John Wick (character)

John Wick was born Jardani Jovonovich in Padhorje, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union, to parents who were of Romani descent. He was orphaned at a young age before being taken in by an old friend of his father, who would eventually become Wick's mentor.[2] It is revealed in the John Wick comic book mini-series that he spent a significant portion of his adolescence in El Sauzel, Mexico.[3] It is possible he served with the Marines,[4] eventually taking on the name "John Wick" . At one point, he was recruited by a Ruska Roma organized crime group and trained by its leader, a woman known as "the Director", in New York City. Under the Director's supervision, John was trained as a hitman and learned skills including martial arts, firearms and other weaponry, tactical driving, infiltration, escapology and more. After leaving the Ruska Roma organization, he was arrested for an unspecified crime and imprisoned.[5] Upon release, he was manipulated into joining the underground crime world operating out of the Continental Hotel chain.[6] John eventually became the top enforcer for the New York Russian crime syndicate, becoming a feared and ruthless hitman known for his great focus, determination, and sheer will. He was later nicknamed "Baba Yaga", being further described as the man one would send to "kill the Bogeyman". His prowess was such that he once single-handedly killed three men with a pencil.

Eventually John fell in love with a woman named Helen. Hoping to leave his past as a contract killer behind him and pursue a normal life, John met with Viggo Tarasov, boss of the Tarasov mob, who agreed to grant him his freedom if he could carry out what was described as "impossible task", implying that John was not expected to survive the mission. In order to accomplish his goal, John requested assistance from crime boss Santino D'Antonio and subsequently ended up owing him a blood oath called a "marker". Wick eliminated all Tarasov's major rivals, thus enabling him to become one of New York's most powerful crime bosses. John Wick retired and settled down with Helen, his reputation now legendary, and the two lived happily together for five years.

The character and franchise has been described as a "central boogeyman character who can’t be killed" and a "modern, action-oriented equivalent of '80s horror franchises", and reportedly has a kill count of 306, exceeding Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers combined.[8][9] Wick's violent one-man crusade has been described as an extreme case of workplace revenge.[10] He is largely seen wearing dark colored, tailored suits outfitted with ballistic armor. He is a deadly combatant and proficient with handguns, rifles, knives, and various other forms of weaponry as well as with hand-to-hand fighting. He has a large tattoo on his back with a Latin phrase written across praying hands holding a cross that reads, "fortis Fortuna adiuvat".

Since the franchise's inception, the character of John Wick and his development in subsequent sequels have been seen as a reinvigoration of Keanu Reeves's career. The films have a cult following and Reeves's portrayal of the character has been praised.[11]

John Wick appeared as a crossover skin in the battle royale game Fortnite.[12][13][14] This was the result of young children and teens mistaking Reeves for a skin, named The Reaper, in the game.[14] According to Republic World, the skin is one of the most popular in the game.[12]

• "John Wick (2014) - Trivia - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
• Bean, Travis (12 September 2019). "The Reason People Connect So Deeply With John Wick". Forbes. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
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