Former Tom Clancy Marine turned CIA analyst and field agent Dr. Jack Ryan first appeared in the author’s 1984 book. Hunt for Red October. For nearly 40 years and five iterations, the world-traveling Special Operations Specialist Clancy has played covert games and lurked in the dark corners of geopolitical intelligence and espionage, quietly protecting United States interests around the world. His steely determination in the face of danger has made him one of our favorite fictional characters of all time. For an actor, the chance to play the American equivalent of James Bond is a major coup reserved for top-of-the-line actors. Each of the five men assigned to the role brought something different to the character. Without further ado, here’s the ultimate ranking of all the Jack Ryans we’ve seen on screen.

5. Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: The Phantom Recruit (2014)

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Image via Paramount Pictures

2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit marked the fifth part of the series and presented Chris Pine at the Jack Ryan Club. Building on the success of two Star Trek movies, Horrible Bosses and Hell or high water the star’s turn as Ryan was highly anticipated. Though Shadow Recruit was not the box office success of its predecessors, it still grossed an impressive $135 million worldwide. Pine’s performance has also received praise as a more than adequate representation of the classic literary character. Pine’s Ryan is probably the most Bond-like of all the iterations, as he finds himself in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with a nasty but confused faction of the Russian mafia that threatens to destroy the United States economy. Ryan must act quickly and discreetly to prevent a global financial crisis.

4. Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears (2002)

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In 2002, Ben Affleck was one of the most profitable stars in the industry. He received an Academy Award for It will be a good hunt. (1997) and this was followed by successful twists and turns in Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001). Given that his main male chop is completely conscientious, it’s no surprise that The sum of all fears performed very well at the domestic box office. This film wasn’t as memorable as some of Jack Ryan’s other roles, but Affleck was good as a CIA agent in a film in which his character dealt with the death of a Russian president and the aftermath of a rogue Russian agent threatening to detonate a bomb. nuclear weapons in the United States. The talented star received a second Oscar for Argo in 2012 and will appear in the long-awaited Flash reboot in 2023.

3. John Krasinski in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018-present)

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Image via Prime Video

In the only iteration of Jack Ryan on the small screen. John Krasinski plays an analyst turned field agent on Prime since 2018. Office The alum has come a long way since hiding Dwight Schrute’s stapler in Jello and selling paper in Scranton, NJ to land the coveted role of Ryan. Krasinski has chalked up three seasons to the role, and the most recent season is currently airing on Basic. This time, he is tasked with thwarting the plans of a Russian group that has decided to involve the United States in the Third World War in order to regain its superpower status of the 60s, 70s and 80s. He plays a character with a quick wit and a winning smile, and we look forward to several more seasons of Krasinski’s spy version. His mixture of charm and believable action scenes is enough to outdo his big-screen counterparts Pine and Affleck.

2. Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October (1990)

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Image via Paramount

Alec Baldwin was the first Jack Ryan to appear on the silver screen when he took on the role of Tom Clancy’s character. Hunt for Red October in 1990. Baldwin’s spectacular ride as a CIA agent truly marked his transformation into a fully-fledged Hollywood leading man and went up against Sean Connery, who was trying to escape his native Russia as a Russian submarine captain. Red October. Ryan is the only one who understands what Captain Marco Ramius is trying to do and must convince the American authorities that he is not a rogue intent on launching nuclear weapons into the United States. He boards an American submarine. Dallas and pleads with the captain not to torpedo a submarine entering American waters. Baldwin’s turn as Ryan was much more serious in tone and reflected the very high stakes involved in a naval standoff off the East Coast of the United States at the end of the Cold War. Many fans of Jack Ryan argue that Baldwin’s turn was the best adaptation of Clancy’s creation.

1. Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994)

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Image via Paramount Pictures

Harrison Ford clearly had some very successful launches with mega-franchises like star Wars, Indiana Jonesand Ridley Scottscience fiction epic, Blade Runner, but his time as a CIA analyst turned field operative is sometimes lost in all that grandeur. Having played the role of Jack Ryan twice in the early and mid-90s, this gifted actor is probably the one most associated with the main character, Clancy. In both Patriot Games and Clear and present dangerFord brings with him his proprietary blend of thrills with the calm confidence of a family man. During his time as the character, Ford’s Ryan is a professor teaching at the US Naval Academy before being called to mediate a conflict in Northern Ireland to appeal to some IRA rogues and then a group of ruthless Colombian drug lords. his second appearance in Clear and present danger. His job as the CIA’s most versatile analyst, which sees him balance the seven perils of his job, is the main reason he’s at the top of the list. Two of his films were also the most successful at the box office, so we just couldn’t justify bringing someone else here.