"When Helen died, I lost everything. Until that dog arrived on my doorstep. A final gift from my wife. In that moment, I received some semblance of hope. An opportunity to grieve unalone. And your son took that from me! Stole that from me! Killed that from me! People keep asking if I'm back. And I haven't really had an answer. But now, yeah, I'm thinkin' I'm back! So you can either hand over your son... or you can die screaming alongside him!"
Jonathan "John" Wick, born Jardani Jovonovich (Джарданы Джовонович), is the titular protagonist of the film series of the same name.
Over the course of his violent career as a killer-for-hire, John Wick has earned a widespread reputation as one of the world's deadliest and most skilled professional assassins. His extraordinary exploits, formidable skill set, lethal precision, and unwavering focus and determination to complete his tasks have solidified his status as both a legendary and infamous figure within the international criminal underworld and made him one of the most dangerous and feared men in the world: known and feared by many as the Baba Yaga (Баба-Яга) or The Boogeyman.
He previously worked for the Tarasov Mob until his retirement. He retired in order to spend time with his wife, Helen Wick, who later passed away from an unidentified illness. His superior, Viggo Tarasov, promised to allow John to quit if he first completed an "impossible task": killing all of Tarasov's enemies in a single night. Having succeeded, John retired and lived peacefully for just over five years.
Following his wife's death, John came out of retirement after Viggo's son, Iosef Tarasov, murdered his dog, Daisy (who was gifted to John posthumously by Helen to help him grieve), and stole his car during a home invasion. He succeeds in his quest by killing Iosef and eventually Viggo, before reacquiring his car from Viggo's brother Abram Tarasov.
Unfortunately, his "impossible task" forced him to swear a blood oath to Camorra boss, Santino D'Antonio, who ruined his chances of returning to retirement by compelling him to assassinate his sister, Gianna, allowing him to take over their family's legacy. Once John killed Gianna in Rome, he finds himself at odds with numerous assassins hired by Santino, who wanted to tie up loose ends. After several confrontations, John successfully returns to New York and elects to murder Santino in the Continental's lounge, where no assassinations are allowed.
This act led to the High Table, an global empire composed of twelve of the world's powerful crime lords, to put a large bounty on John's head and the New York Continental's manager, Winston Scott, saw himself forced to revoke John's membership in the Continental, rendering him excommunicado. Due to their friendship, he gave John an hour to flee for his life. Through his old allies in the Ruska Roma as well as the assistance of Sofia Al-Azwar, John met The Elder, the head of the Table, who agreed to forgive his sins and nullify his excommunicado status if he executed Winston.
Although he initially agreed to the task, he was ultimately convinced by Winston to live as the man that his wife loved rather than the Baba Yaga. After killing dozens of assassins of the High Table, John was betrayed by Winston, who shot him to regain his place among the Table, causing John to fall off the Continental. John survived the fall and was taken to the Bowery King's lair, where he agreed to join forces with him so they can take down the High Table.
After killing the Elder, John was convinced by Winston to take a smarter path and use the High Table's own rules against them. John made a deal with his sister Katia to be reinstated into the Ruska Roma and then challenged the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont to a duel under the High Table's rules in which John will either die or earn his permanent freedom from the High Table. Although, presumably, mortally wounded by his old friend Caine, John kills Vincent, winning the duel and his freedom and dying in peace. Winston and the Bowery King, apparently, buried John next to his wife with the epitaph "Loving Husband," something that John previously requested of Winston in the event of his death.
John Wick (birth name: Jardani Jovonovich) is the titular character and protagonist of the John Wick film series, portrayed by Keanu Reeves. He is an infamous retired hitman who seeks revenge on a crime lord's son for killing his dog, this pursuit only escalates as he is thrust back into the world of contract assassins he fought to leave behind.
Provided by: Fandom
Where can I watch the John Wick films?
All films in the John Wick series are available digitally, as well as on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. The films are also available via streaming worldwide.
Provided by: Fandom
What was the inspiration for John Wick?
It is unclear if John Wick is based on a specific fictional character or real person. The character was originally created by screenwriter Derek Kolstad and portrayed by Keanu Reeves, whose training and stunt work largely establish who the character is and how he operates. Aspects of the film franchise are inspired by action and spy films, but the character himself is an original creation.
Provided by: Fandom
Will John Wick appear in The Continental TV series?
It is very unlikely that John Wick will appear in The Continental, as the TV series is set in the 1970s as a prequel to the films. Younger versions of characters that later interact with John Wick are set to appear (such as Winston and Charon), but as of now it is unknown if the series will advance in time enough to introduce or reference a young John Wick.
Provided by: Fandom
What fighting styles does John Wick use?
John Wick's fighting style consists of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Jujutsu, Sambo, Aikido, Karate, and Krav Maga. An incredibly skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand fighter, he can quickly outmaneuver his opponents, taking on multiple enemies at once and adapting to their fighting styles.
Provided by: Fandom
Biography
Early Life
Jardani Jovonovich was born in the Byelorussian SSR (now Belarus), Soviet Union. Little is known about his childhood, but it was revealed that he was orphaned at a young age, adopted and recruited by the Ruska Roma organized crime group, then mentored by one of its leaders, a woman known as the The Director, in New York City. Jardani became associated with many members from the other branches of the Ruska Roma around the world, including Katia, who became his surrogate sister. Under the Director's supervision, Jardani was extensively trained to become a lethal hitman and learned multiple skills which included martial arts, marksmanship, melee combat, tactical and defensive driving, stealth, infiltration, and escapology. Jardani would later adopt the name "Jonathan Wick", or "John Wick" for short as the anglicized form of his birth name.
It is revealed in the John Wick comic book mini-series that he spent a significant portion of his adolescence in El Sauzel, Mexico and was also depicted that one point in his life, he went on a mission to avenge his childhood hometown and fifty civilians who were destroyed/killed by a gang. He also encountered Charon, an old acquaintance, and saved his life after witnessing some assassins who were holding him at gunpoint opposite to the room he was living in. This would be the catalyst to their friendship as Charon told John he owed him a life debt.
Military Career
John's back tattoos
John was shown to have a tattoo across his back with the Latin phrase "Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat" (English: "fortune favors the bold"), which would imply that he once served in the United States Marine Corps, but this has yet to be confirmed. If he was, it was likely he was a member of the Special Operations Command division of the branch, given his extensive knowledge of security surveillance and being able to strategically plan things very well, although this is just speculation.
Career as a Hitman
"He once was an associate of ours. They call him Baba Yaga." "The Boogeyman?" "Well, John wasn't exactly the Boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the fucking Boogeyman."
Years after leaving the Ruska Roma, John became a professional hitman who earned the nickname Baba Yaga ("The Boogeyman" in Russian) for his unparalleled hyper-lethality. He joined the Continental in New York City, a hotel chain catering exclusively to criminals. His reputation for peerless efficiency and reliability earned him considerable respect and fear within the criminal underworld, as well as his persistence to go after those who earn his anger, making him a legendary figure, known to the leaders of virtually all criminal organizations as someone never to be crossed.
