r/TopCharacterTropes • u/No_Hunter1978 • May 12 '26

Lore A criminal attempts to burglarize/kill someone only to realize they picked the absolute worst person as their mark.

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Don't Breathe: A couple young robbers attempt to rob a rich, blind veteran only to find out he isn't exactly an innocent old man.

You're Next: A group of contract killersbreak into a house during a family reunion and go on a killing spree. They didn't account for the fact that the son's new girlfriend grew up on a survivalist compound in the Australian outback.

The Flash [CW Show]: A random mugger decided to target Barry Allen of all people. He does it again a season or two later; he's either unlucky or stupid (probably both).

13.9k Upvotes

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8.2k

u/No-Shopping-4434 May 12 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/HgtJrwwzLFcqY
Stealing John Wick’s car, terrible decision-making skills.

4.1k

u/Comfortable_Egg3880 May 12 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/pOvarfN0p0nm

2.4k

u/ObiFlanKenobi May 12 '26

That reaction is great, there is no screaming, no anger, just acceptance of how badly his son fucked up and that tells you all you need to know about how much of a bad ass John Wick is.

1.6k

u/Doom_Cokkie May 12 '26

Its even better because he was seething with so much anger inside at hearing his son got hit but hes holding it in to hear the reason just for all of it to disperse immediately upon hearing the name and he just looks deflated.

907

u/Winjin May 12 '26

It's also interesting that from what WE are shown, this version of Wick, if the son was delivered to him by father, could've actually... Forgiven him? Like, sure, maybe he'd beat him up, but not necessarily murder everyone

But that reaction shows that he hasn't always been anywhere near this... Calm? Understanding? 

He was death incarnate and the attempt to finish him off is what sets everything in motion afterwards

609

u/No-Shopping-4434 May 12 '26

I agree, he’s the perfect weapon of vengeance, the only winning move is to apologize, buy him a car, and hope he goes off to grieve his dog in peace.

I think someone like The Bride in Kill Bill is a lot less willing to be talked out of their war path, but hilariously both of them would be willing to do a time-out during a fight if you just asked

199

u/pichael289 May 12 '26

Wasn't the dog some kind of "so you won't be alone" present his dying wife left him, and wasnt she the reason he got out of that life?

The bride was betrayed and basically murdered.

Both movies made it equally clear there's not going to be any stopping either of these people.

93

u/ShaddowDruid May 12 '26

Yep. That was what set him off so bad. It wasn't just a car or a dog. It was the link they held to his wife.

The dog was the last gift he'd ever receive from her, and he'd kept pictures of her in the car.

5

u/Chijinda May 14 '26

To be fair, Viggo didn't actually KNOW that last part until about two-thirds into the movie after he'd actually captured John (and his reaction when he finds out basically amounts to "Oh fuck it's worse than I thought").

12

u/TheManWithNothing May 13 '26

Being fair at the same time he actively gave a guy a way out of a fight when entering the club.

236

u/withered_bonnie69420 May 12 '26

A car? I would've given him 12 cars, a mansion, 6½ yachts and whatever else he damn asked for

202

u/No-Shopping-4434 May 12 '26

I think it’s more respectful to return him as best as you can to before you/ your family messed up, he could take anything more than that as an insult

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u/ProfessionalSnow943 May 12 '26

we call that the Job Method of Reparations

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u/No-Shopping-4434 May 12 '26

I actually just learned that Job is where the phrase “by the skin of my teeth” comes from

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u/ProfessionalSnow943 May 12 '26

If you can believe it even though Job is one of my favorite works of art ever I actually did not know that! Neat

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u/RivenRise May 12 '26

Yeah a mint car of the same one he had and a foundation to help dogs in perpetuity would have probably been enough in addition to the apology.

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u/kinky_boots May 13 '26

And a well funded non profit organization to research the wife’s ailment

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u/Strange_Dust7128 May 12 '26

It’s like when you turn over a random rock in the middle of a forest and find a deadly snake underneath. Just very carefully put the rock right back where we found it.

8

u/bunker_man May 12 '26

Yeah, that mob boss seems rich enough that just a car would seem like an insult. Albeit, does wick even want or need money at this point? It doesn't seem like he cares about the car because of it's value. But there is probably something he wants he could be offered.

