NationStates Jolt Archive

So .... who's the best US fictional operative?

John Clark

Oh ... just so you know ... I mean the books, not the movies.

Robert Ludlum did the Bourne series and Tom Clancy did the Ryan series.

John Clark


good call. :D

well bourne is like what superman or some crap -_- and jack ryan is one lucky bastard

Major Korben Dallas.

If I have to pick one of the two listed... it has to be Bourne, since he has never been played by a Baldwin. :)

Major Korben Dallas.

If I have to pick one of the two listed... it has to be Bourne, since he has never been played by a Baldwin. :)

Excellent original choice!

Jack Ryan for the reason that Tom Clancy is better.

...and I know this says US...but James Bond still owns all.

Jack is better then Jason....
Reason:JAck is an intell. operative and Jason was a Black Ops. operative...He was all about hits.....Jack was all about intell. Just from my view point....

Jack Ryan for the reason that Tom Clancy is better.

...and I know this says US...but James Bond still owns all.

Oh no you don't... no sneaking foreigners in through the back door... or I'm nominating Nikita (from the Luc Besson movie, not the trashy american tv version).

And, in the venue of English superspy types, both Austin Powers and Johnny English empty their bladders on Bond from a great height...

I think that in a fight, Triple X would beat Jason Bourne to death with Jack Ryan's corpse. :)

I say no one cause no matter what give a guy a gun and the outcome of a fight would always be diff.

Ryan, so there is also Clark and Chavez.

Without Remorse has to be the greatest book of the genre ever written. John Kelly becomes John Clark spilling some blood along the way and going out on the hut in Baltimore.

Pierre Lamark: I didn't kill her!
Kelly/Clark: I know.
Lamark: Then why are you doing to this?
Kelly: Practice (shoots Lamark)

I picked Honor Harrington (http://www.baen.com/library/067157793X/067157793X.htm?blurb). But I guess she isn't in this... but she should be!

(BTW- free books to read online here (http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp). It has all of the HH books online!)

Jack is better then Jason....
Reason:JAck is an intell. operative and Jason was a Black Ops. operative...He was all about hits.....Jack was all about intell. Just from my view point....
How about Clark vs Bourne? CLark rules all there.

I think that in a fight, Triple X would beat Jason Bourne to death with Jack Ryan's corpse. :)

Triple X?

You're kidding right?

And, in the venue of English superspy types, both Austin Powers and Johnny English empty their bladders on Bond from a great height...

For your sake I hope you're kidding

Triple X?

You're kidding right?
Ryan would get Robby Jackson to use his F-14 and have him waste Triple X with missiles or cannons. Then Ryan would use his Beretta or shotgun to finish him off if he is still alive. I mean, Ryan used brains to beat a group of Irish Terrorists.

Well I've been sitting here for the past five minutes trying to think of something to top all the answers given so far, but I don't think I can beat Clark, so my vote's for him.

Ryan, so there is also Clark and Chavez.

Without Remorse has to be the greatest book of the genre ever written. John Kelly becomes John Clark spilling some blood along the way and going out on the hut in Baltimore.

Pierre Lamark: I didn't kill her!
Kelly/Clark: I know.
Lamark: Then why are you doing to this?
Kelly: Practice (shoots Lamark)
+1

What is your favorite thing or things Clark has done?

I always found Jack Ryan to be intensely annoying, so Jason Bourne wins. Bourne was more of an anti-hero, and Ryan just struck me as slimey as hell.

I think that Ethan Hunt is closer to Bond than either of them. Granted, he's a movie character, but his work is more similar to Bond's.

I always found Jack Ryan to be intensely annoying, so Jason Bourne wins. Bourne was more of an anti-hero, and Ryan just struck me as slimey as hell.

Funny...Ryan was meant to be the agent who was not "slimey".

Funny...Ryan was meant to be the agent who was not "slimey".
If anyone is slimey, it would be Ritter and he is just some beaurocratic DD(O)

Funny...Ryan was meant to be the agent who was not "slimey".
I might be using a different definition than you, mainly that story with the Irish terrorists really annoyed me.

I can't think of many fictional operatives who could take Bourne. He's got the edge in pretty much every area: more resourceful, a quicker thinker, stronger, faster, and a trained killer. Ryan's a glorified analyst.

I picked Honor Harrington (http://www.baen.com/library/067157793X/067157793X.htm?blurb). But I guess she isn't in this... but she should be!

(BTW- free books to read online here (http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp). It has all of the HH books online!)

