Warning! This article contains spoilers for Reacher season 3's episode 5.One shocking scene from season 3's episode 5 proves that Paulie is way stronger than Jack Reacher, making the two characters' imminent showdown all the more exciting. Casting Paulie was always going to be Reacher season 3's biggest challenge because the character is described as a 7-foot muscle-bound giant in Lee Child's Persuader. In the original Lee Child Jack Reacher book, even the titular character feels intimidated by Paulie's mammoth stature.

However, Reacher season 3 found the perfect Paulie by casting "The Dutch Giant," Olivier Richters, to portray him. Since Olivier Richters is nearly a foot taller than Alan Ritchson, it was hard not to see Paulie as a worthy threat to Jack Reacher in season 3. After one scene from Reacher season 3's episode 5, it has become even more evident that Paulie is not only bigger than Jack Reacher but far stronger and more ruthless than him. This new revelation surrounding the two characters' power scales makes their final fight more hype-worthy.

Reacher confronts Paulie for killing Annette in season 3's episode 5. Considering Reacher's size, most characters would have backed off and avoided escalating things with the Alan Ritchson character. Paulie, however, tries to rile him up even further when he calls him a "stupid man." He snaps back at him by asking him if he is willing to do "something about it." Reacher underestimates Paulie and takes his statement as an invitation to fight. In many previous action scenes from the Amazon Prime Video detective series, Reacher has been able to take his opponents down with just one punch.

However, to his surprise, . Before Reacher can even process how strong Paulie is, the Olivier Richters character swings back at him and smacks him in the face. With just one slap from Paulie, Reacher loses his balance and falls to the ground, struggling to come to terms with how easily Paulie dominated him. Moments later, when Reacher returns to his room, he spits blood and notices how one side of his face has turned red. Reacher's inability to fight back against Paulie proves Paulie is much stronger than him.

Most of Reacher´s enemies in previous seasons barely stood a chance against him in a one-on-one showdown. His massive stature and military police background gave him a significant advantage over most villains from seasons 1 and 2. However, in season 3, he is finally facing a character who is not only bigger than him but also much stronger.

This change in Reacher´s dynamic with his enemy makes his inevitable fight with Paulie even more exciting. Paulie´s massive stature and competence prove that when the two characters eventually get down to fighting one another, the odds will be stacked against Reacher. After his confrontation with Paulie in season 3´s episode 5, Reacher, too, seems to have realized that he cannot rely on his strength to take him down. Owing to this, to come up with creative ways to beat Paulie.

Reacher season 3´s episode 4 features a brief segment in which the Alan Ritchson character gives Zachary Beck´s son, Richard, some fighting lessons. He reminds Richard that his opponents would often have a strength advantage over him. Therefore, if he wants to win a fight, he must strategize instead of purely relying on the power of his punches.

Jack Reacher even encourages Richard to use his brain more than brawn and cheat if that is what it takes to win a fight. This scene seems to foreshadow that . Given how Reacher rarely crosses paths with villains stronger than him, it will take him a while to find Paulie´s Achilles heel. However, once he does that in season 3, he will finally be able to kill Paulie before the villain crushes him with raw strength.