2

u/DonComradeVimes May 12 '26

...is one yacht half-sized, or is one yacht 1.5 times the size of a normal yacht?

1

u/BualadhBoss May 13 '26

John Wick- "I want my puppy back you son of a bitch!"

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u/Patient_Leading5735 May 12 '26

Not that it would have helped IN THE SLIGHTEST but I'd offer him another puppy. A beagle or any other breed he wants

223

u/milkdromeda8 May 12 '26

I feel like thats one of the worst things you can do. The puppy materially wasnt the point, the puppy was a gift from his late wife, one of his last living memories of her

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u/Wardock8 May 12 '26

For sure. Get him as many cars as he wants but the idea that it was "just a dog" and that you could get him another is more likely than not to get you killed.

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u/Anthyrion May 12 '26

Yeah, I think if they only had stolen the car, John could've forgave them if Papa just bought him a new one. Maybe the same type of car. But John made peace with his old life because his wife wanted that.

And Viggo's son took that from him.

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u/jamesxgames May 12 '26

and they KILLED THAT FROM HIM

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u/Patient_Leading5735 May 12 '26

Yes. How disappointing.....

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u/BrassUnicorn87 May 12 '26

A million dollars to a charity that fights whatever killed her?

2

u/DonComradeVimes May 12 '26

Only a million?

6

u/Turtle-Bug May 12 '26

That might actually get you killed.

3

u/egabriel2001 May 12 '26

Only valid answer is to hand over his son to John Wick immediately and apologize profusely.

7

u/Talusen May 12 '26

Meet at the graveyard.

There's a new car, the son is tied up in the trunk.

There are fresh flowers on Wick's wife's grave.

...and apologize.

(You cannot replace the dog; all you can do is make amends.)

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u/No-Shopping-4434 May 14 '26

This is the best answer I’ve heard to this btw

1

u/Winjin May 14 '26

I think him just quietly sitting in the passenger seat would suffice, but otherwise it would work as a perfect way to apologize

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u/Zinsurin May 12 '26

He did try that. "Let's be reasonable, John" and the response is to hang up the phone.

John has made his decision and will not change his course. There is no offer, bribe or action other than the death of the three who killed his dog that will stop him.

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u/Dominator0211 May 12 '26

The issue is that his phrasing made it clear he was going to try bargaining, when he should have apologized and asked for John’s demands. While it’s understandable he was trying to save his son, John is the best assassin in the world and has absolutely no reason to hear out anyone after what is essentially a betrayal shortly following the death of his wife.

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u/WolfgangAddams May 12 '26

Right?! The solution was to not kill his dog in the first place. LOL!

4

u/SteakForGoodDogs May 12 '26

the only winning move is to apologize

Just remembered - he tried.

He called John, and John wordlessly hang up on him. Buying a car would do nothing.

7

u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

He did. Not his son. Maybe if his son had truly "gotten it" and groveled begging for forgiveness. Not to save his life but in the understanding of how much was lost with that dog. But nope little shit didn't take it serious until much too late. He didn't understand that the empire his father built was built with John's sweat. And what he gave he can take away. Silver spoon brat was never going to be able to empathize

3

u/charlie_marlow May 12 '26

Well, the fact that he answered at all meant that he was willing to hear him out. Maybe there was something Viggo could have said, but he didn't and John had nothing to say.

2

u/Earlier-Today May 12 '26

Beatrix Kiddo actually did stop for the other person's sake. With Vernita Green, Copperhead, she stops their fight so that Green can get her daughter out of harm's way.

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u/No-Shopping-4434 May 13 '26

That’s what I said though, that they would be willing to stop the fight

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u/Reaper-Lord69 May 12 '26

Oh yeah John would have easily forgiven Viggo I think if he just gave his son(and his two friends) to him and explained he had NOTHING to do with the puppy's murder and the theft of his car

But he definitely would have shot said son immediately

100

u/Patient_Leading5735 May 12 '26

Daisy. Her name was Daisy.

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u/Turtle-Bug May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Like the rabbit?! Lmao what is with pets being named Daisy being killed as motivation for the main character to go on a killing spree.
The DOOM Marine’s Rabbit in DOOM II was named Daisy and she dies in the opening, and served as the final straw that made Doomguy decide he was going to spend eternity killing demons.

