Jack Reacher vs Mark Rathman

After reading my first novel, one of my siblings said that Mark Rathman reminded her a bit of Jack Reacher. I have not read any of Lee Child’s work at this point so curiosity made me go look online. Based on a Wikipedia article, I’ve noticed that there are some similarities.

First and foremost both characters stand six feet five inches tall. Mark is lighter at 225 pounds. Reacher was listed as being somewhere between 220 and 250 pounds. He is listed as having a fifty-inch chest. I’m six foot five and have a forty+ inch chest and weigh in at a lean 210. Unless Reacher has no legs he has to be closer to 250. Both men have very little body fat, well-muscled natural physique and abnormally quick reflexes. Both men have a bullet scar on their chest although Mark didn’t start “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” with one. He earned it along the way. Mark has dark hair and dark eyes while Reacher has ice blue eyes and dirty blond hair.

Their backgrounds are significantly different but similar. Reacher was raised in a military family and was trained by the military. Mark on the other hand came from a civilian police family and acquired his skills through special training and from his father.

Personalities are completely different. Reacher is very aggressive while Mark is only as aggressive as he has to be in a given situation. I get some of this from the article in Wikipedia but also from a few movie clips I watched. As a side note the movie may not be much of a reflection of the books. Keep in mind that Reacher is played by Tom Cruise who is not a very physically imposing individual. As an example I refer to the five on one fight scene outside a bar. Young lady asks to share a table with Reacher. He talks in riddles to her and insults her to provoke the fight. Mark would have never gotten into that one. Complete waste of his time and abilities. Both men share a like for blues.

Last similarity is that both men are “ghosts”. Reacher is a drifter and just keeps moving around while Mark has alter egos since birth that he maintains. They both have a knack for disappearing into crowds.

So who would win in a head to head confrontation? I’m biased but I think Mark would win and I have a solid reason for thinking so. Reacher I believe has a clear strength advantage and his aggressiveness may give him another small edge. I think their marital arts skills and reflexes would cancel each other out. Where Mark has a clear advantage is with knives. Reacher doesn’t like facing an opponent with knives. Mark is an expert with his k-bar and double ended daga as well as a few throwing knives. On that basis I tip the scale strongly in favour of the hero I created.

My apologies to Lee Child, I expect to read one of your books someday. I suspect I would like them just because. I give my character the edge but you have a whole series out there and a movie based on one of your books. I’m just recently published. We know who has the edge in this standoff. Heck, you’re probably an expert in the use of the coma.