Bourne 6 Has A Difficult Challenge To Overcome After Previous Movie’s Biggest Death

While Bourne 6 could still happen, the biggest death in the franchise’s last movie might derail this long-awaited reboot. Jason Bourne’s story is tragic, and it has only gotten sadder as the series has revealed more of his life details. Not only was the super-spy effectively brainwashed into becoming the perfect contract killer by the CIA’s Treadstone program, but he was also tricked into joining the assassin training program under false pretenses. Bourne was told that his CIA-affiliated father was killed by terrorists and vowed to avenge his death, but he later discovered that it was really the CIA themselves who murdered his father.

All of this trauma makes Jason Bourne’s origin story chilling, but there are a handful of happier moments in his later movie appearances. In The Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne managed to reveal to the world the extent of the clandestine crimes committed by Treadstone and its follow-up. Meanwhile, throughout the trilogy, he developed a sweet relationship with Julia Stiles’ Nicky Parsons. Bourne’s most consistent ally, Parsons, was a fellow Treadstone employee who went rogue to help Bourne on his quest for justice. However, shortly after Nicky informed Bourne of his father’s real fate, she was shot and killed by a CIA asset in 2016’s Jason Bourne.

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Nicky’s Death Means Bourne 6 Will Likely Introduce A New Love Interest

Thanks to Nicky, Bourne had a love interest throughout the franchise’s first three movies and 2016’s reboot. An antihero like Bourne meeting a reliable love interest he can trust is something of a staple in spy movies, as this trope partially ameliorates the bleak paranoia that otherwise permeates the genre. Nicky was originally killed by Bourne in The Bourne Identity‘s first draft to subvert this convention, but the franchise wisely opted to keep the pivotal character around a lot longer. Nicky humanized the cold, clinical Bourne, and her access to the CIA ensured that the series’ story kept moving at a fast pace.

As a result, Bourne 6 will need to replace Nicky with a similar character for the sequel to succeed. Bourne operating entirely on his own would be both sad and a little dull, especially when some of his most compelling moments were shared with Nicky. However, this means that Bourne 6 must introduce a new love interest and establish a rapport between Bourne and this heroine, both of which could easily drag down the reboot’s story. While the James Bond movies borrowed a lot from Bourne, the taciturn spy isn’t a charismatic charmer like his British counterpart. As such, it is tough to see Bourne quickly warming to Nicky’s replacement.

Why Jason Having A New Romance In Bourne 6 Could Hurt The Sequel

Bourne and Nicky’s relationship was defined by shared trauma, and some of their best moments were surprisingly grim. Unless Bourne 6 radically alters the tone of the franchise, the reboot will have a hard time convincing the stoic loner Bourne to embrace a new love interest. The fact that the movie needs to do this while simultaneously setting up a fresh, new storyline for the antihero doesn’t help matters. Since Bourne 6 will already have a tough time making Jason Bourne feel relevant again, the need to replace his late love interest could prove to be a significant issue for the reboot.