John eventually joined a Russian criminal organization known as the Tarasov Mob, becoming one of the main executors of its leader, Viggo Tarasov, who valued and respected John's exceptional abilities, and once saw John kill three men in a bar with a single pencil. During this time, Wick developed relationships with various other criminals working for the High Table, the highest known power in the international criminal underworld, comprised of delegates representing each controlling mafia family. However, John also made a considerable array of enemies - unsurprising, given his profession - including Ms. Perkins, Cassian, and Ernest. In spite of this collection of enemies, John developed valuable friendships with fellow assassins like Sofia Al-Azwar, Marcus, Caine, and Koji Shimazu, forging a brotherly bond with the latter two. During this time, he even helped Sofia rescue her daughter from the mob, and consequently received a blood oath marker from her, symbolizing her debt to him.
Meeting Helen
"The Elder: "Why do you want to live?" John: "To remember Helen. To remember us.""
John also met a woman named Helen, with whom he fell deeply in love and later married. John decided to leave the uncertain life of an assassin to be with her. When he approached Viggo about retiring, the latter reluctantly agreed to let him leave, but on the condition that he completed an "impossible task": kill every one of Tarasov's rivals in a single night, ensuring his enemies would be completely destroyed before any could mobilize and retaliate.
Completing this task was not considered possible for even John to do alone, and so he sought the help of Italian syndicate leader, Santino D'Antonio, who provided additional manpower and equipment in exchange for John giving him a marker—a decision that would ultimately come back to haunt them both; John figured since he would be free of the criminal underworld, he wouldn't be bound to honor the marker, thus exploiting a rare loophole. Upon completing the task, Wick was released from Viggo's service and the criminal underworld, and allowed to retire to a quiet life as a law-abiding citizen. John and Helen lived peacefully for five years before Helen's death from cancer, shortly before the events of John Wick.
Prior to the events of the first film, the mysterious criminal mastermind known as Hex was rebelling against the High Table, and kidnapped Charon and Winston in an unknown location. John is called in by the High Table under a contract to rescue both as an act of fealty. He traveled to New York City and Switzerland to take on Hex's enforcers and underbosses, and succeeded in defeating Hex and rescued Charon and Winston.
Following the death of his wife, John has remained withdrawn from the world of organized crime, instead choosing to spend his days driving his prized 1969 Mustang Mach 1 and caring for his dog Daisy, who was left to him by Helen. All of this changed when a brash Russian gangster named Iosef Tarasov (who was later revealed to be Viggo's son) offered to buy John's Mustang at a gas station. John politely but flatly refuses the offer. An upset Iosef later leads his gang in an assault at John's house during which he attacks the hitman, kills Daisy, and steals his car, leaving him unconscious.
Aware that John will come to take revenge, Viggo calls John and tries to advocate peace for his son but John silently refuses, forcing him to send a group of assassins to kill his former associate. Succeeding in killing all of them in a brutal fight, Wick chases Iosef in a nightclub but Iosef's security team prevents him John from killing the gangster. Viggo, in an attempt to protect his son from John's wrath, sends several assassins, including Marcus and Ms. Perkins, to eliminate him. However, the ultimate result of the conflict is the death of both Iosef and Viggo, along with Marcus (killed by Viggo for assisting John) and Ms. Perkins (killed by Continental Hotel staff for violating their rules). John then adopts a pit-bull, who was set to be euthanized before returning home.
With his vengeance against the Tarasov's accomplished, John recovers his car from Abram Tarasov, Viggo's brother and successor. Wanting peace, he allows Abram to live in exchange for a truce. He then returns to his retirement with his new dog.
However, Santino D'Antonio arrives at his house afterward, asking him to pay his debt. When John refused, the Italian destroys his house with a grenade launcher. John later goes to the Continental Hotel where he speaks with Winston, who tells him to fulfill his debt, otherwise, his life is forfeit. John then confronts Santino in the New Modern Museum and the Italian tasks him to kill his sister, Gianna D'Antonio. Gianna had been selected to represent their family at the High Table and Santino wishes to assume her throne. Reluctantly, John accepts, knowing he must, and he travels to Rome where he uses gold coins to get an armored suit, an arsenal, and maps to the catacombs under the D'Antonio estate.
When John arrives at Gianna's ascendance party in Roman ruins, she reveals that she knows her brother's plot and slits her own wrists to maintain what little agency she has left. John, who only shoots her after she's dead, finds that completing his mission has made him Santino's next target. He then fights his way through a rigorous assault by Ares, Santino's right-hand woman, and her cohorts through the catacombs under the estate. After escaping the ambush, he is forced to fight Cassian as well and the two men crash at the Continental Hotel of Rome where the two immediately stop fighting when Julius reminds them they are on Continental property. In the bar, John apologizes for killing Gianna, while Cassian vows revenge.
Santino places a $7,000,000 bounty on John Wick's head. Several agents attempt to kill John, including Cassian. John kills them all, except Cassian who is left alive for professional respect. John Wick arrives at the Bowery King where his wounds are treated. John then convinces the Bowery King to help him kill Santino, who provides him with a gun with seven bullets and information about Santino's location. John manages to kill most of Santino's henchmen and leaves Ares badly injured, while Santino escapes to the Continental Hotel, demanding Winston revoke Wick's membership. Winston retorts that Continental is "his kingdom" and John hasn't broken any rules as of yet. At the same time, Winston tells Santino that he has privileges in the Continental. However, John arrives and finds Santino. Winston tells Wick to walk away, but the assassin ignores his warnings and kills Santino inside the Continental before returning home.
The next day, John is asked to come to Central Park where Winston informs him that his bounty (now international) has been doubled by the Camorra and the High Table. In addition, due to his actions in the New York Continental, Winston reluctantly has John declared "excommunicado", thereby removing his privileges to the Continental. However, he provides John with a grace period of one hour to prepare and another marker, for something "down the road". Before leaving, John asks Winston to inform the entire criminal underworld that John will kill anyone and everyone coming after him, no matter who they are. At first, John casually walks away from Winston but after hearing cell phone after cell phone ring, he realizes the increasing danger and the urgency to prepare for what comes next. Wick and his dog start to run throughout Manhattan.
Less than an hour later, John becomes a marked man on the run in Manhattan. Before he is truly labeled "excommunicado" as a result of killing Santino on the grounds of the New York Continental, John travels to the New York Public Library and retrieves three concealed items – a marker medallion, five gold coins, and a crucifix. However, he is injured in a fight with fellow assassin Ernest. John leaves to be treated by The Doctor, but his 1-hour grace period is up and his excommunication begins before the doctor can finish. John patches the injury up on his own and leaves but was pursued by a gang into an old antique weapons house, where he fights a bloody match with the the gang involving antique weaponry.
The Director alongside John, recalling his memories.
John reaches out to The Director, a leader of the Ruska Roma at the Tarkovsky Theater, with the crucifix and requests her help in getting safe passage to Casablanca. The Director reluctantly helps, as John was a former protégé and is from Belarus, knowing that this act will violate her peace treaty with the High Table.
