Who is John Cooper in Reacher season 3? Character role explored

Reacher season 3 premiered on Prime Video on February 20, 2025, and has since been the talk of the town. In this latest installment of the action-crime series, protagonist Jack Reacher embarks on yet another mission to solve a new crime.

Based on Lee Child's seventh book, Persuader, and directed by Nick Santora, the series introduces several new characters. One of them is John Cooper, portrayed by Ronnie Rowe. Cooper serves as the bodyguard of Zachary Beck's son Richard.

So far, four episodes of the new season have been released. Much is not known about John Cooper's character, except that he is one of Zachary Beck's men. Viewers also learn that he has a history of domestic abuse and aggravated assault. Keep reading to learn about the character.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Reacher season 3. Readers' discretion is advised.

---

Reacher season 3 - Everything we know about John Cooper so far

Ronnie Rowe as John Cooper in Reacher season 3 (Image via Prime Video)

Reacher season 3 opens with Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) stopping a young boy's kidnapping. In doing so, he even has to shoot a cop. This young boy is none other than Zachary Beck's son Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold). At first, it seems like Reacher is doing what he does all the time, stopping a crime.

Zachary Beck, portrayed by Anthony Michael Hall, is a businessman and single father to Richard. The catch? His company, Bizarre Bazaar, which imports Oriental rugs, is involved in the crime operation Reacher is investigating.

Richard's kidnapping was a carefully laid-out plan by Reacher so that he could win Zachary's trust, which would earn him access to his organization.

During this staged kidnapping, viewers are introduced to John Cooper, Richard Beck's bodyguard. So far, the show has not explored John's backstory, leaving it uncertain whether upcoming episodes will delve deeper into his character.

The only insight into his character is through his interaction with DEA agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy). During an interrogation about a missing undercover DEA agent, Susan says:

"I ran your jacket, John Cooper. A year for domestic abuse. Four years, aggravated assault. Not someone I'd hire to babysit."

For now, this is all the information viewers have about John Cooper. He is one of Zachary's men and has a criminal background.

---

Everything to know about Ronnie Rowe

Canadian actor Ronnie Rowe, who plays John Cooper in Reacher season 3, began acting in stage plays during grade school. He later played the lead role of Frankie in Bullet for Adolf, a play written and directed by Woody Harrelson.

Rowe is best known for his lead role in the 2017 film Black Cop, for which he won the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Canadian Film. He also had a recurring role as Lieutenant R. A. Bryce in the TV series Star Trek: Discovery, which aired from 2017 to 2024.

Additionally, he played the lead role in the 2022 TV series The Porter, which became the most-nominated show at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards. Unfortunately, the show had to be canceled after a single season. He also has a podcast titled 3GY, Go Get Your Greatness.

In an interview with BELLO published on May 9, 2022, he said:

"3GY is a mentality that I live by, we only have this one life and I believe the mission is to find what you enjoy doing and create the life of your dreams because it’s coming from a happy joyful place."

In 2022, he also appeared in the action comedy The Man from Toronto, starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson in the lead roles.