Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst Jack Ryan remains one of the most recognizable characters in espionage fiction. Beyond the extensive “Ryanverse” in print, multiple actors have brought the character to life on screen, including Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine.
With season 4 now available on Prime Video, one actor stands apart for having portrayed Jack Ryan the longest. John Krasinski, best known for his role in The Office, completes his fourth and final season as the iconic intelligence officer.
This gives him the distinction of having played the role in more full-length adventures than any of his predecessors. Although his tenure ends here, the character is bound to return with a new actor taking over the role at some point.
High stakes and hidden networks fuel a global showdown (Photo: Jack Ryan/Paramount Pictures)For now, however, Krasinski’s time as Ryan concludes along with the Prime Video series. So, how does this version of Jack Ryan’s journey wrap up? Here’s a look at the finale.
What is the Triad?
Regardless of one’s opinion on Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan—whether it’s engaging television or over-the-top CIA propaganda—the show consistently delivers intriguing geopolitical conflicts. Each season tackles a different international crisis.
The first centers on extremist terrorism, the second on political corruption in Venezuela, and the third revisits Clancy’s Cold War themes in Russia. Season 4 introduces a new adversary with far-reaching influence.
At the core of this season’s storyline is a secret faction within the CIA attempting to construct a massive global crime network known as The Triad. Their strategy involves smuggling contraband from Myanmar through Nigeria and Mexico before reaching the United States.
By leveraging cartel operations, they aim to create an international enterprise built on criminal activity. As explained in the season’s promotional material, the scheme is essentially “a drug cartel fused with a terrorist network.”
While the magnitude of the threat is alarming, Jack Ryan is more than up to the task. Alongside his trusted allies Jim Greer (Wendell Pierce) and Mike November (Michael Kelly), as well as new recruit Domingo Chavez (Michael Peña), Jack manages to neutralize a huge portion of the operation in Myanmar before it moves forward.
However, despite their efforts, five key packages manage to escape destruction. This leads the team to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they identify suspiciously overloaded Toyota trucks using detailed border records.
Following an inevitable shootout, Jack and his team pinpoint the targeted vehicles and disable the bombs by cutting their WiFi connection before they can be remotely detonated. Crisis averted.
Who Was Secretly Working Against Jack?
No season of Jack Ryan would be complete without an unexpected traitor—or in this case, several. As a final installment, this season raises the stakes by introducing multiple hidden antagonists. With the exception of Domingo Chavez, nearly every new character is revealed to be working against Jack and his team.
To establish a criminal empire on a global scale, The Triad requires extensive cooperation from various operatives. They receive that support in abundance. The list of covert adversaries in season 4 includes:
Former CIA Director Thomas Miller (John Schwab)
Before Elizabeth Wright (Betty Gabriel) assumed leadership, Thomas Miller led the CIA. His previous interactions with Jack and Wright in season 3 suggested a rigid, dismissive attitude, but his true intentions were much darker.
Miller was involved in “Operation Pluto,” a covert initiative within the agency that utilized field operatives to serve The Triad’s agenda. His involvement is exposed by Domingo Chavez, prompting Bill Walters to kill him and make it appear as a suicide.
Ex-Operative William James Tuttle, aka Bill Walters (Michael McElhatton)
Portrayed by Game of Thrones actor Michael McElhatton, Bill Walters—later revealed as Bill Tuttle—was once a U.S. government operative before going independent and aligning himself with The Triad.
Operating from a shared office space, he serves as a communication hub for cartel members and terrorists. His role in the operation ultimately makes him one of the easiest targets for Jack and Greer to locate and dismantle.
Philanthropist Zeyara Lemos (Zuleikha Robinson)
As the mastermind at the top of The Triad’s hierarchy, Zeyara Lemos conceals her criminal activities behind a facade of charitable work. She initially gains the trust of Jack Ryan’s girlfriend, Cathy Mueller (Abbie Cornish), before revealing her true agenda. Mueller ultimately becomes leverage in Lemos’ broader scheme.
Nigerian Lobbyist Adebayo ‘Ade’ Osoji (Okieriete Onaodowan)
A crucial element of The Triad’s expansion involves securing access to Nigeria’s ports. Ade, a U.S.-based Nigerian lobbyist, assists in this endeavor.
Following the assassination of Nigeria’s president, likely orchestrated by CIA operatives, Ade ingratiates himself with Director Wright under the guise of helping her manage the situation. However, his actions are part of a strategy to keep the CIA under The Triad’s influence.
Wright deduces Ade’s connection to Miller through an old Book of Mormon, a tool they used for coded messages. She leverages his position, forcing him to reveal Jack’s location in exchange for an immunity deal. However, Ade later faces arrest for Miller’s murder.
Senator Henshaw (Derek Cecil)
From the moment Derek Cecil appears on screen, his character exudes an air of untrustworthiness. His eventual betrayal may not come as a shock, but the series saves the reveal until the very end.
During Jack’s congressional hearing, he exposes the senator’s role in facilitating the transport of bombs to the U.S. border. Whether Henshaw acted knowingly or was merely a pawn, the message remains clear—always trust the CIA over politicians, according to Jack Ryan.
Is A Domingo Chavez Spinoff Still Happening?
Among the lingering questions in season 4 is the fate of Domingo Chavez. Within Tom Clancy’s Ryanverse, Chavez plays a major role in several novels and adaptations.
The decision to introduce him in Jack Ryan, portrayed by Michael Peña, raised speculation about a future spinoff. Reports initially indicated that Domingo would appear in both season 3 and season 4, with a standalone series in development.
The Triad emerges a deadly fusion of cartel ambition and covert terror (Photo: Jack Ryan/Paramount Pictures)Strangely, Chavez never made it into the season 3 finale as originally planned, and Amazon has remained silent on the possibility of a spinoff ever since.
While he brings an engaging presence to season 4, his storyline wraps up neatly in the final episode. With all those who exploited him and his unit now either imprisoned or deceased, there is little immediate setup for a continuation.
Fans of Clancy’s work, however, will recognize that Chavez is deeply connected to Rainbow Six, the elite counterterrorism unit central to a series of books and video games.
Should Prime Video choose to expand the Ryanverse, that would be the most logical direction. For now, it remains uncertain whether Chavez will return.
Will Jack Ryan Become President?
As Amazon’s Jack Ryan draws to a close, the show delivers a final nod to its literary source material. During the concluding scenes, Jack’s close allies—Greer, Ding, Mike, and Wright—joke that he performed so well in his congressional testimony that the president might ask him to run for office.
Jack quickly dismisses the idea with, “Not a chance in hell.”
Yet, for those familiar with the novels, the possibility is not far-fetched. In Clancy’s Debt of Honor (1994), Ryan is thrust into the presidency following an extreme national crisis.
He later wins an election outright in The Bear and the Dragon (2001). While the show doesn’t confirm his future, it’s reasonable to assume that Krasinski’s version of Jack Ryan follows a similar path, eventually making his way to the Oval Office.
All six episodes of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 4 are currently streaming on Prime Video.