In Casablanca, John reunites with Sofia, who is initially furious at John for showing up in her Continental. He asks she honor her marker by helping to direct him to The Elder, the only person above the High Table, to request atonement for his misdeed. Reluctant at first, Sofia takes John to Berrada, her former boss, who tells John he may find the Elder by wandering through the desert until he cannot walk any longer. In exchange, Berrada asks for one of Sofia's dogs; when Sofia refuses, he shoots the dog, which is saved by a bulletproof vest. In retaliation, Sofia wants to kill Berrada but at John's warning, she only wounds him. Sofia and John fight their way out of the kasbah and drive into the desert, where she leaves him.
Collapsing in the desert after a long travel, John is brought to the Elder. John says he's desperate to live and "earn" the memory of the love he once had with his wife, Helen. The Elder agrees to forgive John on the condition that he assassinates Winston and continues to work for the High Table until his death. To show his commitment, John severs his ring finger and offers his wedding band to the Elder, which he accepts.
John arrives back in New York City, but is pursued by Japanese ninja Zero and his students, who nearly kill John before he reaches the protection of the Continental. Charon reminds Zero that no "business" can be conducted on hotel property, lest he be declared excommunicado himself. John meets with Winston, who encourages him not to die as an enslaved killer to the Table, but as a man who loved, and was loved by, his wife.
An Adjudicator of the High Table arrives, but Winston refuses to give up his office and John refuses to kill Winston, leading the Adjudicator to "deconsecrate" the New York Continental, revoking its neutral ground status. The Adjudicator notifies Zero and sends heavily armored High Table enforcers as backup. With Winston deciding to reinstate John's privileges to the Continental, John is armed with guns from Winston's vault. The first wave cuts down the lightly armed and unarmored Continental security like chaff, but John adapts to their armor quickly and dispatches of them with some effort. Between waves, Charon equips the both of them with Benelli M4 shotguns and Fiocchi AP slugs, thus dispatching the second wave in short order. He is ambushed by Zero and his students, but kills all but the two chief students and fatally wounds Zero.
The Adjudicator agrees to a parley with Winston, who explains his rebellion as a "show of strength" and offers fealty to the High Table. After John arrives, the Adjudicator questions what should have done with him. Winston draws a pistol and shoots John several times in the coat, which is of course, ballistic, but it pushes John back and he half jumps/half is pushed over the edge of the roof, where he hits several structures and lies in the street. However, later, we find the Adjudicator telling Winston that John is missing, and that he would be a threat to them both. After they leave, Winston seems to smile, suggesting he knows exactly what happened.
A seriously injured John and his dog are delivered to a now heavily scarred Bowery King, after he was slashed by Zero. He tells John that he is "really pissed off" at the High Table, and asks John if he is too, to which John agrees, saying, "Yeah".
When John came to the Director for help, Eve Macarro witnessed his arrival and John's "ticket" being torn. Eve approached John and asked him for advice on becoming an assassin herself. However, John instead urged Eve to leave the life while she still could.
After Eve went rogue and risked sparking a war between the Ruska Roma and the Cult, the Director hired John to kill her. John gave Eve the choice to leave instead, but she refused to stop and the two fought with John being reluctant to kill Eve. Sympathetic to Eve's cause, John finally agreed to give her until midnight to kill the Chancellor or he would have no choice but to fulfil his contract and kill her.
Observing the battle from a balcony, John noticed Dex about to kill Eve with a flamethrower. With a few minutes left until midnight, John killed Dex by blowing up his flamethrower, saving Eve. Discovering his betrayal, the Cult attacked John, but the legendary assassin was able to dispatch all of the Cultists with ease. After witnessing Eve kill the Chancellor, John called the Director to inform her that it was over, clarifying that the Chancellor was the one who had been killed, thus preventing a war between the Ruska Roma and the Cult.
Hiding underground with The Bowery King, John spent several months recovering and training for his war against the High Table. Once he feels fully recovered, he returns to the Moroccan deserts. After dispatching several of the Elder's men, he reaches the tent where the Elder was located but found another man in his place. The new Elder insists that his predecessor was gone with John's wedding ring and reminds him that his death would only make John's life even more difficult. When he believed John had come a long way for nothing, John executes him with a headshot before departing.
Knowing that the High Table would be out for blood more than ever, John seeks sanctuary in the OsakaContinental, where he is welcome with open arms by its manager and his good friend, Koji Shimazu. Koji informs John of the demolition of the New York Continental and the death of Charon at the hands of Vincent Bisset de Gramont, who became the most powerful member of the Table following the Elder's death, which leaves John saddened and guilt-ridden. Koji's daughter, Akira, shows up and berates her father for his decision to aid John, despite his awareness that such action would make them the next targets of the Table.
Soon enough, the Continental is visited by the Marquis' right-hand man Chidi and fellow High Table enforcers, who strongly believe John to be hiding there. When Shimazu and his men deny their demands of an inspection, a fight breaks out. Despite the enforcers' upgraded armor, Shimazu, Akira and John manage to dispatch them. In the weapons room, John takes out several more men with both his handgun and a pair of nunchakus. Shortly afterwards, he is confronted by Caine and the two assassins engage in close-combat until they are forced to flee from a sniper hidden in the room.
Upon making it out of the hotel, John was confronted by Mr. Nobody, whom he identified as a Tracker, but he surprisingly allows John to live due to his bounty being too low. In the subway, John is approached by Akira, who blames him for Shimazu's death at the hands of Caine. However, John promises to kill Caine to avenge Shimazu, something Akira appreciated.
John makes his way back to New York, where he reunited with a grieving and excommunicated Winston at Charon's gravesite. Winston informs John that all of the High Table's resources are in the Marquis' hands and simply killing him would not solve their predicament as the Table would then appoint someone to replace him. However, Winston informs John of the only possible way to regain his freedom once and for all-- a duel to the death between him and the Marquis as per the Table's Old Laws. However, John needed to be part of a family associated with the High Table to formally request a duel, which meant John had to regain his status within Ruska Roma.
John travels to the headquarters of the Ruska Roma in Berlin and requests to see its patriarch, Pyotr. His visit was received with hostility from everyone, particularly John's adoptive sister Katia. Katia reveals Pyotr was murdered under the orders of the Marquis shortly after John put a bullet in the Elder's head but before John could die via hanging, he spoke of the possibility of ending the Marquis' reign of terror through a duel. This news changes Katia's mind and she promises to "mend [his] ticket" after he eliminates Pyotr's murderer, Killa Harkan.
Though John managed to infiltrate Killa's nightclub with little difficulty, he finds himself in trouble with Killa, Caine and Mr. Nobody. Despite this, he ultimately succeeds in overpowering Killa and the latter dies from a fatal fall. As proof of his deed, he took one of the German crime boss' golden teeth and presented it to Katia, who gladly reintegrates John in Ruska Roma and marks him with the organization's crest. John selects Winston as his second supporter and has him deliver his challenge to the Marquis, who accepted granting John's permanent freedom as well as rebuilding the New York Continental and revoking Winston's excommunicado status as well as restoring his manager title should they win. After John arrives in Paris to decide on the rules, it was decided that the duel will take place at sunrise in Sacré-Coeur with dueling pistols, with the Marquis choosing Caine to fight in his place. The Harbinger warns that John and Winston will be executed should they fail to appear by sunrise.
