reacher" Season 4 would be the bloodiest yet, the general will almost certainly be in a rough time.