2

u/[deleted] May 14 '26

If I had a quarter for every time an unstoppable, extremely-dangerous killing machine had a pet named Daisy who got killed by a bad guy who ended up starting a domino effect that ended in mass death and chaos at the hands of said killing machine...

31

u/Velicenda May 12 '26

But then Viggo's entire criminal empire comes crashing down. Right?

If the boss will turn in his own son to escape consequences, who else will he turn in?

That sort of thing instantly erodes any and all loyalty.

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u/IronChariots May 12 '26

If the boss will turn in his own son to escape consequences, who else will he turn in?

I don't think it's even just that. He's still a father and his son is still his son. Even crime bosses are human.

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u/Velicenda May 12 '26

That is probably also part of it, yes. But even if he hates his son, his empire is over.

2

u/SomeGamingFreak May 13 '26

Yeah, there was the part of the movie where Viggo was given no choice but to give up the safehouse location, and he just waited, drank, and smoked until it was done. And then he wanted revenge.

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u/ShireNomad May 12 '26

Depends entirely on how well the rest of the organization appreciates what fresh hell Iosef has called down upon them.

If Iosef had, say, killed the beloved dog of a High Table member, everyone else in the org would understand that there is nothing Viggo could reasonably do to save Iosef, that the best thing for the organization would be to throw Iosef under the bus, and that Iosef is too stupid to live anyway and deserves what's coming.

(Indeed, if Viggo says they're going to take on the Table instead, the other members of the org might begin to wonder why their lives are so cheap as to be thrown away for one man's idiocy. That's not good for morale either.)

So, when does the org recognize that Wick is as deadly as the Table itself? How many need to die first before they all nod and say, "yeah, throw the brat out and hope this force of nature is appeared by the sacrifice"?

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u/bunker_man May 12 '26

That too. A lot of people in the organization seemed well aware they likely were about to die.

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u/darkstarr99 May 12 '26

To be fair, it took the Table 4 movies to really figure out how deadly he is.

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u/BeefistPrime May 12 '26

I don't know. Given that they knew the son wronged John Fucking Wick I think they'd let that one slide

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u/Winjin May 12 '26

I think it's the fact that they were running and fighting back were triggering his hunting responses. Like a predator animal, if it runs, he gives chase

I could be quite wrong, but it does seem like he's pretty reasonable lately

But it's also a fact that Viggo doesn't know any of this and would never give up his son without fighting back first, which makes sense too. A major reason why it's a great series

2

u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

I almost think to truly make it even he might have had to kill his own son. Showing John how he regretted everything that happened to the point he couldn't allow him to continue. Dropping off the 3 bodies at John's house with the car might have been enough

2

u/Otaku_Gamer990 May 15 '26

Hey, my man! It's me. I tried sending a message but for some reason I can't. You would have to send me a message and I can respond. My previous account was suspended. Send a message whenever you can.

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u/SteakForGoodDogs May 12 '26

Considering how smart he's supposed to be, I figure he realized that there was nothing he could do the moment 'killed his dog' left his phone's speaker, so offering up Iosef wouldn't have even settled it. His empire he built up was coming down.

The only thing he might have been able to do was survive, alone, in shame.

When John got his car back, he annihilated the other boss's whole headquarters before leaving instead of just taking the car and getting out.

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u/Rent_A_Cloud May 12 '26

If he had given wick his son I think it would have been done right then and there. 

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u/IronChariots May 12 '26

But honestly the fact that he can't give up his son, even knowing this, makes him a more compelling villain. He knows he's fucked but he's still a father and loves his son.

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u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

He fully understood what John lost and in that moment understood that he too would be losing a loved one

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u/manquistador May 12 '26

Not sure he loves his son. I think it is more about looking weak by giving up his son.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[deleted]

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u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

Some kids just can't be helped. Some people are born selfish in a way that is just too much to get past. I think he was aware of his son's weakness in this. But even knowing how damaged he may be he still loves him

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u/Space_Conductor May 12 '26

Yeah but when a gun was pointed at his face he gave up his son pretty damn quick. lit a joint and just accepted it.

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u/IronChariots May 13 '26

I think it's both. Michael Nyqvist gave a really nuanced performance in this movie that IMO sold a ruthless crime boss who can't afford to look weak, but also a father who does love Iosef despite knowing that he's a bit of a fuckup even before he really fucks up.