John Wick and the Marquis in the Rules of Engagement.
The Bowery King and Winston supporting John.
In the subway, John and Winston meet with the Bowery King, who provides John with a brand new bulletproof suit and a custom Pit Viper handgun for his duel and any possible obstacles in his way to Sacré-Coeur. Determined to win the duel at any cost, the Marquis increases John's bounty to $40 million and sends several of his men, including Chidi, to kill him. John battles the assassins in his way and manages to eliminate them all, coming to a truce with the Tracker after he saved the latter's dog from Chidi, who is ultimately killed by Nobody in retaliation for his attempt against his dog's life. Caine also switches sides and dispatches several of the Marquis' henchmen before aiding John in reaching Sacré-Coeur just in time.
John against Caine in the sunrise duel.
Caine and John take the pistols and Caine gravely wounds John in the first three rounds. Believing John to be too weak to be a threat against him, the Marquis offers to perform the coup de grace himself, not aware that John had not fired in the third round. His arrogance leaves him open and John executes his enemy with a headshot. The Harbinger declares both Caine and John free from the High Table and promises Winston that he will be reinstated as manager of the New York Continental, which will also be rebuilt. Caine thanks John for not killing him and departs to check on his daughter Mia, who had been used as leverage by the Marquis to force Caine to work for him.
John Wick before his death.
As he descended the stairs of the Roman Catholic church, the severity of the gunshot wounds in his side forced John to sit down and he gazed at the sunrise. Upon remembering one of his moments with his beloved wife Helen, he whispered her name before apparently succumbing to his wounds and collapsing on the stairs. Several days later, the Bowery King has taken ownership of John's dog and he and Winston visit his gravestone, which contained the epitaph, "Loving Husband." The Bowery King wonders aloud whether John was reunited with Helen in Heaven or went to Hell for all of his crimes. Winston whispers, "Goodbye, my son." in Russian and he, the Bowery King and John's dog depart.
Due to his harsh background and being rigorously trained for his childhood and adulthood by The Director and his career in the Marines, John could be described as a very serious and stoic individual who rarely spoke more than necessary (preferring actions over words and being described as someone who never wasted words) with a strong sense of obligation; to put it another way, John was "a man of few words". As a professional assassin and hitman, John was highly confident in his abilities and reputation, being greatly respected and feared by many criminal organizations and other assassins alike. Both Viggo and Abram Tarasov described John as "a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will". Despite this, he had a strong moral code as well as honor which was unique among his colleagues according to Zero, as John never willingly dragged innocent people to his job or threatens them during it. In spite of his professionalism, he was also friendly and develops strong friendships with many other dangerous people like Marcus and even managers of Continental Hotels, like Winston and Koji Shimazu. His good side was also seen after meeting Helen, John was willing the end his career as a killer and live a normal happy life with her, which Winston referred to as impossible.
However, John was a man who is worth his reputation as The Boogeyman for his lethality as he never failed on his missions. Despite his calm and collected behavior, once angered or taken by vengeance, he would stop at nothing until he kills his target no matter who or what stands in his way. After a puppy from his wife, which was the last posthumous gift from her not to be alone, was killed and his car stolen, John set out on a journey for revenge, which was successful but also created other problems for himself on future events. John was shown to be sympathetic to Eve Macarro and her own quest for revenge, giving her as much time as he could to carry it out before he would be forced to kill her and even helping Eve by saving her from Dex. In this case, John deliberately chose not to carry out his contract unless he was otherwise forced to by the midnight deadline. Nevertheless, the Director was satisfied with the result as the Chancellor's death prevented the war between the Ruska Roma and the Cult that she was hoping to avoid by sending John to stop Eve.
Despite his skills, John preferred to avoid fights if he could. He was skilled at getting people to back down without resistance and would often let people go when they do and he was able to avoid allowing conflicts to escalate any further as seen when he was able to call a truce with Abram Tarasov and when he allows Zero's students to live after beating them in a fight. His friendly and professional personality allowed him to maintain contacts within the assassin community who were willing to come to his aid when needed. His strong sense of honor also meant he made a point of not allowing innocent people to get caught in the crossfire of his work.
Skills and Abilities
"John, you're incredible. Exhausted, outnumbered, obviously in pain, and you still beat all of my students."
Peak Human Condition: John Wick, being a highly trained hitman, had peak human physicality for a man of his age. He was very athletic, and his strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, and threshold for pain are in top condition. Despite being older than a majority of those who were after him, John always proved to be superior to them in terms of condition with Caine being his only equal and Zero coming close behind.
Peak Human Strength: Though it was not his greatest attribute, John was considerably strong. He could easily overpower and restrain larger opponents, flip over opponents, knock out fully grown men and women with a single strike, break their necks and bones with relative ease, and effortlessly smash hardened glass. He was also able to lift and throw Killa Harkan around with some difficulty, despite the latter being much heavier than him.
Peak Human Durability: John was incredibly resilient and sturdy by human standards. He was able to survive multiple gunshot wounds, stabbings and blunt force trauma without feeling much of an effect. His greatest feats of durability were when he survived falling off the Continental Hotel and when he survived falling numerous stories in Killa's nightclub in Berlin, as well as surviving multiple falls in Paris, especially down the stairs leading to Sacré Cour.
Peak Human Endurance: Perhaps John's strongest ability is his near-superhuman endurance. Despite his mastery of martial arts and firearms, John was frequently injured, but demonstrated nearly inhuman tolerance to pain, being able to shrug off physical blows, cuts and bullet wounds with ease, only checking his wound for bleeding. During his final fight with Viggo Tarasov, John allowed Viggo's knife to re-enter an already existing stab wound, which caused a considerable amount of pain but allowed him to win the fight by breaking Viggo's arm while simultaneously avoiding creating any new wounds. In addition, when cutting off his own ring finger and having the wound cauterized, he showed little pain and the injury did not seem to affect him at all later on.
Peak Human Speed: John was extremely fast, especially for a man of his age. He was able to outrun younger opponents, and in combat he could move too fast for them to react.
Peak Human Agility: John was agile in his movements, being able to perform and incorporate various jumps and rolls in his fighting style with ease and use his entire body to tackle, hold and flip opponents.
Peak Human Stamina: John had tremendous amounts of stamina. He was able to fight for considerable amounts of time and run for great distances while showing little or no signs of fatigue. Even when he was injured or tired, he required little time to recover. As noted by Zero, he managed to defeat all of his students despite being exhausted, injured, and outnumbered.
Peak Human Reflexes: John possessed great reflexes. He had displayed incredibly fast reaction time, as he was able to evade bullets and melee attacks during combat with relative ease even from multiple opponents. During his pursuit of Iosef Tarasov, Marcus shot his pillow in his hotel room in order to alert him to the threat of Ms. Perkins, and it only took him 1.2 seconds to understand the shot's purpose, correctly assess the situation, and react accordingly. During his successful attempt to retrieve his car from Abram Tarasov's chop shop, he dodged a car going at least 40 mph in eight-tenths of a second.
