Highlights

• John Wick Chapter 4 introduces new powerful foes, but John remains the ultimate assassin throughout the franchise.
• The latest film showcases impressive characters like Killa Harkan and Akira, pushing John to his limits once again.
• John Wick's legacy continues to evolve, with the fifth film and spin-offs like Ballerina promising more intense action to come.

John Wick Chapter 4 hit new heights for the franchise, and while there are a number of amazing characters who turn up in the latest film, fans are already comparing them to the strength of previous opponents that have been dispatched by Wick throughout his previous cinematic adventures.

The Baba Yaga has been plagued by a war against fellow members of the wide-spanning underground. While he sought to escape this life for so long, he has never been able to get out, and things have indeed been getting worse for him over the last few films. With a hit on his head from the high table that never seems to go away, Wick is unable to find peace. But which of his adversaries to date has been the strongest?

Updated on March 30, 2024, by Chris Harkin: The John Wick franchise looks to still have a bright future. Despite the ending of the fourth film, the fifth one seems to be in development. Additionally, the spin-off TV series The Continental was successful, and the upcoming spin-off Ballerina is yet to bring the franchise to new grounds. Having already defined the action genre for the last decade, the John Wick series looks to drive onwards for years yet, introducing plenty of new great hitman characters, since most of the ones on this list are dead in-franchise by now.

This list contains spoilers for the John Wick movies!

14 Marcus

Expert Sniper, Kills Viggo's Bodyguards While Unarmed

• Played By Willem Dafoe
• Appears In John Wick

Willem Dafoe is an amazing actor, and he appeared in the first John Wick movie as a former mentor of John himself. John is shown throughout the franchise to have a lot of history with different characters in this world, and Marcus is one he seems to have more with than most.

Marcus actually takes the contract from Viggo, the Russian Mob Boss, to kill John. However, while he actually could have sniped John and gotten the kill easily, he chooses not to. Instead, he warns and helps John at great cost to himself. Despite being older, this is an indication he is incredibly wily and survived this long in his career. He also trained John, which means his abilities must have been considerable, making him an impressive hitman indeed.

13 Ernest

Almost Defeated John Wick In The Library

• Played By Boban Marjanović
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

The villainous characters that John gets into brutal fights with over the course of the John Wick franchise just seem to keep getting better. Ernest is the opening fight from Chapter 3; he attacks John in the New York Public Library. He does this against the rules of the High Table, as John’s excommunicado status had not been activated.

Nevertheless, he does manage to seriously wound John to the degree that Wick had to seek medical help before his excommunicado status went into effect. Ernest may have broken the rules to do this, and John had already been beaten up before their fight, but this was still an impressive feat that marks Ernest as dangerous.

12 Perkins

Dared To Attack John At The Continental

• Played By Adrianne Palicki
• Appears In John Wick

One of the other characters who couldn't make it past the first film, Perkins, was a daring young up-and-comer who managed to nearly get away with a true crime, committing "business" on company grounds at the Continental Hotel in New York.

Perkins made many remarks to John during their fight in his hotel room, suggesting that they had a history and that she regarded him with some disdain for having morals in spite of their work. This didn't work out well for Perkins, after killing another older assassin, she herself was killed for conducting business on Continental grounds, proving that it is better to have morals in this world.

11 Charon

Held His Own In Brutal Situations

• Played By Lance Reddick & Ayo Adegun
• Appears In John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4 & The Continental

Charon is one of the few characters who has appeared in every entry in the franchise, including The Continental TV series, which means he's appeared in more entries than John Wick himself. A loyal and lovable character, Charon is the receptionist at The Continental in New York and is shown to have been there for many years.

Lance Reddick played the role in the films, while Ayo Adegun took on a younger version of the character in The Continental. Despite not being a real hitman, Charon was shown in John Wick: Chapter 3 to be a dangerous individual, who held his own alongside John in the siege of The Continental. The men sent against them by the High Table were brutal killers, and Charon not only fought and killed many of them, but survived to tell the tale.

10 Cassian

Survived Multiple Fights With John Wick

• Played By Common
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 2

Cassian is one of the greatest threats that John faces in John Wick Chapter 2. The honorable assassin is fighting to protect Santino D’Antonio, whom John seeks to kill. They encounter each other multiple times over the course of the second chapter in the John Wick saga, but it is on a subway train that their final confrontation occurs.

Cassian is a capable assassin who, again, manages to wound John but is defeated. John leaves the knife he stabs Cassian with still in him, allowing him to seek medical help and possibly survive. He was nearly a match for John, though John was injured in this fight as well.

9 Mr. Nobody

Could Have Killed John Wick But Spares Him

• Played By Shamier Anderson
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 4

Another recent appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4, Mr. Nobody is just one of the very few characters throughout the franchise who had the opportunity to kill John and didn't. Nobody is a tracker who works with a dog, similar to Sofia. He is always looking for the next big bounty, which by Chapter 4 was definitely John Wick himself.

However, when Nobody arrived at the Osaka Continental, he saved John Wick from the High Table's men in order to keep the bounty for himself. However, he chose not to kill John when he could have, deciding to wait for the bounty to be higher. Though he changed his mind later and helped John, he proved his worth and talent immediately upon appearing on screen.

