Assassins in movies are awesome, period. Yet, no franchise does assassins better, than the vibrant, amazing world ofJohn Wick. As one of the best action franchises around, theJohn Wickuniverse prides itself in itsworld-building and characters, just as much as itsunparalleled action set pieces. Through its four movies, fans have been treated to many memorable characters, that include deadly assassins, beloved hotel concierges, and many Continental Hotel managers.
Thankfully, our favorites like Winston, The Bowery King, and Charon have returned in almost every movie of the franchise. However, there are also some equally compelling characters that we would love to see return to the series. To that end, here are some of the best characters that need to return to theJohn Wickfranchise.
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10The Doctor
Making his debut in the firstJohn Wickmovie, The Doctor is exactly what the name suggests, a black market Doctor available to heal any assassin from any injury. In the franchise, we have seen The Doctor make two appearances so far, both times to heal the unkillable boogeyman. Perhaps the main reason we want The Doctor to show up is for yet another reunion between Keanu Reeves and one of hisMatrixco-stars. The Doctor is played byRandall Duk Kim, who previously worked with Keanu Reeves inThe Matrix, where he played The Keymaker.
John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellumintroduced fans to a whole heap of unique and memorable assassins. Yet, one of the major standouts has to be Zero, the deadly assassin who has an undying love and respect for Mr. Wick. Seeing Zero fanboy over John Wick allows for many great dynamics between the Baba Yaga and Zero. Played by martial arts legend,Mark Dacascos, Zero is one of the deadliest assassins we have seen in the entire franchise thus far, showcasing a beautiful display of elegant yet brutal martial arts. While it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see Zero make a miraculous return to the franchise, John did leave Zero with a sword hanging out of his chest.
8The Director
As John’s adoptive mother, The Director serves as the head of the crime organization, The Ruska Roma; an organization that taught John everything he knows, and skills that turned him into the world’s deadliest assassin. The Director is a fully compelling character, elevated by the exceptional performance fromAnjelica Huston. Thankfully, Huston is set to make an appearance once again as The Director, in theJohn Wickspin-off,The Ballerina.
Ares is a deeply unique assassin, who serves as the right-hand woman for the Italian crime lord, Santino D’Antonio. The mute assassin provides for many great interactions with John Wick, as well as an impressive fight scene against the Baba Yaga at the end ofJohn Wick: Chapter 2.Ruby Rosebrings Ares to life, selling her physicality in every fight scene, as well as delivering a wholly nuanced and engaging performance. Sadly, Ares, like many assassins in the franchise, lost in her battle against John Wick, as John stabbed the assassin with her own blade. However, while she was left for dead, there is still room for the mute assassin to make another appearance, as one of the many assassins in the franchise to seek revenge on the Baba Yaga.
6The Sommelier
The Sommelier is one of the most underrated characters in the franchise, and his short scene with John Wick is nothing short of perfection. Making his debut inJohn Wick: Chapter 2, The Sommelier provided John with all the weapons and equipment he needed for his epic shootout in the catacombs. While The Sommelier is an awesome character, he wouldn’t be half as great without the phenomenalPeter Serafinowiczproviding all the necessary suave that made us love the character. The Sommelier could easily return to the franchise, as John finds himself needing more weapons for his deadly murder spree.
5The Adjudicator
The High Table is the ultimate authority of the criminal underworld, which is feared and respected by all. Essentially, the High Table serves as the law. With that, there needs to be someone who makes judgments on specific matters. This is where the Adjudicator comes into play. Serving as the main antagonist inJohn Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum, The Adjudicator is an agent of the High Table who is sent to deal with John Wick after breaking one of the major cardinal rules, no business should be conducted on Continental grounds. The Adjudicator could very well pop up in the franchise again, and withAsia Kate Dillon’s stoic and no-nonsense performance, we would love the character to make another appearance.
Aurelio is a character we have sorely missed from the franchise. As a close friend of John, Aurelio made his debut in the firstJohn Wickmovie. Aurelio runs an illegal chop shop selling stolen cars, and is also seen helping and repairing John’s beloved muscle car. Played by the legendaryJohn Leguizamo, Aurelio quickly became a fan-favorite character, and after his last appearance inJohn Wick: Chapter 2, fans have been waiting for the character to show up once again.
Sofia is acool assassinwho audiences quickly fell in love with. As the now-manager of the Continental Hotel in Budapest, Sofia and John share a history, forcing Sofia to now hate John. Sofia’s hatred for John stems from her obligation to honor the marker she had given John years ago, in order to keep Sofia’s daughter safe and hidden, even from her. Sofia isn’t just a proficient assassin and incredibly deadly with a gun, she also comes equipped with two dogs that wreak havoc on the battlefield. Sofia was a character specifically written forHalle Berryafter showing her interest in appearing in the franchise. Unsurprisingly, Berry did not disappoint, flaunting the intensive training she went through for her role.
2The Shinobi Twins
Serving among Zero’s deadly army of ninjas, the Shinobi twins are not to be messed with. The lethal pair of ninjas tear up shop against many of The Bowery King’s lackeys, as well as countless members of the Ruska Roma. Later on, the Shinobi Twins give John Wick one hell of a fight when the twins go toe-to-toe with the Baba Yaga. Played byYayan RuhianandCecep Arif Rahman,fromThe Raidfame, the Shinobi twins are ferocious, and display an impressively fast martial arts skill set that makes their appearance in the third movie so memorable. As a professional courtesy, John didn’t kill the twins, so it’s very likely the two could show up again in some form or another.
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Cassian is without a doubt one of the most underrated assassins in the franchise, and a very proficient assassin who, like many characters in the franchise, has a history with John Wick. However, inJohn Wick: Chapter 2, Cassian and John’s friendship turns to bad blood, stemming from Cassian’s loyalty to his ward, Gianna D’Antoniono, who John Wick was hired to kill. This then leads to many great fight scenes between the two, showing off Cassian’s proficiency as a fighter and a near-equal to John Wick.
Commonbrings Cassian to life, and his savage yet graceful physicality elevates each action scene he stars in. While it’s still up in the air if Cassian is alive, John left a knife in Cassian’s chest, telling him that if he takes the knife out he will die. Did Cassian take the knife out? We hope not. Seeing Cassian and John Wick face off, or team up for the first time would be awesome.