None of you people get it! It is Honor Harrington!

This very question shows a high degree of ignorance of Ludlum's books. 'Jason Bourne' does not exist in the Ludlum trilogy named after him. He is a fiction, a cover, a lie. The hero of the 'Bourne' novels is David Webb, brilliant deep cover operative and tortured Vietnam veteran. He undertakes the false identity of Bourne to create a trap for a deadly terrorist.

Contrary to what someone else said, Webb is not 'all about hits'. Webb is involved in the most dangerous kind of deep cover espionage... submerging your own identity in order to spy on the enemy. Webb is an operator, yes, but he is more spy than assassin. He ferrets out secrets and follows trails of information, as a spy or detective should. Which only makes sense, as Ludlum is writer of the genre called 'paranoid mystery', in which the object is to ferret out some secret in a world where no one can be trusted.

(I've only read up to 'The Bear and the Dragon' so correct me if I'm wrong) but Jack Ryan is the president. He could launch the full might of the US intelligence and military at any one of the other choices mentioned. Plus John Clark and Ding Chavez take orders from him. So not only could he win against them simply by ordering them to lie down, he can let them loose against the likes of Bourne as well. Plus, Jack Ryan has that indominable spirit, very smart/clever, and the luck of the devil thing going for him, which is always better than pure killing/espionage skill.

This very question shows a high degree of ignorance of Ludlum's books. 'Jason Bourne' does not exist in the Ludlum trilogy named after him. He is a fiction, a cover, a lie. The hero of the 'Bourne' novels is David Webb, brilliant deep cover operative and tortured Vietnam veteran. He undertakes the false identity of Bourne to create a trap for a deadly terrorist.

Contrary to what someone else said, Webb is not 'all about hits'. Webb is involved in the most dangerous kind of deep cover espionage... submerging your own identity in order to spy on the enemy. Webb is an operator, yes, but he is more spy than assassin. He ferrets out secrets and follows trails of information, as a spy or detective should. Which only makes sense, as Ludlum is writer of the genre called 'paranoid mystery', in which the object is to ferret out some secret in a world where no one can be trusted.

YES! At least one person has read the books and knows about the original Jason Bourne/David Webb.

Their is no one better than Clark. He is an emotionless killing machine. When he looks at you he is deciding the quickest and most efficient way of destroying you. I like the Bourne(Webb) and Ryan characters but when you are talking about the baddest moth******er around, there are none better than Clark. :sniper:

Their is no one better than Clark. He is an emotionless killing machine. When he looks at you he is deciding the quickest and most efficient way of destroying you. I like the Bourne(Webb) and Ryan characters but when you are talking about the baddest moth******er around, there are none better than Clark. :sniper:

True, if your talking bad-assedness, Clark is the very incarnation (if he wasn't fictional) of it. Ryan is the honest Boy Scout that does his best and with some luck comes out on top.

I cannot decide. I read the Ludlum books and was very pleased with the way they protrayed Bourne (Webb) but I do not understand why they changed EVERYTHING in the movie...still pretty good though...perhaps they were afraid that the audience would not follow along...

As for the 'vs.' part I might never know. I don't read Tom Clancy due to the fact that the only books of his I did read sucked...maybe it's just the series.

Could somebody give me the name of the books starring Ryan?

Jack is better then Jason....
Reason:JAck is an intell. operative and Jason was a Black Ops. operative...He was all about hits.....Jack was all about intell. Just from my view point....

gotta go with the killer nerd over the moderately intelligent thug.

gotta go with the killer nerd over the moderately intelligent thug.

Moderately? You must be kidding. Jason Bourne was extremely resourceful and intelligent!

Hmm. Tossup between Maxwell Smart & Secret Squirrel.

This very question shows a high degree of ignorance of Ludlum's books. 'Jason Bourne' does not exist in the Ludlum trilogy named after him. He is a fiction, a cover, a lie. The hero of the 'Bourne' novels is David Webb, brilliant deep cover operative and tortured Vietnam veteran. He undertakes the false identity of Bourne to create a trap for a deadly terrorist.


Well duh ... I've read the books, of course, but in our movie culture, I decided to go with the Bourne Identity to keep it easier for people. Sheesh.

Bourne. Hands down, he´s way cooler. The fact that basically everything Mr. War-Nerd Clancy wrote is ridiculous crap just adds another reason why Bourne is cooler.

I love both Bourne movies. Matt Damon is really hot too, so I voted for him.