There’s plenty of competition for the title of “TV’s Greatest Action Hero,” but Jack Bauer is definitely among the top contenders. The lead character in Fox’s 24 was instrumental in Hollywood’s transition from the cheesy action scenes of the 80s and 90s to the realistic action scenes of the 2000s and beyond.
Played by the talented Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer was an agent in the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). The ruthless agent foiled many terrorist plots and killed plenty of villains as well. Here is a ranking of his most impressive kills in the series.
Thigh Strangulation
![24: 10 Best Jack Bauer Kills, Ranked](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Jack-Bauer-Kills-Vladmir-Bierko-in-24.jpg)
Jack has used plenty of weapons in the series, but, apart from guns, nothing else has served him better than his own thighs. They are like a hangman’s noose. Once he wraps them around a villain’s neck, it’s game over. Conveniently, he has used them plenty of times to get out of captivity or just to get the better of a foe during a struggle.
Vladmir Bierko appeared in season five as a separatist who wanted his country to gain independence from Russia’s rule. He came to the US to purchase Sentox nerve gas so that he could use it in Moscow. Unfortunately, Jack spoiled his party. When Bierko wanted to hijack a submarine in the penultimate episode, Jack fought him and cracked his neck with those deadly thighs.
Kung-Fu Kick To A Suicide Bomber
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After finding out that one of Abu Fayed’s men was about to blow up a subway train, Jack rushed to save the day. He did a sweep with his eyes and located the man among the passengers. He just missed the opportunity to say the classic “I have eyes on the bomber” line.
After a brief struggle with the man, Jack kicked him off the train before he could detonate his suicide vest. The bomb exploded a few seconds later with no other casualties. Phew! Honestly, season six was quite dull, but the kills, especially this one in the “7:00 am to 8:00 am” hour, were brilliant.
A Screwdriver To The Chest
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Season 7’s “9:00 pm to 10:00 pm” episode saw Jack getting innovative again. After escaping to a construction site, Jack went head-to-head with Starkwood mercenary John Quinn. Before meeting Jack, Quinn had been lethal, killing Ryan Burnett as well as Senator Blaine Mayer.
In the construction site scene, Jack overturned a trailer using a tractor, punched Quinn for a few minutes then stabbed him with a screwdriver before hammering it in with a piece of wood. That’s quite a way to send a man to the afterlife.
Revenge On Nina Myers
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One of the saddest moments in 24 was watching Jack crying next to the body of his wife Teri in the finale of the first season. Teri had been murdered by the show’s greatest villain Nina Myers. Despite being a government agent, Nina secretly sold intelligence information to terrorists.
After being captured in the third season, she intentionally wounded herself and when she was taken to CTU’s medical facility, she tried to escape. She wasn’t so lucky this time, as Jack caught up with her and pumped several bullets into her body while his daughter Kim watched. Beautiful moment!
Knife Transfer
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In season eight’s “10:00 pm-11:00 pm” episode, Jack’s lover Renee Walker kills a man after suffering a mental breakdown. He’d been quite abusive towards her, too, so it was partly his fault. She also stabs Jack with a knife by accident.
A minute later, an operative shows up, seeking to kill Renee. Jack, who had lost so many lovers already, doesn’t let it happen. With no other weapon available, he pulls the knife out of his own body and throws it at the bad guy better than Batman throws his Batarangs. It lands on his throat. Adios!
Sacrificing Ryan Chappelle For The Greater Good
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It’s not always advisable to negotiate with terrorists, but, in season three, Jack did just that. The villain Saunders demanded that CTU director Ryan Chappelle be killed and his body delivered in an hour or else… There is also an “or else” with the bad guys.
Since Bauer’s goal was to save thousands of lives by preventing the release of a deadly biological virus, he did it. He asked Chappelle to call anyone he’d like before his death. What’s worse is that Chappelle had no one to call. Bauer then shot his boss while he was on his knees. This happened during the 6:00 am to 7:00 am hour.
Killing The Russian Foreign Minister And His Entire Security Detail
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The “1:00 pm – 2:00 pm” episode in season eight was easily one of the best in the series. It began with one of the best action sequences of all time when Jack attacked president Logan’s motorcade, took out his entire security detail, and held him hostage. Jack had just learned that Novakovich, the Russian foreign minister was involved in the death of his lover Renee Walker, and that Logan was in on it, too.
Jack then tracked down Novakovich in his hotel room. Despite being protected by an army of security guards, Jack murdered the minister, and all his men suing all the weapons as his disposal, including a coat hanger. Dozens of bodies were later showed lying everywhere.
Hanging Abdu Fayed Using A Motorized Chain
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Appearing in season six, Abu Fayed was one of the most lethal terrorists in the series. He planned a series of deadly suicide bombings in a period of 11 weeks across 10 US cities. He also detonated a nuclear device in Valencia, California.
During the “10:00 pm to 11:00 pm” hour, Jack finally got his hands on Fayed. While the terrorist was trying to escape, jack followed him to his compound and gave him a brutal beatdown. He broke Fayed’s arm with a wrench and then hanged him using a motorized chain.
Neck Snap While Having A Heart Attack
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As a result of excessive torture that he previously experienced, Jack ended up having a couple of heart attacks in season two. In the finale, he shoots up a stadium filled with mercenaries all by himself. Was that Rambo wearing a mask?
However, he’s still not in the clear. He is forced to engage in a fistfight with one last mercenary. He has another heart attack at the worst possible time, but the CTU agent still manages to break the man’s neck and escape via a wall before collapsing.
Shooting Marshall Goren And Cutting His Head Off
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During the “8:00 am to 9:00 am” hour in the second season, Jack brutally shot former militia member Marshall Goren, who was now a federal witness. When CTU director George Mason asked Jack if he was out of his mind, he said: “you want results, but you never want to get your hands dirty.”
But Jack wasn’t done with Green. Since he needed to go undercover with a terrorist organization to stop a nuclear threat, he figured the terrorists would trust him more if he showed up with Green’s head. So, like a horror movie villain, he growled. “I’m gonna need a hacksaw.”