Pratik Handore
‘The Gray Man’ follows Sierra Six, a highly skilled CIA operative known for his assassination skills. However, after he gains a flash drive with classified information Sierra Six is forced to go on the run. The action thriller is immersed with spy elements and high-stakes drama that viewers on the edge of their seats.
The film, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (‘Avengers: Infinity War‘), expands upon the backstory of Sierra Six subtly and leaves plenty of details unknown. If you wish to learn more information about Sierra Six, such as his real name and past in prison, here is everything we have gathered! SPOILERS AHEAD!
What is Sierra Six’s Real Name in The Gray Man?
Sierra Six is the protagonist of Mark Greaney’s novel ‘The Gray Man.’ He is an expert assassin who works for the CIA on several covert missions. In the novel’s film adaptation, actor Ryan Gosling essays the role of Sierra Six. In the movie, Sierra Six is recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), a high-ranking CIA official who runs the Sierra Program for the agency. Fitzroy believes that Six has the capability to become a useful asset. Six stays true to his mentor’s faith in him by helping rescue Fitzroy’s niece, Claire.
Despite sharing a close bond with Fitzroy and Claire, the two never refer to Sierra Six by his real name. Instead, they opt for the code name assigned to the man who joined the Sierra Program and became Six in the process. However, as the film’s opening minutes reveal, Sierra Six’s real name is Court Gentry. Given that the Sierra Agents do not have any public records and are practically ghosts in the public eye, it is understandable that Gentry does not go by his real name.
Why Was Court Gentry in Prison?
When viewers first meet Sierra Six, he still goes by his real name, Court Gentry. He is imprisoned and has several decades of the sentence left before he can regain his freedom. It is implied that Gentry has been convicted on charges of murder. However, the truth about Gentry’s imprisonment does not become clear until much later in the movie. In an emotional sequence, Gentry reveals that his father was verbally and physically abusive to him and his younger brother.
One day, their father was on the verge of harming Gentry’s brother, so he decided to intervene and shot his father dead. As a result, Gentry was imprisoned for manslaughter and spent most of his adulthood in jail. However, he was offered a reprieve when Fitzroy recruited him to join the Sierra Program. Thus, Court Gentry becomes Sierra Six and leaves his past behind.
The film changes Sierra Six’s backstory from the book series, and his imprisonment is for different reasons. In the book series by Mark Greaney, Gentry is estranged from his father and was trained as a part of his father’s SWAT Squad. Nonetheless, Gentry joins the CIA and becomes a valuable asset to the agency. However, he is imprisoned for murdering three people in Florida before his stint with the CIA. Ultimately, the change in the reason for Gentry’s imprisonment paints the character’s past in a sympathetic light and enhances the source material.
Read More: Where Was The Gray Man Filmed?
