Netflix’s 10-Episode Revenge Thriller Is Too Good To Miss for ‘John Wick’ Fans

Published Aug 20, 2026, 11:49 AM EDT

Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as San Diego Comic-Con, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.

Dyah graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University in October 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, concentrating on Creative Writing. She is currently completing her Master's degree in English Literature Studies, with a thesis on intersectionality in postcolonial-feminist studies in Asian literary works, and is expected to graduate in 2026.

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If you're looking for an action thriller that combines the premise of Taken with the bone-crunching action of John Wick, your next pick should be Netflix's Agent Kim Reactivated. Unlike those two films, however, the series is set against a backdrop of North-South Korean espionage, with an event that could determine the fate of both countries — if a rogue spy doesn't further destabilize their already fragile relationship.

Based on the popular webtoon Manager Kim, which has racked up more than 47 million views, Agent Kim Reactivated feels like a bunch of wild action scenarios packed into one show. It delivers nonstop adrenaline from start to finish, but the chaos is balanced by characters you'll genuinely root for, unbelievably despicable villains, and plenty of humor between the tension. That's something even Taken and John Wick don't quite manage to pull off.

What Is 'Agent Kim Reactivated' About?

Agent Kim Reactivated begins with Kim Do-hyeon (So Ji-sub), a quiet bank employee and single father to a teenage daughter, Min-ji (Seo Su-min). At first, Kim presents himself as a passive parent who would rather take the blame for mistakes he clearly didn't make. His peaceful life falls apart after a bullying incident leaves Min-ji presumed dead, with the privileged daughter of Juhak Construction chairman Ju Gang-chan (Joo Sang-wook) responsible. Gang-chan and his henchmen then attempt to cover up the crime, unaware that Min-ji's father is far from the ordinary man they believe him to be.

Before becoming an everyday salaryman, Kim was North Korea's No. 1 spy, having been ruthlessly trained from childhood. However, a mission gone wrong eventually prompted him to surrender to South Korean intelligence. Rather than being arrested or sent back to the North, he was recruited as a double agent and sent back to infiltrate North Korea. Although Kim left that life behind a decade ago, his daughter's disappearance awakens his old killer instincts, pushing him to seek revenge against Gang-chan, who is an underworld crime boss himself.

'Agent Kim Reactivated's Story Takes a Wild Turn

Across its 10 episodes, Agent Kim Reactivated packs in plenty. The series initially lulls viewers into a false sense of security with its familiar revenge-against-bullying storyline, a common K-Drama trope popularized by shows like The Glory and Itaewon Class. However, five episodes in, it becomes clear that this isn't simply about a student being bullied by a rich kid. Instead, it's about a wealthy corporation with criminal connections believing it can force ordinary people like Agent Kim to beg for forgiveness over their child's actions. What starts as a familiar revenge story quickly becomes a battle between the rich and poor. However, once the viewer gets to the show's midpoint, that's where things truly heat up.

One thing Agent Kim Reactivated repeatedly emphasizes is that you can never truly retire from being a spy. As long as the government has your records, there's always a chance you'll be hunted down once they discover your whereabouts. Kim finds himself in exactly that situation. North Korea believes he's dead, while South Korea thinks he's fully committed to his civilian life. But when both countries discover that Agent Kim has returned to the field, they also come after him, turning his personal quest into a much bigger fight. North Korea wants to kill him for being a traitor, while South Korea wants to contain him because they see him as a potential national security threat.

'Agent Kim Reactivated' Turns Its Lead Into a 'John Wick'-Style Killing Machine

Image via Netflix

Agent Kim Reactivated doesn't hold back when it comes to action. Episode 1 gives viewers a quick taste of what Kim can do when a thug crosses his path while he's investigating his daughter's disappearance. From there, things only get crazier, with each episode pulling him into more fights than his fingers can count. Like Wick, Kim is basically a killing machine. He's nearly unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat, knows his way around almost any weapon, and even has a few torture tricks that let him keep enemies alive long enough to get the information he needs.

Quantity isn't the only important aspect of Agent Kim Reactivated. The show keeps things fresh by giving viewers different styles of action through his two former spy partners: an Olympic Taekwondo gold medalist and an elite soldier with experience across the Middle East. Their distinct skills, combined with the villains they face, lead to some seriously creative action sequences in various settings. Highlights include a bloody cat-and-mouse chase through a container port in the pouring rain, Kim holding South Korea's Special Missions Department hostage, and being trapped inside a hotel surrounded by North Korean forces while the electricity is out. With John Wick 5 still in production and no confirmed release date, Agent Kim Reactivated is a solid 10-episode substitute for anyone craving brutal, wince-inducing action.