Now thatPrime Video’sReacheris back on our screens, it’s as good a time as any to sit down with the whole family as you mumble to each other thatAlan Ritchson, the man tasked with playing the grunting silverback that is Jack Reacher, is quite large. Now, the most important thing to remember is that a human being should not look the way Jack Reacher apparently looks.In the books, Jack Reacher is 6'5”, 235 pounds, and naturally freakishly quick and powerful.The character’s size is demonstrated very quickly in the opening episode of Season 1. He arrives in the quiet town of Margrave, Georgia, and is almost immediately arrested for murder.
The only issue is that they can’t cuff him, because he’s just too damn big. The police officers, recognizing the laughable inadequacy of standard handcuffs for a magnificent man of Reacher’s size, resort to securing him with zip ties. However, this proves to be a temporary measure. When they later attempt to release him using a box cutter, Reacher shows he was just humoring them by allowing them to be applied in the first place, because he just flexes them off. What a man.Later in the first season, he’s also shown opening a beer bottle with the strength of his bicep.
When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.
Lee Child’s Books Give a Specific Description of Reacher’s Dimensions
Jack Reacher’s physical description is mentioned ineveryLee Childbook, just to remind readers that the bad guys are dealing with an absolute unit for a man. A refrigerator with a pulse that runs likeUsain Bolt. But let’s get into specifics, shall we? There’s no point in having this discussion if we don’t veer into the ridiculousness of it all. Sorry, I meant sheer magnificence.
Let’s look at Reacher’s dimensions. In Lee Child’s novelThe Midnight Line,Reacher is described as having “a fist the size of a supermarket chicken.“We, as readers, can absolutely accept this. Why wouldn’t we? But let’s read more into that. The average size and weight of a supermarket chicken can vary, but generally, a whole chicken sold in supermarkets typically weighs between 3 to 5 pounds (1.36 to 2.27 kilograms). The size and weight can depend on the breed of the chicken, its diet, and how it was raised. Organic or free-range chickens might be slightly different in size and weight compared to conventionally raised chickens.
Now, just like chickens, the size of a human’s hand will depend on the individual’s overall body size, gender, and muscle mass. However, on average, a human hand makes up about 0.6% to 0.8% of the body weight. So far, so good, right? Let’s go back to Reacher’s physical statistics.We know he’s 235 pounds, based on the vital information we need to know inevery book, which means that his fist would weigh 1.88 pounds.
How Big Are Jack Reacher’s Hands Supposed to Be, Exactly?
This is all extremely valuable information to learn — because it means thatReacher’s hands, if accurately described by the entirely trustworthy Child, are between two to three times the size of an average 235 lb man.We’re beginning to build a picture here. Let’s go on. Later in the same novel, Reacher’s fists are now described as being the same size as “Thanksgiving turkeys.” It’s time to get the old calculator back out.
The average size and weight of a Thanksgiving turkey typically ranges between 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9.1 kilograms). The size you choose generally depends on the number of guests you expect to serve:
For the sake of clarity, let’s assume that Reacher’s fists are designed for feeding a group of around 8-10 people. Also, we already know the average hand of a 235 lb man should be around 1.88 pounds, so let’s just be precise about it and say that the Reacher Turkey fist monstrosity that would feed your two parents, your brother, your sister, your two remaining grandparents, your uncle Ian who was a perennial bachelor but always brings amazing gifts because he’s got loads of money, and your mother’s friend Pamela, who’s recently getting over her second divorce to Kenneth, who she met on a package holiday to the Greek island of Mykonos, weighs 18.8 pounds.This would mean thatJack Reacher’s hands are ten times the size of those belonging to a normal human being.
Reacher Is Capable of Serving Up Beatings on a Plate
But not so fast, because on page 83 ofTHE SAME NOVEL,Reacher’s hands are described as “hanging loose, the size of a dinner plate.“The average dinner plate typically has a diameter of about 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters). This size can vary slightly depending on the style and design of the dinnerware set. In terms of weight, an average ceramic dinner plate weighs around 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.9 kilograms). Again, this can vary based on the material of the plate. For instance, plates made of fine china or bone china are generally lighter than those made of stoneware or earthenware.
The width of an average human hand varies widely depending on factors like age, gender, and overall body size. The average width of an adult male’s hand is typically around 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) to 4 inches (10.2 cm). However, we know Reacher is a genetic jackhammer of a man, and once again, we can confirm that his hands are around three times the size of your average 235-pound man. While this is more like it, it does beg the question: what happened to the turkey hands? Was it a trick of the light, or some sort of inflammation?
Reacher’s Strongest Physical Attribute Isn’t What You Think
None of this compares to the pièce de résistance of Reacher’s anatomy — his pectoral muscles.In the climax of the third Reacher novel,Tripwire, Reacher takes what appears to be a fatal gunshot wound to the chest, having already survived a gunshot graze to the head. However, to the astonishment of his surgeon, Reacher is absolutely fine. Why? Because Reacher spent so much time diggingSWIMMING POOLSas a younger man, his pectoral muscles are so strong that even a bullet cannot penetrate them.
Let’s science this. Reacher was shot with an old handgun containing .38 caliber bullets. Bullets fired from handguns typically travel at speeds ranging from 600 to 1,500 feet per second (fps). Let’s assume, due to the age of the gun, that the bullet speed was on the slower end at around 600 fps. Steel around 1/4 of an inch thick could stop a bullet, as could several layers of kevlar or several inches of concrete.
What we can ascertain from this is Reacher is an impressive specimen of a man. It does beg the question of how many swimming pools one man can dig with just a shovel and a can-do attitude, but it comes with a message: if Reacher can be this big, what’s your excuse, average-sized readers? Do better.Be Reacher.
Reacheris available to stream on Prime Video, withnew Season 2 episodes dropping Fridays.