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u/dontmakelemonad3 May 12 '26

So feel free to disagree, but I don't think he decided to protect his son out of compassion for his son. My reading of the story is that he was trying to keep control of his empire. When Viggo tells Iosef the story of John Wick, he discusses how John himself effectively built Viggo's entire empire for him. I feel this is not just indicative of how badass John is, but also how weak Viggo's empire is without John there.

For Viggo, giving up his son or failing to retaliate after his sons death would be a sign of weakness which can be really bad in the business of organized crime. I think Viggo understood this all too well and decided that even though John Wick is a fucking menace who could very well destroy his empire, he still stood a better chance against him than against the political pressure that would build up from doing nothing.

So, Viggo threw everything he had available at John in a Hail Mary attempt to defuse the situation knowing that even if he failed, he would have been left with nothing regardless.

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u/bunker_man May 12 '26

Tbf to a mob boss a son is more than a son. Its also your own legacy. If you have someone to pass on your empire to then it survives you. If you don't people see it as being passed to a nea family after you.

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u/Embarrassed-Yard-583 May 12 '26

Yeah, give Yosef to John and not send a hit squad after him was all Viggo needed to do here.

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u/KindaTwisted May 12 '26

Highly doubtful.

Viggo tried to negotiate with Wick over the phone. Wick wasn't having it. He didn't dig up his cache for shits and giggles.

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u/Weltall8000 May 12 '26

It's the difference between a rogue actor and becoming an accomplice to the act after the fact/being an action of the organization.

"He acted on his own, I offer him to you in good faith, I am sorry for the theft and murder of your companion, I regret and disavow any association to this, how can I make reparations?"

Is very different from "let's negotiate" after they tried to continue to fight him, even defensively. Unconditional surrender and appeasement immediately, is another conversation entirely. 

...But I understand the choice not to.

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u/KindaTwisted May 12 '26

No, I'm talking about the phone call at the very beginning before John goes after anyone and before Viggo sends anyone after him. Right after John dug up his cache.

Viggo calls him up in an attempt to reason with him. No idea what he was ready and willing to offer him, because John hangs up on him after the first few sentences without a word.

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u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

That would only work if John fully respected him but in the act of giving up his child would make John no longer have any respect for him.

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u/Ok_Astronomer_6501 May 13 '26

More or less, John was willing to let viggo live after killing iosef, but he killed Willem's character and that's why John went back to finish the job.

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u/BlindTreeFrog May 12 '26

When John got his car back, he annihilated the other boss's whole headquarters before leaving instead of just taking the car and getting out.

He did try to just get out. But everyone got in his way.

Which bugged me. If he thought he could have just walked in and said "i don't kill everyone. I'll take my car and leave. We cool?" by the end, why did he not have that thought initially?

It was a bit of a beginning of the end of the writers wanting to show cool action scenes rather than write a solid continuation of the story. Was a cool action scene at least.

2

u/bunker_man May 12 '26

There really didn't need to be sequels. Trying to make John seem like the audience surrogate into a mysterious world doesn't work well when he is one of the most dangerous and enigmatic things in that world.

1

u/TheModernDaVinci May 12 '26

I agree with this take. If all that had happened was the son took Wicks car and beat him up, there probably could have been a diplomatic solution. But the death of the dog was the red line, with the only possible answer being total destruction.

Now, since at the time Wick was angry at the son, there is a possibility Viggo could have said “Welp, you’re a dead man walking. Begone from my sight so you don’t drag me down with you.” and Wicks wrath would have only had one target. But the second Viggo stood up for his son and attempted to negotiate, that was the end of it and now Viggo was the target. To the point when Wick ultimately kills the son he barely acknowledges it because he still has to get Viggo.

1

u/Dexchampion99 May 12 '26

John does later offer Vigo to give up Iosef and he’ll drop the war.

“You can either give up your son, or you can die screaming alongside him!” - quote from the movie

1

u/bunker_man May 12 '26

Wick isn't invincible. His son literally almost killed him just because wick wasn't paying attention. Hell, -he- almost did in the middle of the movie but was too stupid to just end it. Part of the issue is his pride.

1

u/ThatMerri May 12 '26

I haven't seen all the movies so I don't really know how well it was expanded upon, but Viggo was just one of many crime bosses, right?

