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 return to his violent ways in order to avenge his murdered dog, Santino sees an opportunity to exploit the favor John owes him in order to take Gianna's place at the High Table. To help push John to cooperate, Santino blows up John's house.
The name "Santino" literally translates as "Little Saint" in Italian. Even if John never violated the rules of the Continental, in not killing Santino, the result would be the same, as Santino would have just continued to pour money into making John's bounty larger and larger.
Falling deeply in love with her, he sought a way out of his hectic, violent life. Viggo was willing to grant his wish, but with the catch that John had to complete an "Impossible Task." That meant he needed to defeat all of Tarasov's enemies in one night to ensure that they'd have no way to regroup and retaliate.
Franchise star Ian McShane can't say for sure that his Winston character is the father of Keanu Reeves' John Wick, but he's happy to fuel the fan theories. In John Wick: Chapter 4, it was subtly teased that there may be a family connection between Winston and John Wick.
John was born Jardani Jovonovich in a Padhorje village somewhere in the Byelorussian SSR of the Soviet Union to a Ruska Roma family on September 2, 1964. He was orphaned at a young age before being taken in by an old friend of his father, Winston, who would eventually become John's mentor.
Played by Shamier Anderson, Mr. Nobody, also known as Tracker, is a bounty hunter with his sights set on Keanu Reeves' eponymous assassin, though bides his time taking Wick down until the reward hits a certain point.
Kennedy's executive order (executive order 11111). JFK's executive order on June 11, 1963, provided "assistance for the removal of obstructions of justice and suppression of unlawful combinations within the state of Alabama." On November 22, 1963 (five months later), he was assassinated.
Is Marcus John Wick's Dad? Marcus, who we see in the first movie, appears to be only an old friend of John's. It's easy to wonder if there's a family connection between the two with Marcus' desire to keep John alive and aid him against Viggo Tarasov. It seems unlikely that Marcus is John Wick's father, though.
The movie is full of groundbreaking action sequences, but it's also surprisingly emotional, as John is seen killed in a duel with Caine (Donnie Yen). The assassin shares his final words with his old friend Winston (Ian McShane), then is buried in New York with a headstone reading, "Loving Husband."
After John killed Gianna by the orders of his brother, Santino immediately took her place within the High Table and ordered his right-hand woman Ares and many of his men to kill John to avenge his sister.
As the two lay exhausted, Zero complimented John on his skills and stated it was an honor to fight him, to which John agrees that it was a good fight. As John gets up and walks away Zero attempts to do so too only to instead slump over and die.
His John needed help after incurring the wrath of Santino. John brokered a deal with the Bowery King: for protection and, then, an arsenal. It turns out that after he and John feuded years back, the King took control of The Soup Kitchen. This was a homeless shelter, where he said he created an underground empire.
Why was John screaming when he saw the gun in the suitcase when he followed the man to get a suit and weapons? Because, despite his attempts to leave the assassin world behind, he was essentially forced to come back and kill a friend no less. His scream was that of anger and frustration.
He was eventually taken up captive by Viggo, who surprised him when he was walking in the middle of a street. Viggo calls John and ironically states that he appreciates how he granted his son a swift death, and continues by saying that Marcus betrayed him for not fullfilling the contract, leaving him with no choice.
A skilled sniper, Marcus represents an older generation of Continental members. Part mentor, part mystery, Marcus has John's back. Marcus was an extremely loyal friend to John Wick, as he only accepted Viggo Tarasov's contract to protect Wick from other assassins such as Ms.
Winston's "son" line could be figurative, as people often say this to close friends of no blood relation, or a sign that Winston thought of John like a son, but combined with the tattoo, suspicions arise. What makes Winston's final words to John even more suspicious is the language in which he speaks them.
Parents need to know that John Wick is a brutally violent, frequently bloody thriller starring Keanu Reeves as an assassin. There's a very high body count: Characters are shot, maimed, stabbed, beaten, threatened, killed with firearms at close range, blown to bits in an explosion, strangled with bare hands,…
John Wick earned that would-be death sentence because he broke The Continental's biggest rule: Do not conduct “business” – as in, don't kill anybody – on the premises.
It's implied that Caine's blindness was part of his deal for retirement, similar to how the Marquis Vincent de Gramont forced Mr. Nobody to maim his own hand as part of their deal. When asked about it, Caine states that the High Table didn't take his eyes, but rather that Caine gave them to the High Table.
The twist in the John Wick 3 ending sees John being betrayed by Winston (Ian McShane), the Manager of The Continental, raising the question of why Winston shot John Wick.
