John Wick: Chapter 2’s Cassian is easily the franchise’s most underrated villain. Keanu Reeves experienced something of a quiet period in his career before the original John Wick, which was a modestly budgeted action thriller about a retired hitman seeking revenge for his murdered puppy. While the premise sounded goofy, the trailer - with its slick action, great cast and rich production design - got audiences excited. The movie received great reviews and became a solid success, leading to John Wick: Chapter 2 getting a greenlight.
The sequel found uber assassin John Wick set up by a crime boss, and having to shoot through an ungodly number of henchmen to survive. John Wick: Chapter 2 was just as slick as the original, and not only cemented Keanu’s comeback but also Wick as a new action icon. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum arrived in 2019, which quickly became the highest-grossing of the series. In addition to an upcoming fourth movie, Reeves will also feature in forthcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077, Bill & Ted Face the Music and a fourth Matrix.
While John Wick himself may have quickly become an icon, the franchise hasn’t quite produced an equally memorable villain. Mark Dacascos’ fanboy assassin Zero from Chapter 3 is great fun and a formidable fighter while Ruby Rose’s mute assassin Ares is super charismatic, but there’s still little doubt Wick would survive against most of his foes. Arguably the franchise’s most unsung villain is Common’s (Hell On Wheels) Cassian from John Wick: Chapter 2.
Cassian is the loyal bodyguard of Gianna D’Antonio in John Wick: Chapter 2, who Wick is forced to assassinate by her brother Santino. John carries out his duty, only to run into Cassian while he attempts to flee. This soon leads to a brutal fight between them, which is interrupted when they land on the grounds of Rome’s Continental hotel, which forbids killing on its grounds. Wick and Cassian than share a drink, with Wick outlining why he did it and that he had no choice. Cassian understands but underlines he’s duty-bound to kill Wick regardless.
Much of John Wick: Chapter 2 finds New York’s vast network of assassins trying to kill the titular hitman due to a large contract on his head. Cassian also flies in from Rome to continue the hunt, which climaxes in a subway knife fight. While Cassian puts up a hell of a fight, Wick gains the upper hand and jams a knife into his chest. He warns Cassian that if he pulls the knife out he’ll bleed to death, but if he leaves it in then he might survive.
While fans hoped to see Cassian return in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum but assuming he even survived his injuries, he’d still be recovering. Cassian was something of a mirror to Wick himself in the original, being a supernaturally talented assassin driven by revenge. He’s not as flashy as some of the series’ other would-be Wick killers, but John Wick: Chapter 2’s Cassian also came pretty close to taking him down too.
Next: Everything We Know About John Wick: Chapter 4
