Quinn’s little dance in the Reacher season 3 finale only strengthens my belief that he’s the show’s best villain. The third season had been hyping the inevitable Paulie vs Reacher fight, which was the highlight of the source novel Persuader. Paulie might be Reacher’s physical match, but I still think that Brian Tee’s Quinn is the best Reacher villain to date. This sadistic former intelligence officer was believed dead after Reacher shot him in the head years earlier.

Quinn’s horrific murder of Reacher’s protege Kohl (Mariah Robinson) and his general love of torture and mind games set him apart from past villains. I wish Tee had gotten more screentime as Quinn throughout the third season since he brings a lot of personality to what could be a one-note villain. Audiences have seen the character’s ego, vanity, and rage on full display, but series 3’s finale introduced another side to Quinn: the courteous party host.

I Thought Xavier Quinn’s Mini-Dance In Reacher Season 3’s Finale Was A Genius Touch

Quinn’s dance makes him more memorable than either of season 2’s villains

Custom Image by Dhruv Sharma.

“Unfinished Business” opens with an ambush designed to take out Beck (Anthony Michael Hall) and the ATF agents on Quinn’s trail while Quinn hosts a lavish party for his buyers. Reacher forces the last surviving man from Quinn’s ambush to text his boss and tell him everything is on track, and after receiving this message, Quinn all but struts onto the dance floor at Beck’s mansion. As “Give It Up” by KC and the Sunshine Band plays, Quinn does a funny little dance to underline how good he’s feeling about the night ahead.

I realize it’s a tiny moment that only lasts a couple of seconds, but it adds a welcome touch of humanity. Quinn might be a murderous psychopath, but even he can’t resist the feel-good vibes of “Give It Up,” and this little gesture carried more personality than either of season 2’s villains combined. Past seasons struggled to make their antagonists pop, but not only is Quinn one of the most menacing, his little human touches (like the finale’s head bop) make him feel the most human.

Quinn Has Been Reacher’s Best Villain Yet

He doesn’t have much competition though

The Lee Child Reacher books often painted their antagonists with broad strokes, which left them feeling one-dimensional. That quality translated to Amazon’s adaptation, where I’ve often been underwhelmed by the quality of Reacher’s foes. Robert Patrick is a great actor, but there’s not much he could do with Langston other than bark orders into a phone. Paulie is an effectively hateable villain, but he’s ultimately a dummy who is built like a tank. I don’t think he’s got much competition, but Quinn is easily Reacher’s best villain to date.

He’s cunning and brutal, and despite being pure evil, he has enough quirks to make him compelling. Considering he only became a major part of Reacher season 3 in its second half, it would have been nice to see him developed a little further. Of course, he doesn’t survive the events of “Unfinished Business” since, well, Reacher finishes their business with the pull of a shotgun trigger. I like how the third series worked hard to make the villains feel like genuine threats, so hopefully, season 4 will continue that trend.

What Makes Xavier Quinn Better Than Previous Reacher Villains

Quinn Is More Ruthless Than Reacher’s Previous Adversaries

Reacher seasons 1 and 2 had their share of strengths that made them widely successful. While season 1’s procedural drama and Reacher’s chemistry with Roscoe played a crucial role in making it successful, season 2 continued the series’ upward trajectory by giving viewers a glimpse of Jack Reacher’s military past and his fun dynamic with his former team members from the 110th Special Investigation Unit. When it comes to villains, however, both seasons were fairly weak.

Reacher Key Facts Breakdown

Created By
Nick Santora

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score
96%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
80%

Based On
Lee Child Jack Reacher book series

Season 1’s Kliner barely had any screen presence, which did not make him seem formidable enough against Reacher. Meanwhile, even though season 2 tried to make Langston look intimidating, the villain felt shallow and gave Reacher and his team too many warnings before deciding to take solid action against them. Quinn, in contrast, seems to give no second chances. The moment he learns about Reacher’s undercover mission, he orders his men to kill him. Even with the Becks, he shows no qualms about torturing them and ruthlessly chops off their ears to ensure Zachary stays under his thumb.

Quinn’s backstory also reveals how he brutally murdered a military police officer like Dominique Kohl and shamelessly lied about her involvement with him. What makes him an even better antagonist is that he has strong henchmen like Paulie by his side. As seen in Reacher season 3’s ending, the Alan Ritchson character nearly dies during his fight with Paulie before he gets to Paulie. All in all, Reacher’s season 3’s villains turn out to be so dangerous that even Neagley admits:

“These aren’t counterfeiters in Margrave or ex-cops in New York. Quinn and his men are trained soldiers with a stockpile of badass guns that could rip us in half.”

Quinn Sets A High Bar For Future Reacher Villains

Reacher Will Have A Hard Time Finding Better Villains Than Him

Paulie and Quinn have set a really high bar for Reacher’s villains. Owing to this, it is hard not to wonder how the show’s season 4 and other future installments will top them. The show’s next season cannot risk being repetitive by featuring another giant like Paulie as its secondary villain or a morally drained gun-runner like Quinn as its main antagonist. After having compelling villains like Paulie and Quinn, Reacher’s future installments also cannot return to portraying relatively less formidable villains like Langston, AM, and Kliner.

Since Lee Child’s books like Gone Tomorrow, The Hard Way, and Make Me feature some of the baddest guys Reacher has encountered during his journeys in the source material, it will not be surprising if the future seasons adapt them.

After Reacher season 3, the show will likely struggle to have villains that match Quinn and Paulie’s intensity and massive screen presence. Given how Reacher’s creators have done a decent job of raising the stakes for the Alan Ritchson character with each new installment, they will likely find creative ways to make the character’s future villains even more menacing. Since Lee Child’s books like Gone Tomorrow, The Hard Way, and Make Me feature some of the baddest guys Reacher has encountered during his journeys in the source material, it will not be surprising if the future seasons adapt them.