"The Marquis: There is no John out there. No happy husband with a normal life. There is only John Wick, the killer. John: And he's going to kill you."
Master Assassin: John Wick was a masterfully skilled and supremely deadly assassin - one of the best in the world, if not the very best. Acquiring the name Baba Yaga during his time with the Tarasov Mob, he completed a task deemed impossible by Viggo Tarasov, with the prolific amount of people he killed having laid the foundation of the organization (although it was revealed that it was an impossible task even for him and he had to owe a blood debt to Santino D'Antonio in order to complete it). Wick became famous for once killing three men in a bar with just a pencil, much to the amazement of the Tarasov brothers. Following the death of his wife, John had massacred hundreds of people with an assortment of weapons on his crusade of vengeance. He had killed people during his home invasion, when he attacked the Red Circle, when he attacked Viggo's church, when he attacked Iosef's compound, when he attacked Viggo at the helipad dock, when he retrieved his car from Abram Tarasov, when he escaped Rome after infiltrating Gianna's party, when he was pursued by assassins after a bounty was placed on him, when he attacked Santino's gala at the museum, when he escaped from New York, when he and Sofia went to Berrada, when John returned to New York, during the war at the Continental Hotel, when he visited the deserts of Morocco a second time, when the Osaka Continental was invaded by several men working for the Marquis de Gramont, when he infiltrated Killa's nightclub in Berlin, when he was being pursued in the Arc de Triomphe by several assassins who wished to claim his bounty of $40 million, and during his way to Sacré-Coeur for his duel with the Marquis. Some of the people he killed included Viggo, Victor, Nicholai, Kuzma, Kirill, Gregori, Ivan, Alexander, Iosef Tarasov, Avi, Yama, Ares, Santino D'Antonio, Ernest and Zero, who called him "incredible" and a "master of death." Upon making a full recovery in roughly half a year, John succeeded in killing many powerful members of the High Table, including Killa Harkan, the Marquis de Gramont, and even the Elder. Furthermore, Winston stated that hunting is what John does best, and that the Baba Yaga was the last thing many men ever saw. His methodology is "straight to the point," rarely using stealth, even though he is incredibly skilled at it, killing everyone in his path until he reaches his target. He also seems impatient in dealing with his targets, never having waited for a better opportunity to kill them, going straight to them and betting everything on an all-out attack as soon as he finds them. This is particularly blatant when he goes after Santino right after receiving a single gun with only seven bullets from the Bowery King. Even though he is injured and exhausted, John goes directly to the gala party full of Santino's henchmen when he could have waited for a better opportunity to assassinate him or simply obtained some more guns . It is unknown if John can be more restrained and patient when the matter is not personal .
Master Marksman:
John Wick aiming in the C.A.R. stance
Being a highly trained assassin and assumedly former ex-marine, John was extremely proficient with the usage of multiple types of firearms: including pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns as well as being able to precisely eliminate targets from a long distance (as seen in his raid on the Tarasov safehouse). John was able to effortlessly blend his skill in marksmanship with his hand-to-hand combat skills during close quarters combat, being able to swiftly use grappling moves combined with precision shots to take on large groups of organized gunmen. He shot The Doctor just below his floating rib, avoiding his large intestine as well as accurately below his shoulder. He could accurately and precisely gun down multiple enemies in a timely manner, almost never missing his opponents. Wick achieved 49 headshots in the first film and 104 headshots in the second film. He was also skilled in throwing sharp weapons like knives and even a tomahawk on one occasion with deadly accuracy and force. John would occasionally throw his firearms at his enemies when he ran out of ammunition. During his final duel with Caine, John lost, but in the final round, he never fired his gun at his friend who thanked him, suggesting that John likely would've killed Caine if he had actually taken the shot.
Master Martial Artist : John was a formidable and incredibly skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant. His fighting style consists of multiple techniques from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Judo, Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, Aikido, Karate, Jeet Kune Do and Krav Maga. He could quickly outmaneuver, outmatch, or simply outlast his opponents, even being capable of taking on multiple enemies at once. John is highly capable of adapting to his opponent's fighting styles, studying them during the fight and finding ways to negate their strengths, as seen when he faced Zero and his students. He also sometimes made use of dirty tactics such as striking the groin, gouging the eyes, or even biting an opponent's hand or fingers.
Knife Mastery: John was highly skilled in wielding and throwing knives. During knife fights, he tended to slam his hand against the pommel of his knife to drive the blade into his opponents. He notably stabbed The Bowery King in the neck, but his knowledge is so great that he gave him the choice to keep pressure on the wound and survive. As mentioned earlier, during his final duel with Viggo, he willingly let himself be stabbed so that he had Viggo's arm in a position to break it and then stab the latter. Inside a train, he demonstrated further anatomical knowledge when he found an angle to direct a knife toward Cassian's chest, before driving it straight into his opponent's aorta. He also used Ares' own push dagger to kill her. In a knife shop, he demonstrated expertise with throwing bladed weapons. John also shows skill in the use of swords during his fights with Zero and his students.
Swordsmanship: Though he did not use swords or other bladed weapons often, John possessed a good level of experience with them, which allowed him to survive dangerous encounters. He mostly held them in a reverse grip to add speed to his swings and was skilled enough to fight reasonably well with Zero, a master martial artist and swordsman in his own right, before killing him. However, his skills with the sword were ultimately inferior to Caine and Koji Shimazu.
Nunchaku Mastery: Despite his usage being somewhat crude, John has demonstrated proficient skill with nunchakus, with him being able to deliver hard, precise strikes and use them to disarm his enemies and combine them effectively with his grappling skills.
Weapon Improvisation: In addition to his impressive skills with firearms and bladed weaponry, John was very good at using whatever is in his immediate area as an offensive weapon, as seen when he dispatched two men with a couple of pencils, when he killed Ernest with a book, when he used a belt to fend off The Shinobi, and even once using horses in a stable to defeat his enemies. During his fight to get to Sacré-Coeur, John disassembled his pistol and used the deconstructed parts to kill several of his opponents. John could also throw a playing card with enough force and accuracy to cut someone with it, which was evidenced when he cut Killa across the side of the neck with a playing card and then hurled it at one of Killa's men with enough force to cut him across the face. He is also famous for having killed three men with a pencil back during his prime.
"You don't remember, but there I was, standing in an alleyway. I didn't even hear you comin'."
Stealth Mastery: John is extremely skilled at breaking into secure locations and escaping without being noticed and he is able to memorize complicated architectural layouts easily. When he first stabbed The Bowery King in an alley, the latter admitted that he did not hear the assassin approach. John showed his mastery of stealth during his fight with Zero, as he was able to successfully sneak away once he had knocked Zero down.
"Ah, history is littered with Marquis who were only remembered by their servants. But you... you could be remembered as the man who brought John Wick, the most feared of all by the Table and all who sit at it, into the light. Your light. And who could predict how high that kind of glory could take a man in our world?"
