Die Hard has a prequel most fans missed. Year One tells the tale of young John McClane, in his first year on the force during the turbulent mid-1970s. The thrilling crime plot McClane finds himself in the middle of prefigures his role in the incident at Nakatomi Plaza over a decade later.
Die Hard: Year One was written by Howard Chaykin, with art by Stephen Thompson. The eight-issue limited series was published in 2009-2010, a few years before Bruce Willis' final on-screen outing as the legendary John McClane.
Year One provides an origin story for the action hero, going back to his rookie year with the NYPD in the summer of 1976.
"Year One" Is John McClane's Heroic Origin Story, Depicting His First Year As A Cop
Die Hard: Year One was written by Howard Chaykin, with art by Stephen Thompson; Published In 2009-2010
Die Hard Year One #1 variant cover, featuring a young John McClane
Die Hard: Year One takes its cue from classic superhero origin comics; its most direct influence is Batman: Year One, with the series seeking to do for John McClane what Frank Miller did for the Caped Crusader. That is, provide some context for his status as one of the GOAT heroes of contemporary popular culture.
In Die Hard, McClane is portrayed as a veteran cop, at one point noting that he has over ten years of experience on the force back in New York. Year One takes readers back to the beginning of his career. The story's central thesis? That John McClane was always a hero.
Over the course of eight issues, McClane makes mistakes that he knows better than to repeat on Christmas Eve at Nakatomi Plaza. He learns valuable lessons about acting in the heat of the moment. As with many prequels, Year One is at its peak when evoking direct connections to the iconic original story.
"Year One" Is All About Affirming John McClane's Heroic Virtues
The Story Reveals McClane Always Stood Up For Others
Die Hard: Year One emphasizes John McClane's stalwart heroic nature from the start. Even before he becomes embroiled in a murder plot that pits him against corrupt cops in his own precinct, McClane is shown protecting a protester from being assaulted by his training officer. It's the same heroic impulse that guides him in the Die Hard films.
As an extension of the Die Hard franchise, it's a natural direction to go in. With Bruce Willis no longer able to continue in the role of John McClane, the on-screen options for the series are a reboot, or a prequel. Year One is ripe for adaptation into a movie or TV series.
Its '70s New York setting make Year One distinct from other entries in the franchise, while still allowing plenty of opportunities to deliver all the classic Die Hard beats fans will recognize. That is exactly what the comic does, with its frequent allusions to what's in store for its hero, even as it fleshes out McClane's past.
"Year One" Is At Its Best When Its Callbacks To "Die Hard" Go Deeper Into John McClane's Character
Example: McClane's Struggle With Claustrophobia, Revealed
A perfect example of the kind of "prequel moment" Die Hard: Year One excels at comes in Year One #6. At this point in the story, John McClane has graduated from uniformed officer to plainclothes, but he's still a rookie compared to his colleagues, which translates to him having to do the dirty work for his squad.
This leads to McClane down not a literal rabbit hole, but instead a ventilation system, in a direct mirror of his iconic crawl through the vents of Nakatomi Plaza. However, more than just a visual reference, author Howard Chaykin turns this into a moment of reflection on John McClane's formative traumas.
The protagonist is shown as a boy, navigating the crawlspace under his childhood home. He is then depicted as an infantryman in Vietnam, adding McClane to the long list of '80s action heroes who served in the conflict. These are moments the Die Hard films never had time for, which the prequel makes the most of.
The comic page also gives McClane space to narrate, allowing readers a glimpse of his internality even as the story keeps up its action-thriller momentum. In the end, it is a testament to the fact that there is so much more that can still be done with the Die Hard franchise and its main character.
"Year One" Is Missing One Crucial "Die Hard" Ingredient; A Potential Adaptation Could Fix That
Holly Is Missing From McClane's Life At A Pivotal Moment
Die Hard: Year One concludes with a direct lead-in to the original film: John McClane's first meeting with Holly, his future wife, and the reason he will one day be in Los Angeles at the right time to foil a terrorist plot. If anything, this actually speaks to the one fault of the story, which an adaptation could correct.
Part of what defines John McClane as an action hero is that he is far from perfect. Year One leaves a lot of drama on the table by not exploring the faultlines in McClane's nature, the demons that challenge the better angels of his heroic side. Year One scratches the surface of this aspect of the character, but doesn't fully go there.
Part of that is because it depicts a single, idealistic McClane who hasn't fallen short as a husband and father yet. A Year One adaptation would do well to make a crucial change, adding Holy into the mix for its plot, in order to truly get to the heart of what makes Die Hard the story of such a complicated modern hero.
