2014’sJohn Wickwas an unexpected commercial and critical hit that would redefine the way audiences saw and consumed action throughout the late 2010s. The film, starring beloved iconKeanu Reeves, follows the titular character, a deadly assassin known as the Baba Yaga, who comes back from retirement after a reckless criminal kills his puppy, the last gift from his deceased wife. The film spawned a highly successful franchise that has so far resulted in three sequels and one spin-off,Ballerina, scheduled for next year.
Coupled with the exhilarating, high-octane, highly stylized fight sequences, Reeves is very much the main draw of these movies. However, theJohn Wicksaga has featured many incredible characters, fromIan McShane’s cunning Winston toLaurence Fishburne’s solemn Bowery King. As usually happens with most action movies, the villains are a standout in the series, putting John Wick through the wringer and sending countless hordes of assassins against him. The four movies feature numerous henchmen and antagonists, butthere’s always one big honcho working behind the scenesand manipulating the events to go against the Baba Yaga.This list will rank every main villain in theJohn Wickseries, considering how intimidating they are, how close they come to actually killing Wick, and how memorable they are both for the franchise and the action genre overall.
4The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon)
‘John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum’ (2019)
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellumis one of the franchise’s best installments; unfortunately, it’s not because of its main villain. The plot sees John Wick, now “excommunicado” from the High Table, on the run from a legion of ruthless assassins who are after him. Meanwhile, a High Table Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) goes around threatening John’s allies and punishing those who are still willing to help him.Oscar winnersHalle BerryandAnjelica Hustonjoin the franchise as John’s allies.
Parabellumis one of the saga’s most action-packed entries, successfully expanding the world of John Wick and introducing newer and tougher challenges for the assassin to overcome. Sadly, the shadowy villain behind the whole thing, the Adjudicator, is far from impressive. Instead,she comes across as nothing more than a suit, not intimidating enough to make an impression. In fact, the Adjudicator is largely overshadowed by the film’s secondary antagonists, especially the ruthless assassin Zero (Mark Dacascos), who pretty much runs away with the movie. In the end, the Adjudicator is one of those villains who is all talk;you’re told she’s dangerous, but you never quite believe it, becoming the only flaw in an otherwise incredible movie.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
3Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio)
‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ (2017)
The sequel to the original 2014 hit raised the stakes and improved on the action, confirming thatJohn Wickwas, indeed, not the average action saga. The plot sees Wick forced back into the game by the Camorra crime boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), who once helped him retire so he could marry his late wife. D’Antonio forces Wick to fulfill the blood oath he swore in exchange for help and travel to Italy to kill Gianna (Claudia Gerini), D’Antonio’s sister and the head of the Camorra crime syndicate.
John Wick: Chapter 2is usually the most forgettable entry in the saga. It’s an incredible movie, but the plot is less thrilling than its predecessor or its sequels. Moreover, the villain is also somewhat lacking. D’Antonio is yourtypical mafia boss: elegant, entitled, and infuriating, a spoiled child who wants more than he should. Scamarcio does a great job portraying D’Antonio, but the character isnot necessarily threatening or dangerous; instead, he comes across asself-important, self-indulgent, and annoyingly punchable. In fact, he’s so exasperating thatJohn Wick chooses to break every rulejust to shut him up for good. And while there’s nothing wrong with annoying villains, this particular franchise benefits more from foes who are actually menacing rather than simply frustrating.
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2The Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård)
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ (2022)
From one bratty villain with no flair, we move on to another one that has it to spare.The über talentedBill Skarsgårdis the main villain in 2022’sJohn Wick: Chapter 4, seemingly the last entry in Wick’s hyper-violent journey. The plot finds Wick hunted by the Marquis de Gramont, an aristocrat elevated by the High Table into an all-powerful position for the sole purpose of killing the Baba Yaga. Given all the resources in the world, the Marquis lets his assassins on the loose and recruits deadly assassin Caine (Donnie Yen) and a nameless tracker (Shamier Anderson) to make things even more difficult for Wick.
Like D’Antonio, the Marquis is very much a spoiled child. However, Skarsgård injects him with such a larger-than-life flair that he’s impossible to resist. The actor plays the Marquis asa mustache-twirling Bond villain, complete with an exaggerated French accent that often toes the line between eccentricity and outright camp. The result isthe most singular, not to mention stylish, villain in theJohn Wickfranchise, an odious jerk who you just can’t wait to see gone for good. It also helps that Skarsgård is very much having the time of his life in the role, relishing the chance to be so over-the-top and devour every scene.John Wick: Chapter 4might just be the best entry in the saga, and it’s largely thanks to Skarsgård’shateful and loathsome villain, one of the best in the modern action genre.
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1Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist)
‘John Wick’ (2014)
TheJohn Wickfranchise wouldn’t be the juggernaut it is today if it weren’t for the first movie, which revolutionized the action genre and changed the way audiences experience these thrilling movies. It all starts with a dog killed by the reckless son of a Russian crime boss.Game of ThronesstandoutAlfie Allenis great as the arrogant and ultimately stupid Iosef Tarasov, whose impertinent ways and thoughtless actions bring about his family’s demise. However, the real villain is his father, Viggo, played by the always-greatMichael Nyqvist.
Viggo is John’s former employer and knows just what the Baba Yaga is capable of. He doesn’t take the threat lightly, and while he doesn’t wish to engage with John in an all-out war, he also understands there’s no going back and decides to make the most out of torturing and killing John.Viggo Tarasov is the best villain in theJohn Wicksaga, largely thanks to Nyqvist’s precise, cunning, and dominating performance.The actor brings great gravitas to the role, imbuing each word with purpose and perfectly displaying Tarasov’s complicated feelings at the situation — contempt for his idiotic son, fear at Wick’s retaliation coupled with the vaguest hint of admiration, and the utter desire to see his enemies crushed under his feet. Tarasov isan all-time great action villainanda highlight of Nyqvist’s international career.
