The character of Jack Ryan, created by Tom Clancy (who passed recently) has appeared prior to “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” and been played by two different actors in three instances, kind of like a domestic James Bond.

The first time the character appeared in movies was 1990, in “The Hunt For Red October” and was played Alec Baldwin.  Two years later Ryan returned in “Patriot Games,” though instead of Baldwin, he was played by Harrison Ford.

The next film in the series also came two years later, still starred Ford, and was called “Clear And Present Danger.”

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” continues the adventures of the character, and comes 19 years after the last film in the series.  Chris Pine plays Ryan this time around, and while he’s accompanied by actors like Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) and Kevin Costner, they can probably do little to change the awful title the movie is straddled with.

Besides, what the heck is a ‘shadow recruit’ anyway?

Title aside, the Jack Ryan series, like James Bond, provides a template for Marvel Studios to follow when they decide to find a replacement for Robert Downey, Jr. (hopefully they choose Dominic Cooper, who also played Howard Stark in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”  That would be very, very meta)