Image via Juan Rosas/Netflix By Jasneet Singh Published Jun 19, 2026, 11:58 PM EDT Jasneet Singh is a writer who finally has a platform to indulge in long rants about small moments on TV and film in overwhelming detail. With a literature background, she is drawn to the narrative aspect of cinema and will happily rave about her favorite characters. She is also waiting for the Ranger's Apprentice novels to be adapted... but the cycle of hope and disappointment every two years is getting too painful to bear. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap It's not unusual for franchises to switch formats; Jack Ryan fans are very familiar with this concept, as the action story began as a popular book series before sprawling between movies and a TV show. While the films were compact, high-octane adrenaline shots, the series stretched out the protagonist's development using a more serialized structure, making for a vastly different yet memorable experience. If the conclusion of Prime Video's Jack Ryan has left a certain void behind, then you need to check out Netflix's newest action series, which also adapts a popular novel into a TV format. Man on Fire is the perfect mix of ludicrous action sequences and a complicated action hero on a relentless pursuit of vengeance.
Netflix's 2026 adaptation is the fourth iteration of the story that began as a 1980 novel by AJ Quinnell , which was famously adapted into two different films of the same name, one in 1987 starring Scott Glenn and one in 2004 starring Denzel Washington . For the Netflix series, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II takes on the lead role of John Creasy, a man with a specialized set of skills stemming from a violent past. In the original book, Creasy is hired to protect the daughter of a rich family, only to go on a revenge spree after the mafia kidnaps and kills her. The newest adaptation pushes the story further as the series' version of Creasy reluctantly teams up with the girl, Poe (Billie Boullet), after the death of her father , who was also one of his closest friends.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II dives into Simon Williams’ complex mind, gets real about nerves, and reveals the one thing he’s finally stopped chasing.
The one thing that stays consistent throughout Man on Fire adaptations is the violence. Creasy may be more complicated than the typical action hero, especially since he deals with PTSD, but viewers can rely on him to dramatically dominate fistfights and jump out of a moving vehicle without breaking a sweat. The series' seven episodes are jam-packed with ludicrous action sequences and an exhilarating amount of blood , but beyond the choreography and flow, some of the scenes have a sharp, vicious edge, like the uncomfortably creative use of a car battery on a tied-up soldier.
Unlike Jack Ryan and your typical walking-away-from-an-explosion action hero, Creasy is much more of an anti-hero who operates on his own moral compass . Creasy may be hardened, but he is relentlessly haunted by his past, and we get glimpses into the utter psychological turmoil in his head. On one hand, there is a genuine darkness in him that Abdul-Mateen II captures masterfully , as the stern lines in his face and his unwavering gaze can easily slip into something far more mal…