Who Is Julius McCabe in Reacher Season 3? Character explored in depth

Reacher Season 3 increases the stakes with the series introducing a dominant and puzzling villain—Julius McCabe. While at first McCabe was just a name stated in passing, he rapidly turns out to be a central character in the story, disclosing himself as the true organizer behind this season’s crucial criminal operation.

Other than this, his power ranges far beyond his business dealings. As the Season proceeds, it is made known that McCabe holds an immediate connection to the past of Jack, laying the foundation for a profoundly personal and critical confrontation.

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Julius McCabe: The True Power Behind the Operation in Reacher Season 3

At the beginning of Reacher Season 3, the main antagonist seems to be Zachary Beck, a businessman who has connections to the criminal underworld. However, by Episode 3, it enhances clarity that Beck is simply a frontman for something/someone far more dangerous and villainous—Julius McCabe.

When Richard Beck confesses in Reacher, he discloses that McCabe is not only the boss of his father but also the one actually handling their complete operation.

McCabe’s power over Beck is solid, ranging far beyond mere monetary influence. He uses Beck’s rug business, Bizarre Bazaar, as a facade for a global arms trafficking operation, delivering weapons to the topmost bidder.

To keep Beck in line, McCabe feasts on his highest weak spot—his son, Richard. McCabe even kidnaps Richard and cuts off his ear to send in a crystal-clear message: Beck is nothing more than a ragdoll in McCabe’s game.

The terror McCabe controls is apparent. Even Paulie—a physically commanding enforcer—seems cautious of his status, signifying that McCabe’s cruelty far exceeds that of any antagonist the series has witnessed so far.

As the DEA inspects Beck’s operation, agents Duffy and Villanueva at last attain an image of McCabe. But their finding leads to an even bigger disclosure—McCabe is in reality Francis Xavier Quinn, a man Reacher believed he had killed years ago.

However, the agents remain uninformed of this critical connection, making the circumstances even more hazardous.

Reacher’s Past with Quinn and His Unfinished Business

McCabe’s true revealed identity as Xavier Quinn turns Reacher Season 3 into more than just another operation.

In The Persuader, the novel by Lee Child that acts as the foundation for this season, Quinn is presented as a former military intelligence officer who turned out to be a backstabber, selling confidential U.S. private affairs to foreign rivals.

During his time in the 110th Investigation Unit, Jack operated alongside military officer Dominique Kohl to get Quinn to justice. Nonetheless, things took a devastating turn when Quinn cruelly murdered Kohl. Jack, reluctant to let Quinn slide away, shot him in the head and left him for dead. For years, he assumed Quinn had been dead and long gone—until now.

The shocking twist in the third season discloses that Quinn lived. As Duffy clarifies, the bullet that hit Quinn was small caliber, letting him live. Furthermore, the chilly water where he was left to die prompted hypothermia, which prohibited brutal brain damage.

However, Quinn now experiences disturbing amnesia, leaving him with no memory of his actions done in the past.

Now functioning under the pseudonym Julius McCabe, Quinn has re-erected his domain and has returned to his older methods. But for Jack, this is uncompleted business. He is firm on putting an end to Quinn once and for all, making sure that this time, he stays dead for good.

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With Season 3 bringing in Julius McCabe as its main villain, the series takes on a gloomier tone. McCabe, or rather Quinn, is not just another antagonist—he is a ghost from Jack’s past, a backstabber who is thought to be dead.

As the third season develops, Jack must not only pull to pieces Quinn’s increasing criminal empire but also tackle business that has been left unfinished and has scared him for years.

New episodes of Reacher Season 3 premiere every Thursday at midnight PT on Prime Video.