John McClane is a fictional character and main protagonist of the Die Hard film series, based on Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's action novel, Nothing Lasts Forever.
23 Facts About John McClane
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John McClane was originally based on the fictional character Detective Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's bestselling 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever.
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John McClane is consistently portrayed as a reluctant hero who, with little or no assistance from others, is required against his wishes to thwart the elaborate plans of a group of like-minded villains because no one else is in a position to do so.
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John McClane later uses a Sig P220 as his duty gun in the fourth and fifth movies of the series.
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At the beginning of the first film, New York City Police Department Detective John McClane is seen traveling to Los Angeles to attend a Christmas Eve party at Nakatomi Plaza, the workplace of his recently separated wife Holly Gennero ; she and their two children, Lucy and John Jr.
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Shortly after John McClane arrives at the party, Hans Gruber, a recently excommunicated member of a radical West German political movement, initiates his plan to steal $640 million worth of bearer bonds stored in the Nakatomi Corporation's vault.
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John McClane evades detection of the group and hides throughout Nakatomi Plaza, systematically killing the group members as he attempts to disrupt their plot.
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Hans is shot by John McClane and falls to his death after stumbling backwards through a shattered window.
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John McClane discovers a conspiracy between the mercenaries and an active military unit to rescue a notorious dictator from being imprisoned for crimes against humanity.
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In Loaded Weapon 1, Bruce Willis has a cameo appearance as John McClane himself, living in a trailer.
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In Die Hard with a Vengeance, John McClane has returned to New York City, continuing his work as a Lieutenant with the NYPD.
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John McClane is separated from his wife, suspended from the police force, and has become a borderline alcoholic.
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At the beginning of the film, an unidentified terrorist known only by the name "Simon" has detonated at least one bomb in the city and threatens to detonate others unless John McClane undertakes to solve a series of challenges and riddles modeled after the children's game Simon says.
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John McClane kills Simon by shooting a power line which collapses into the blades of Simon's helicopter.
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John McClane is assigned to take hacker Matt Farrell into FBI custody.
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John McClane has been on the force over 30 years, and is a senior detective, most likely a detective squad commander, since he holds the rank of lieutenant.
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John McClane has been divorced from Holly for 10 years, not speaking to his daughter Lucy, who is kidnapped by Gabriel as leverage.
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John McClane meets Jack and Komarov fleeing custody and Chagarin's thugs.
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John McClane holds them off, allowing himself, Jack and Komarov to escape.
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John McClane betrays them to Chagarin's main enforcer Alik.
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John McClane frequently says it to taunt his adversaries, or in the moments before killing them.
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John McClane adopts the phrase in the first film, Die Hard, when villain Hans Gruber calls him a cowboy and asks if he thinks he stands a chance.
23.
John McClane came in third, behind only Ellen Ripley and Dirty Harry.