Reacher Just Killed Off One of Season 2’s Best Characters

The sixth episode of Reacher Season 2 debuted on Prime Video Thursday night, and it features perhaps the most crucial — and devastating — moment of the entire season. As the conspiracy involving New Age continues to unfold, more people around Reacher are coming into the crosshairs, and the newest episode sees one of the best and most popular characters in Season 2 killed in the heat of battle. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Reacher Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk…

Each season of Reacher comes with a new set of core characters, as do the Jack Reacher novels from Lee Child. Season 2 of the series saw the addition of several of Reacher’s former Special Investigators team, as well as a hard-nosed New York cop named Russo, who’s played by Domenick Lombardozzi. Russo has stolen several scenes throughout the season, acting as both a wonderful foil and trusted ally to Reacher. Unfortunately, Lombardozzi’s scene-stealing days are over, at least when it comes to Reacher.

Throughout the course of the season, Russo has been adamant that he’s an honest cop, and that has consistently been proven true, despite so many police officers turning up as part of New Age’s operation. His boss was even in on the New Age scheme, and Russo called him out for it. That turned out to be his undoing, as one phone call to the folks at New Age sent a team of hit men after him.

Russo is more than capable of protecting himself, but the hit came at a time when he was watching over the daughter of a New Age executive who has been trying to help Reacher and the team take down the entire Little Wing operation. Russo called the Special Investigators for help, but they didn’t make it in time. He acted as a decoy so the girl could get to safety, losing his life in the process.

The title of the episode itself is also a nod to Russo’s demise. “New York’s Finest” is a general reference to the NYPD, but in this instance it sets Russo apart, as he was one of the few on the show fighting back against corruption. 

Reacher Season 3

Russo may be gone, but Reacher’s story will continue on for at least another season. Prior to the debut of Season 2, Prime Video announced that the smash hit series has been renewed for a third installment. 

Reacher Season 3 is already in production, though no plot details have been revealed. We still don’t know which Lee Child book the new installment will be adapting. During an interview with ComicBook.com, star Alan Ritchson teased what fans can expect from the titular character when he returns.

“I can’t say too much about Season 3, but I will say there’s a lot of classic Reacher stories which are just adventures that he gets sucked into in a big way,” Ritchson told us. “And we get to enjoy Reacher in a new world. It may not have anything to do with family, with his past, he’s just living that adventure out and that’s kind of the direction that we’ve gone and it seems to really be working.”