John Wick's Impossible Task, Explained (2024)

John Wick may be known as a bogeyman of an assassin, but at one point, he put all that behind him. Briefly living a life of peace and quiet as a married man, unfortunate circ*mstances would eventually bring him back to a life of violence. Said violence was, ironically, John's ticket out at one point, though it came at a terrible cost.

The events of the John Wick movies all hinge on the protagonists' completion of an "Impossible Task." It afforded him the life briefly seen in the first film, though it also led directly into what happened in the second and third. While completing this mission may have briefly given John Wick Heaven on Earth, it would eventually come back to make his life a living Hell. With the fifth John Wick movie on the way, here's a look at the Impossible Task that started it all.

Updated by Robert Vaux on June 22, 2024: The John Wick franchise has expanded beyond its fairly humble roots, but like with many things, it all began with love. John Wick's "Impossible Task" allowed him to leave his old life behind, but it sadly didn't stick. In fact, it only led to more turmoil later in his life, and perhaps was the catalyst for ending it. Thus, what John Wick did to get out only delayed his inevitable fate of suffering, or so it would seem. The article has been updated with expanded information on each of the John Wick sequels, and the formatting has been adjusted to meet CBR's current guidelines.

"The Impossible Task" Allowed John Wick To Be a Happily Married Man

Born in the former Soviet Union as Jardani Jovanovich, John Wick would make his way to America and join the Ruska Roma. As an adult, John made many enemies after he became an infamous hitman who joined Viggo Tarasov's mob. While this life seemed a good fit for him, John had second thoughts once he met a woman named Helen. Falling deeply in love with her, he sought a way out of his hectic, violent life. Viggo was willing to grant his wish, but with the catch that John had to complete an "Impossible Task." That meant he needed to defeat all of Tarasov's enemies in one night to ensure that they'd have no way to regroup and retaliate.

Tarasov himself didn't expect Wick to be able to pull the mission off, hence its impossible moniker. Thankfully, John had help in the form of Santino D'Antonio, who helped supply him with the means to take out Tarasov's foes. With his mission completed, John was allowed to leave the Tarasov Mob and live a life of love and civility until his wife Helen died from cancer. For as tragic as these events were, they would only be the beginning of John's new troubles.

The Impossible Task Led to the John Wick Sequels

The events of the first John Wick had the former assassin get back into action when Viggo Tarasov's son murders one of the series' dogs and steals John's car. That brings him back to life, as he destroys the entire Tarasov mob in retaliation, including Viggo and his son. John Wick: Chapter 2 opens with John taking his car back from Viggo's brother Abram, played by Peter Stormare. He kills Abram's men but leaves the man himself alive, indicating a wish to live and let live with him but demonstrating the consequences should Abram try to avenge his brother and nephew.

John Wick: Chapter 2 Shows the Cost of the "Impossible Task"

However, John doesn't have long to celebrate his victory when Santino D'Antonio returns to his life in John Wick: Chapter 2. He reminds him of the debt he's owed for helping John complete the Impossible Task, and he intends to cash said debt by having John kill his sister Gianna D'Antonia. Doing so puts John in D'Antonio's crosshairs — he wants John eliminated as a way of tying up loose ends — and this threat only heightens when John realizes the bounty that's now been put on his head. John responds not only by killing D'Antonio's men but by shooting the man himself in the lobby of the Continental, as the sole means of ending the contract on his life.

That made the Impossible Task all the more tragic, as it only ensured John's happiness for a brief time. Helen would have died anyway, making John's civilian retirement a fleeting peace. It also meant that Santino would eventually come to collect his debt, forcing John into a series of events that made him possibly the most wanted man on Earth. Given that Santino had to help John that night, his mission truly was impossible, and it's now obviously one whose fallout price was far too high.

John Wick: Chapter 3 Pits Him Against the Whole System

The Impossible Task isn't directly involved in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, which picks up immediately after Chapter 2 leaves off. Having violated the sanctity of the Continental, he's now wanted by the entire underworld. Even worse, Santino inherited his sister's place at "The High Table," the secretive organization that controls all crime everywhere and dictates the Byzantine rules that resulted in the Impossible Task in the first place.

John Wick eventually reaches The Elder — the one authority above the High Table — who forgives him his transgressions, provided he murders his friend Winston and swears allegiance to the High Table. Winston shoots him instead, and he recovers with the help of Lawrence Fishburne's "Bowry King," who promises to help him destroy the High Table. At this point, his commitment to the Impossible Task is leading him to overthrow the system that it represents.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Completes the Destruction of the High Table

In John Wick: Chapter 4, John Wick's Impossible Task truly catches up with him. He's forced to take the fight to the High Table, which unfortunately puts a massive target on his back. His journey to rid himself of this only lands him in more trouble, with Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont eventually facing him in a game of "30 Paces." Battered, bruised, and beaten after facing a homicidal onslaught, Wick is seemingly fatally shot by the Marquis. Despite this, he's able to finally end his debt with the High Table once and for all, shooting his enemy when it was least expected.

Wick then instructs his longtime friend, Winston Scott, to take him home. It's not exactly explained what he means by this, but following this scene, Winston and criminal leader The Bowery King both mourn him at what seems to be his funeral. By all accounts, this means that John Wick's Impossible Task caught up with him, ending the assassin's life after he had tried so hard to find peace.

Will There Be a John Wick 5?

John Wick's Impossible Task was seemingly his undoing, but that might not be the end of the John Wick franchise. For one, there's already been one spinoff in the series, with more on the way. Titled The Continental: From the World of John Wick, this TV series showcased the origins of Winston Scott, long before he met the franchise's title character. Another side entry is being released in the form of the upcoming movie Ballerina, which takes place before the events of John Wick: Chapter 4. Other spinoffs are possibly in the works, but fans are most interested in a potential fifth entry in the main John Wick series.

Currently, John Wick: Chapter 5 is being written, though there's been no indication as to where the series' story will go from here. John Wick himself was apparently killed off in John Wick: Chapter 4, and though this may have been a ruse, Wick's story is seemingly over. After all, his feud with the High Table is over, and the favor related to the Impossible Task is also no longer a factor. With the world at large regarding him as a dead man, there's no reason for Wick to make them think otherwise. Even if his mortality is still intact, there's not a lot of room for the series to explore where it's currently being taken.

John Wick: Chapter 5 may be a prequel and take place before the previous movie and tie into the spinoff stories. It might even act as a flashback to showcase how John Wick's Impossible Task was accomplished, with this addendum wrapping up his story as a whole. This is probably the best way to end the series among the stories of the spinoffs, as it would portray the pivotal moment that ultimately ended John Wick's peace before it even started.

John Wick: Chapters 1, 2, and 3 are currently streaming on Peaco*ck. John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently streaming on Starz.

John Wick

Dive into the world of a retired hitman pulled back into the brutal underworld he left behind, igniting a relentless crusade for revenge.

Created by

Derek Kolstad

First Film

John Wick

Latest Film

John Wick: Chapter 4

Upcoming Films

John Wick: Chapter 5

Upcoming TV Shows

The Continental

First Episode Air Date

September 22, 2023

Cast

Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Ian McShane , Lance Reddick , Halle Berry , John Leguizamo , Donnie Yen

Spin-offs (Movies)

Ballerina (2023)

Video Game(s)

Payday 2 , John Wick Hex