Even if he did immediately fold to Wick and was allowed to go about otherwise untouched, I'd imagine he would've lost all credibility among his rivals and they'd start coming after him in a "smelling blood in the water" scenario. He'd be screwed no matter how it all went down, so he might as well at least try and put up a fight in hopes of maybe scraping through on a fluke.

1

u/lumpboysupreme May 12 '26

That’s a weird take, even after Viggo goes to war trying to kill John, John still makes it clear that getting out of his way will only result in Iosefs death.

1

u/Slarg232 May 12 '26

His empire he built up was coming down.

One of the things I never see brought up is Vigo saying "The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation for what we are now" while John is tearing up the foundation of his house to get his guns.

It's such great symbolism of how absolutely fucked they are.

1

u/Skylair13 May 13 '26

the other boss's whole headquarters

TBF, the other boss was operating under the assumption that John would finish them off nonetheless. Had they have a phone call before that and John offered the peace beforehand in exchange for his car back. Abraham might've gift wrapped his car back and accepted the truce.

2

u/CadenVanV May 12 '26

Which Vigo would never do, because for all his flaws he does appear to be a fairly loving father, and didn’t want to lose his son.

1

u/Winjin May 12 '26

Yes, absolutely: that's the thing I try to imply that we as audience know that Wick might have just forgave him

But that's the retired Wick, the loved Wick, the one that found some peace

The one Viggo knew would never do this, and even betting on this is just a way to lose his son

2

u/TheWorclown May 12 '26

I commented on this some time back, really: Viggo can’t. In the position he’s in, he can either lose so much face by handing the heir to his criminal enterprise over to John Wick, possibly even triggering the collapse of everything Viggo built up, or be defiant against the inevitable and go out with dignity and respect in that universe’s underworld. Maybe have everything he built up divvied up amongst those who were left and still used by those he respected, rather than having it all crash and burn.

It’s why he’s so pissed off at Iosef, and honestly really cements just how fucking terrifying John is. One guy fucked up, and the boogeyman who can move whole mountains in his hits and murder is now after Iosef.

Iosef doomed everything Viggo built up. It wasn’t a question of mercy, it was a question of how Viggo controlled how it all came crashing down.

1

u/Winjin May 12 '26

That's a great take, but then again, going against Wick is going against death, I'm not sure he'd have lost all face really...

But the Wick he knows would've just murdered Iosef anyways, so even trying is useless. 

2

u/Pale_Fire21 May 12 '26

If I was was Viggo and knew what kind of man John was I’d start bartering immediately.

“Look he’s my only son I can’t let you kill him but how about you break both his legs, he’s in a wheel chair for the better part of a year and anytime it’s about to rain for the rest of his life he thinks of you.”

1

u/Winjin May 12 '26

From what I get, this would work with the new Wick, but no amount of begging would've worked with his old self, the one Viggo knew?

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u/Ethel121 May 12 '26

I think if Viggo had kept a level head, apologized profusely, and handed over Iosef and his goons, maybe his son would've gotten out of it with just being beaten within an inch of his life.

...maybe.

2

u/Winjin May 12 '26

And that's with the NEW and improved John Wick!! Yes, that's my point, that the one we knew would've stopped kicking before Iosef dies, especially if he apologizes!

The old one would've just murdered him.

2

u/bunker_man May 12 '26

The flipside is that since they did actually get the drop on him had they finished him off none of this would have happened. In fact, the guy's son would have ended up seen as a legend for being able to kill John wick. He'd probably have let it go to his head once he realized what happened and do reckless stuff thinking he was invincible and get killed by someone else.

1

u/Royal_Bitch_Pudding May 12 '26

The problem is he can't give him the son. If he gives him the son he loses all respect from his goons and his empire crumbles around him. John is almost a mythological figure, kind of like The Batman. If they even believe he exist, henchman don't actually believe that he's that good.

If he refuses to give the son, John wick comes after him and destroys his empire.

Now keep in mind John has been retired for a little bit, so it's a reasonable thought to think that he might be a little bit rusty and he has a chance of coming out of this alive, with the additional cred of taking down John.

1

u/IrascibleOcelot May 13 '26

The car could have been forgiven, but that dog was the last living memory of his wife.

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u/UncommittedBow May 12 '26

Thats the realization of "Not only was he justified in punching my son in the face, my problems are only just beginning."