Intimidation: Due to his efficiency as an assassin and the determination with which he completes his goals, John was widely known and feared within the assassin community. People who know about his reputation are extremely cautious about provoking his wrath. John frequently used this to his advantage by using his reputation to instill fear into his enemies.
"Look at you. You're thinkin' about it, aren't you? You're counting exits, guards... could you get to me in time?"
Gifted Intellect: John was shown to be a very intelligent individual who could outsmart his enemies even under extreme stress and can easily think his way out of dangerous situations.
Master Tactician: As a master hitman, John was highly capable of casing out, planning and executing assassinations. He is also very spatially aware in combat situations, making use of the environment, weapons held by dead enemies and even, legendarily, pencils. Though John was a master tactician, he had a tendency to go for straightforward tactics, as before Winston's assistance against the High Table, his plan was to simply go after each of the High Table members and kill them. During his final duel, John was able to kill Vincent Bisset de Gramont whose arrogance did not allow him to realize that John didn't fire his gun, leaving himself open to a headshot.
Expert Driver: During his "retirement." John drove his vintage 1969 Mustang Mach 1 on a racing track as a hobby, allowing him to keep his skills behind the wheel sharp. He was able to kill enemies with vehicles, delivering sideswipes, reverses and head-on collisions to deal with devastating damage. The best example of his level of skill was during his car chase and conflict with Chidi and dozens of men hired by the Marquis in the Arc de Triomphe.
Expert Motorcyclist: John was a very talented motorcyclist who could evade enemies and even engage in combat while cycling.
Skilled Equestrian: John was able to easily mount and ride a horse through the city to evade enemies, even lowering himself to hang off the side and using the horse as cover while riding with little difficulty. John was also able to ride a horse through the desert in Morocco easily, able to keep up with Elder's men.
Skilled Physician: John appeared to have some knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, as well as basic medicine and first aid, as he finished The Doctor's stitches on his stab wound. He stabbed Cassian in his aorta so the latter would keep the blade in place or else he would die from bleeding out.
"U kazhdoy suki est' tsena."[5] "A u etoi suki net.[6]"
Multilingualism: John was shown to be fluent in several languages, including English, Russian, Italian, Hebrew, American Sign Language, Arabic, Japanese, Indonesian, and Cantonese. He used these skills a number of times when conversing with friends and enemies alike, such as when he said "Sampai jumpa" ("be seeing you") to the Shinobi.
Indomitable Will: Once John set his mind on a goal, he would not stop until that task is complete, no matter what obstacles got in his way. His unparalleled level of focus and determination had earned him a legendary status in the assassin community. To be with the love of his life Helen, John completed a task that was deemed impossible, but his desire to retire and live with Helen led him to find the strength to complete this task. Despite the increasing danger of his war against the High Table, John's resolve never wavered and he continued to fight his way to his desire to be free of the Table, an endeavor that ultimately succeeded.
Weaknesses
"I think you are addicted to it. To the vengeance. No wife. No life. No home. Vengeance, it's all you have."
Anger and Revenge: John's determination in going after his target was both his greatest strength and his weakness as he often refuses to stop pursuing them, even when it would be in his interest to do so, or even wait for a better opportunity to strike. When Santino hid in the Continental, rather than wait for him to leave or pursue another method of revenge, John murdered him on the grounds and is then forced to go on the run for breaking the rules of the hotel. He made his situation even more dire upon murdering the Elder, naively believing that the rest of the High Table would fall apart without his leadership. Wick couldn't sate his need for revenge and stop himself from killing the people who took things from him, which led to most of his problems in the 4 films and the deaths of severalclosefriends.
"The only path this leads to is death." "I'm going to kill them all." "I believe you'll try. But no one, not even you, can kill everyone."
Overconfidence: John was often overconfident of his reputation, which can be seen when he seeks help from "The Bowery King," when he asked Winston to inform his would-be assassins that he will kill anyone who comes after him and when he informed Shimazu that he would kill all the members of the High Table until there was none remaining.
Mortality: Although John Wick was feared as a legendary hitman, he was still susceptible to dying via injuries, illness, or old age.
Equipment
Weapons
"So I guess you have a choice. You want a war? Or do you wanna just give me a gun?"
Heckler & Koch P30L: Wick's primary sidearm is a semi-automatic pistol fitted with a custom compensator. He used it to shoot and kill eleven men in his house, 21 men at the red circle, one man at the church, one man and Iosef Tarasov at the compound, and three men at the dock. He also used it to fire at Avi, but he missed it. He continued to use the pistol when he infiltrated Abram Tarasov's garage to reclaim his car, but he reburied it with the rest of his arsenal afterward. Wick took this pistol from an assassin who went after him following his excommunication, and used it to shoot other assassins while on horseback.
"I know of your past fondness for the German varietals, but I can wholeheartedly endorse the new breed of Austrians. Glock 34 and 26. Recontoured grips. Flared magwell for easier reloads. And I know you'll appreciate the custom porting."
Glock 26: Wick's backup sidearm is a compact pistol. He used it to kill three men at the Red Circle. After he reclaims his car from Abram Tarasov's garage, he buries it along with the rest of his arsenal. Wick retrieves another Glock 26 from a deposit box, but he does not use it. He purchases a new Glock 26 from The Sommelier in preparation to kill Gianna D'Antonio. He kills her and 33 others in the catacombs with the pistol and his backup pistol. He picks up a fourth Glock 26 from an assassin later on and shoots one through the wall.
Walther P99: Wick disarmed Ms. Perkins of her semi-automatic suppressed pistol and held her at gunpoint when she tried to kill him in his hotel room.
Wick reloading his pistol
Glock 17: Wick briefly wielded a henchman's pistol when he disarmed him of it, but he quickly discarded it. He later disarmed a gunman of his suppressed Glock 17 in the subway and picks up multiple others before and after he kills Ares, accumulating over 40 kills with them. He later temporarily acquired a Glock 17 in Casablanca. He temporarily wielded a Glock 17 during the invasion of the Osaka Continental.
Glock 34: Wick purchased this pistol as a backup to his third Glock 26, using it interchangeably to kill 33 men in the catacombs. He used the Glock 34 in Casablanca, quickly reloading it at the same time as one of Berrada's henchmen, but shooting him before the latter could. He took a custom Glock 34 from the Continental armory to use against the High Table enforcers. He executed the Elder with a custom Glock 34 in the deserts of Morocco and used it during the siege of the Osaka Continental. After being deprived of his custom Glock 34, he acquired several regular ones and made use of them.
CZ P-09: Wick disarmed Yama of his suppressed pistol.
Smith & Wesson SW1911SC "E-Series": Wick covertly fired this suppressed pistol at Cassian. However, this is a continuity error as John had picked up a CZ P-09 and not this gun. After killing Ares, John takes one from her.
Kimber Warrior: The Bowery King gave Wick a pistol with only one magazine containing seven rounds, and he used it to kill five people. He later reloads it with a clip that he takes off of one of Santino's men. He uses it in his gunfight with Santino in the Hall of Mirrors before running out of bullets again. After pistol-whipping one of Santino's men, John drops it for good. The gun is subsequently recovered by The Adjudicator's men and they present it to the Bowery King as proof of his breaking the High Table's rules.