8 Sofia

Animal Training Master, Her Dogs Enhance Her Fighting Skills

• Played By Halle Berry
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Sofia is a rare assassin who was only a help to John over the course of her time in the movies, at least so far. Having her own majorly helpful assassin dogs, who appear deadly enough themselves, Sofia is also a great assassin who is a major asset in keeping John alive through his excommunicado phase.

Surviving her time in Parabellum, Sofia is definitely one of the few characters open for a possible return in the future. There are certainly few enough characters that would have a chance against her if she does return, especially with her dogs along for the ride. Sofia and other characters in the world could also be taking over the franchise soon, after the ambiguous ending to John Wick: Chapter 4.

7 Akira Shimazu

Surviving The Osaka Fight, May Have Killed Caine

• Played By Rina Sawayama
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 4

Akira, daughter of Koji Shimazu and concierge of the Osaka Continental Hotel, is a supreme fighter. Having been raised in Japanese culture by her father, and having already been in the business of helping run a Continental for years, she was able to hold her own against some of the very best the High Table could send for John Wick.

Although Akira only survived because Caine had no reason to kill her, that did not stop Akira from harboring a grudge against him for killing her father. After showcasing her skills early in John Wick: Chapter 4, Akira turns up at the very end again, pursuing Caine and possibly even managing to kill him. The conclusion to that moment may never be seen in the franchise.

6 The Shinobi

Could Have Killed John Wick, But Spare Him To Continue The Fight

• Played By Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian
• Appear In John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

The Shinobi are perhaps the most dangerous force in the John Wick movies; this pair of assassins, trainees of Zero, actually defeat John Wick in their first bout with him. They allow him to live in a very sporting manner, but he eventually defeats them and gives them the same in return to equalize the debt.

The Shinobi could probably defeat almost any assassin in the John Wick movies, but it would be cheating to place this duo above single assassins, as it seems far less likely that just one of the pair would be able to beat most of the major threats in the movies alone. The actors portraying the Shinobi are also action stars in their own right, both having appeared in The Raid, a great movie for John Wick fans.

5 Ares

Silent But Deadly, Nearly Defeats John In The Hall Of Mirrors

• Played By Ruby Rose
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 2

Ares is the most dangerous threat that John comes up against in John Wick Chapter 2. His battles against Cassian and others were excellent ones, but Ares came the closest to actually ending John. In the hall of mirrors sequence where they square off, Ares does manage to properly stab John and nearly defeats him.

This brutal assassin is one of the most dangerous in the franchise because she has a great blend of true ruthlessness and the skills with which to put them into effect. It is Ares who perhaps comes closest to killing John out of anybody in the opening two movies.

4 Killa Harkan

High Table Member & Brawler, Manhandles John Wick

• Played By Scott Adkins
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 4

One of the lesser villains in John Wick: Chapter 4, Killa Harkan was nevertheless a massive threat. A member of the High Table residing in Germany, it initially appeared as if Killa would be an easy kill for a man with the talents of John Wick, but Killa quickly proved how a member of the High Table survives as long as he has.

His brawling fighting style was completely overwhelming and came with to a fair amount of skill, making him a truly fantastic opponent for John Wick. Though John eventually got the upper hand and managed to kill him, it genuinely appeared at times that Killa was just too much for John, something that doesn't happen often.

3 Zero

Fan Turned Rival Of John Wick, Trained The Shinobi

• Played By Mark Dacascos
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Zero is the primary foe that John must defeat in Chapter 3 - Parabellum. While the High Table and eventually Winston were against him, Zero is the greatest individual hitman sent by anybody for John to take on. It is he who John has to defeat once and for all atop the Continental.

This fight, and their other clashes throughout the movie, show that Zero is likely the greatest individual threat that John Wick has ever had to deal with. Zero was also one of the more fun characters in the franchise, with some amusing fight scenes, despite the serious nature of his mission to kill John. His "fanboy" approach to meet John for the first time is endearing and makes Zero seem like more than just a killing machine.

2 Caine

The Man Who Killed John Wick?

• Played By Donnie Yen
• Appears In John Wick: Chapter 4

Donnie Yen is a legendary master of martial arts and a great actor, so it is no surprise he was brought to the John Wick franchise for such a pivotal role in Chapter 4. Caine is forced by an old debtor to go after John to protect his daughter, and despite being blind, he is incredibly deadly and manages to get the better of John multiple times.

Whether fans of the John Wick franchise believe John is capable of beating Caine or not, the sheer mass of assassins that John has defeated means Caine only belongs in the #2 spot on this list. Nevertheless, he is a strong contender for the very top spot, whether Akira catches up to him in the end or not. With more entries in the franchise possibly on the way, it seems unlikely that Caine really did kill John Wick, but he came out on top after all of their battles.

1 John Wick

The Baba Yaga

• Played By Keanu Reeves
• Appears In John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum & John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick himself has to be atop the list of most deadly assassins in the John Wick movies. It wouldn’t make much sense for the movies to be about him if he wasn’t the very best. He is constantly known and feared by almost every other member of the underground world.

To boot, he retired for years before returning to action in the first John Wick movie. This means that his skills must have somewhat lessened over time, and there is no telling how good he actually was in his prime. John may or may not return after the fourth film, but the franchise seems to have shown that he always ends a fight on his terms.