Kimber Super Carry: Wick used this pistol to execute Santino D'Antonio in the Continental. After killing Santino, John leaves the empty gun on the lounge table. This may be a continuity error as this scene occurs right after his fight with Ares in which Wick was last seen picking up her "E Series."
TTI STI 2011 Combat Master: Charon gave Wick this pistol from the Continental armory to use against the High Table enforcers.
Glock 19: Wick picked up a Glock 19 with a reflex sight from an enforcer sent by the High Table to the Continental, and kept it before he was disarmed by Zero's students.
"9mm Pit Viper. 21-round capacity magazine with a built-in compensator for virtually no muzzle flip. Fiber optic front sight, ambidextrous safeties, flared magwell for faster reloads, 2-pound extreme trigger, and for those more, how shall we say, intimate encounters? This viper has ferocious f***ing fangs."
TTI Pit Viper: This pistol was given to John by The Bowery King and he used it in his battles in Paris against dozens of men and assassins hired by the Marquis de Gramont to take him out. After running out of bullets, John quickly disassembles the gun and uses the pieces to stab other assassins that are after him.
Thompson Center Arms Encore: A pair of these guns were provided to John and Caine by the High Table for their duel. The rounds appear to be custom nickel-plated or silver bullets. During the last round of their duel, Caine mortally wounds John with his gun, but as John did not fire his own weapon, he is able to shoot the Marquis de Gramont in the head when he attempts to perform the coup de grace himself.
Remington 1875: Wick modified this revolver by replacing its barrel with one from a Colt 1851 Navy and its hammer with one from a Colt 1860 Army, and used it to shoot an assassin approaching him, in the head.
Coharie Arms CA-415: Wick brought a rifle with a shortened barrel, EOTech 553 holographic sight, vertical grip and Magpul PMAG to the church. He used it to kill 13 men in and outside the church, notably shooting a priest in his kneecap.
"AR-15, 11.5-inch. Compensated with an ion-bonded bolt carrier. Trijicon accupoint with one-six magnification."
TTI TR-1 Ultralight: After requesting a "tasting" of something robust and precise, Wick purchased an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a BCM Gunfighter Mod 0 collapsible stock, BCM KMR Alpha 13" forearm, BCM pistol grip and vertical foregrip, PRI Compensator, 1-6x24 Trijicon Accupoint scope with an RMR on a canted rail, and Magpul PMAGs from the Sommelier in preparation to kill Gianna. He used it to shoot and kill 18 men in the catacombs.
TTI V Seven Harbinger
Spike's Tactical Compressor
Kel-Tec KSG: Wick took a bullpup shotgun from one of Viggo's henchmen and used it to kill one of them outside of the church. He aimed it at Viggo, but he did not pull the trigger.
"May I suggest the Benelli M4? Custom bolt carrier release and charging handle. Textured grips, should your hands get wet. An Italian classic."
Benelli M4 Super 90: After requesting a "tasting" of something big and bold, Wick purchased a shotgun fitted with a fixed stock from the Sommelier in preparation to kill Gianna. He used it to shoot and kill 13 men in the catacombs.
Benelli M2 Super 90: Wick used this shotgun as his backup weapon against the enforcers sent by the High Table to the Continental.
TTI Dracarys Gen-12: John used one of these shotguns armed with "Dragon's Breath" ammunition against some of the Marquis' henchmen in an abandoned house in Paris.
SIG Sauer MPX Copperhead: Wick used this submachine gun against Berrada's henchmen in Casablanca.
TTI SIG Sauer MPX Carbine: Wick used this gun as his main defense against the enforcers sent by the High Table to the Continental.
Knives: Shortly after becoming excommunicado, John was pursued by a gang of assassins who wished to claim his bounty of $14 million into a museum filled with antique weapons. John managed to kill the whole gang by fatally wounding each and every member with antique knives that were stored within glass containers.
Axes: After Wick managed to kill the majority of the aforementioned gang, he realized there was one last member who was barely alive in spite of his wounds and killed him by throwing an axe into his head with incredible accuracy. During his fight with Killa Harkan's henchmen, John took an axe from one of the men and used it to kill several of Killa's men and wound Killa himself.
Wakizashi: Following a battle with two of Zero's best students, John stole a wakizashi blade and proceeded to use it in his battle against Zero himself. Wick used this blade to severely cut and paralyze Zero's legs so he would be unable to rely on his advanced kicking techniques. Wick ultimately wounded and killed Zero with the wakizashi.
Nunchaku: During the invasion of the Osaka Continental by dozens of men led by Chidi, John was thrown through a glass container in his struggle in the weapons room and picked up a set of orange nunchakus that was stored inside said container. He used the Okinawan weapon to dispatch several of Chidi's henchmen.
1969 Mustang: Wick's car has a Boss 429 engine, with upwards of 500 horsepower. He used to practice driving and drifting at an airport to vent his frustrations. The car was originally coveted and stolen by Iosef Tarasov, who also killed his dog Daisy, leading Wick to go on a vengeful rampage. He later took his car back from Abram Tarasov for Aurelio to repair.
2006 Lexus RX 400h: Wick had another car in his garage, which likely belonged to his wife, Helen. He found a baseball bat lodged in the windshield and opted to take a bus to visit Aurelio.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle: Wick took a bus to see Aurelio and obtain a car to drive to the Continental Hotel. He later drove a car of the same model to Abram Tarasov's chop shop to retrieve his Mustang.
"A parting gift. From the management. Compensation for last night's unfortunate... incident."
2011 Dodge Charger: Wick was gifted a new car from Winston to compensate for Ms. Perkins' attempted assassination. He originally drove it home, but when he heard of Marcus' death at the hands of Viggo Tarasov, he drove to a helipad to kill him and his men. He had to abandon the car when Viggo drove into the side of it and pushed it over the edge of a dock.
2013 Chevrolet Tahoe: After he killed Viggo at the helipad, Wick took his car and drove to a veterinarian's office for medical supplies. Although he was weak and thought he would die, he re-watched a video of him and his wife, inspiring him to keep moving forward.
Yamaha MT-09: Wick rode a motorcycle on his way to the Continental while being chased by Zero's assassins.
1971 Plymouth 'Cuda: Wick stole a muscle car in Paris and notably drove it around the Arc de Triomphe on his way to Sacré-Cœur.
Attire
"Silicon carbide discs. Ceramic matrices. Accompanying laminates. Cutting-edge body armor. We just sew it between the fabric and the lining. Zero penetration. However... quite painful, I'm afraid."
Suits: Wick dons suits with tactical lining during missions.
Bounties
Over the course of the story, John Wick has had a series of bounties placed on his head through Administration by members and associates of the High Table. Presumably any bounties that were left on him were revoked when John won his duel and this won his freedom from the High Table.
$14 million - ordered by the High Table after John killed Santino on the grounds of the New York Continental and was declared excommunicado.
Increased to $15 million when John escaped to Casablanca; would have been revoked when John obtained forgiveness from The Elder and completed his mission.
$18 million - ordered by the High Table after John killed The Elder.
Increased to $20 million during the siege of the Osaka Continental.
$26 million - an increase ordered by the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont to prevent John from traversing Paris and reaching Sacré-Cœur for their duel; it was set to be automatically revoked at sunrise, when the duel was scheduled to begin.
$40 million - an increase ordered by the Marquis at the demand of Mr. Nobody; it was automatically revoked when John arrived at the duel site on time.
Trivia
John asking Winston for "guns. Lots of guns" in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a reference to Keanu Reeves' character Neo in The Matrix. Neo asks for "guns. Lots of guns" before invading a heavily protected government building to rescue Morpheus who was played by Laurence Fishburne who plays the Bowery King in the John Wick series.
The movie name was supposed to be named Scorn but Keanu loved the name John Wick so much the directors agreed to change it.
Jardani translates to John from Romany, and "Wick" is the phonetic pronunciation of the final four letters of his birth name.
Two John Wick skins and Pickaxes were available in the video game Fortnite during Season 3 and Season 9.
Jardani is the Caló form of John (Caló is a language spoken by the Spanish and Portuguese Romani)
His back tattoo "Fortuna Fortes Juvat" means Fortune Favors The Strong.
Wick shows a lot of traits that clearly indicate that he was once a Marine: using M-16 variant weaponry; driving Ford Mustang and tendency to shoot his enemies two times in the chest and one in the head, which is part of Table 2 Marine marksmanship training.
Wick's file at the end of John Wick: Chapter 2 and the beginning of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum lists his height as 6'1" with brown hair and brown eyes.
Wick's drink of choice appears to be bourbon as he drank Blanton’s The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey while being stitched up by The Continental doctor in the first film. Cassian also questioned if Wick was still a bourbon drinker when the two chose to get a drink in the Continental after crashing through the window during their fight, which Wick confirmed.
Wick's signature watch is a Manero AutoDate, designed by Carl F. Bucherer, and his suit is designed by Luca Mosca.
John keeps a photo of himself with Helen in the New York Public Library, concealed in Russian Folktale by Alexander Afanasyev (1864).
John's native language is presumably Belarusian.
Wick's nickname "Baba Yaga" came from a witch of slavic folklore, known for eating children and living in a hut standing on chicken legs.
John Wick might have been based on retired United States Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrell. After being the only survivor of Operation Red Wings, Luttrell returns home with PTSD, but his dog kept his sanity safe. However, two bandits shot his dog, which makes Luttrell hunt them down in revenge.
John Wick wore his watch on the inside to prevent a glare flash that could give away his position.
John Wick could also be based on the novel "Shibumi", the novel tells a story of a retired assassin who once killed someone using a pencil.
John Wick's official fate is up for interpretation, per co-writers Michael Finch and Slay Hatten. Finch says, "''What I will say is that we never actually see him dying, We see a [grave] plot. What happened in between is up for interpretation.”'" However, producer Erica Lee says in an interview that he is.[8]Keanu Reeves also expresses uncertainty when asked, stating that "I don’t know, I guess I’m going to have to lean on never say never. I mean, I wouldn’t do a John Wick film without [director] Chad Stahelski. We’d have to see what that looked like… It feels right that John Wick finds peace."[9]
Later, director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves announced that they had left the franchise on hiatus and would be ready to return if they were interested in the John Wick: Chapter 5 script.
Later, when the audience asked Keanu about the possibility of returning to John Wick: Chapter 5, he said that he wanted to return, but his legs were not ready to perform tricks.
Later in the interview, Keanu announced twice that John Wick had died, which seemed to put an end to the controversy over John Wick's fate. However, Keanu announced his death with a laugh, which could have been a joke, and the actor also stated that anything is possible in Hollywood. This means that John Wick may still be alive, and the actor could deceive the fans to leave him alone or really confirm his death, but not in a permanent form, that is, John Wick may return.
It was later confirmed that John Wick: Chapter 5 has not been canceled and the creators continue to write the script, although Keanu's participation in chapter 5 is still questionable. At CinemaCon 2025, it was later confirmed that Keanu would indeed return in John Wick: Chapter 5, which makes canceling his death more likely.
In an interview, director Chad Stahelski confirms that John deliberately chose not to kill Caine and sacrifice himself so that Caine could live for his daughter, something bigger than both of them.[10]
John Wick can be seen as the personification of ''Death''. This is indicated by the fact that he always wears a black suit and kills people. Furthermore, in the opening of John Wick: Chapter 4, four horsemen were seen in the desert. This can symbolize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, of which John could be considered the horseman of death.
The director’s comments explain why Wick’s story has arrived in so many parts; as does The Odyssey. Odysseus, like Wick, was also a fearsome warrior who gave up in arms in pursuit of a life of peace and was unwantingly dragged back into his old way of life.
John may be an analogy to Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy: Inferno. As John travels the circles of Hell in the underworld by facing different challenges in order for him to be free from the High Table.
It also a reference to the Director's quote to John: "The path of Paradise begins in Hell."
In a deleted scene, it's revealed that John helped the Director in Ballerina because the Director called in the favor that he owed her for getting him out of the country.[11]
It's also clarified that his appearance in Ballerina takes place during the latter part of Parabellum, between John's meeting with the Elder and his return to the Continental to kill Winston, as John is already missing his ring finger in the deleted scene.
In Other Medias
Video Games
John Wick has made several appearances, in video games such as Payday 2 and Fortnite.
In Payday 2 he has special abilities, such as extra health and more accuracy with handguns.
In Fortnite, he is a cosmetic item, only unlockable after completing the battle pass at tier 100 (Season 3.) He also has a special pickaxe called the Trusty No. 2 and a glider called High Octane, with Trusty No. 2 being a pencil pickaxe, and the High Octane being a glider that makes noises like John's 1969 Mustang 327. He would later reappear in Fortnite as an official promotional skin for Chapter 3: Parabellum, he cost 2,000 V-Bucks and could only be gotten via purchasing him through the in-game store (he also came with a Gun Bag "Back Bling", which came with him if you bought him) along with a Sledgehammer Pickaxe, two emotes, one gun skin. There were other items like a black parasol and a Gold Coin Back Bling awarded to players who would play the new game mode "Wick's Bounty" (a game mode where you would collect Gold Coins of dead players, you had to collect the most coins and reach a goal for a certain number of coins to win.) The Parasol could be gotten by winning a match of "Wick's Bounty" while the Gold Coin Back Bling was awarded to players who collected a certain number of coins while playing the game mode, along with another gun skin which was given to people who eliminated a certain number of players in the mode.
Forza Horizon 3 has his Mustang as a downloadable item; the car is ranked as a supercar and has NoS system installed.
On May 8, 2019, it was announced that there was a John Wick action strategy game in development called John Wick Hex.
Graphic Novels
In 2017, an official John Wick comic series was released. With five issues, this comic series is a prequel to the original film from 2014.
.jpg "Download (21).jpg (11 KB)")
.jpeg "John Wick (Chapter 3 - Parabellum).jpeg (2.57 MB)")