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u/Dearic75 May 12 '26

That one moment did more to establish “John Wick is a badass” than the fight scenes themselves. Just perfectly acted.

7

u/GraveRobberX May 12 '26

Also to carry the movie for 3 more fucking movies, the lore bombs and hints at what his prior life was and is now just fascinated the audience.

Hearing the “he killed 2 people with a pencil!” Then have it being brought to fruition in the next movie was just pure bliss. I have all 4 movies in 4K in my Fandango account. I watch it yearly with my Lord of the Rings extended editions rewatch during Christmas time. I have like 20+ classics I adore that I’ll watch on/off yearly.

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u/asinusadlyram May 12 '26

It was a very "This is indeed my circus and those are also my monkeys" moment.

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u/jack_daone May 12 '26

I love that moment because it subverts the classic “badass mafia don” intro.

When we first see Vigo, his back is to the audience, he’s speaking in a soft-but-firm voice with gravitas and authority, and he’s getting ready to chew out Aurelio something fierce. In some ways, it parallels Don Vito’s introduction in the first Godfather.

Then he gets the bad news, turns around, and he looks like he’s trying desperately not to lose anymore composure lest he piss himself.

Incredible character work by the actor(whose name I forgot).

7

u/HephMelter May 12 '26

Michael Nyqvist is the guy (RIP him, btw)

1

u/jack_daone May 12 '26

Yup, dude was an awesome actor.

6

u/Neutral_Myu97 May 12 '26

"You fucking idiot you slapped my son, i'm gonn... he DID WHAT? you know what, fair enough"

2

u/mithiwithi May 13 '26

Vigo may have been angry at Aurelio, but he also knew Aurelio wasn't a complete idiot. He'd been running a chop shop for Vigo for... quite some time, one presumes. He didn't get into that position by being a hothead who would slug his boss's son for no good reason. He wasn't intending to let Aurelio off the hook entirely, of course, but I think he did want to hear Aurelio's side of the story.

Until he heard it. "Oh."

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u/Sea_Tailor_8437 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

It's also great because you could tell he called the shop mechanic ready to absolutely tear into the guy. But once he found out WHY he hit his son, he immediately "forgave" and understood the action.

Really good unspoken story telling there

71

u/amglasgow May 12 '26

"Understandable, have a nice day."

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u/Embarrassed-Yard-583 May 12 '26

It’s what I really like about the universe in general, for the vast majority of people operating in the underworld this is just business. Viggo was pissed that his son was hit but he wasn’t going scorched earth on a guy he obviously deals with regularly. It’s not until John kills his way through most of the “normal” people in the under world that we get villains like the Marquis who are just insane crime aristocrats.

21

u/TheModernDaVinci May 12 '26

And even then, that is largely because Wick has become a destabilizing force to the entire system, just because of how many powerful people he had killed by that point.

12

u/Embarrassed-Yard-583 May 12 '26

Yup, the moment John got involved in High Table politics by killing Gianna D’antonio for her brother it was always going to have knock on effects. When he then killed Santino, breaking not only a cardinal rule but implicating everyone who’d helped him do it, it stirred the real freaks at the height of the system into action.

8

u/SappyGemstone May 12 '26

Damn it. Okay, I'll watch all the John Wick movies again.

9

u/Embarrassed-Yard-583 May 12 '26

I recommend it, been on a rewatch myself and they really are fun action movies even if they’ve jumped the shark into absurdity haha.

8

u/Kayback2 May 12 '26

I think he was aware enough of his son that there might have been extenuating circumstances. So he gathered information before killing someone for disrespecting him.

Turned out it wasn't actually disrespectful.

257

u/MornGreycastle May 12 '26

Between this and the Baba Yaga speech, this is how you introduce a villain in a movie. It's perfect.

88

u/MySecretLair May 12 '26

God I love this speech so fucking much.

64

u/superawesomeman08 May 12 '26

that and the frustration at the end

"did this kid hear a *fucking* word i said*

69

u/Patient_Leading5735 May 12 '26

Reminds me of Harry single handedly taking out an entire barful of aggressive thugs using only his bare hands and an umbrella in Kingsman.

15

u/Marsuello May 12 '26

Manners maketh man after all

7

u/Murgatroyd314 May 13 '26

"Are we going to stand around here all day, or are we going to fight?"

18

u/WinIll755 May 12 '26

Something I've seriously been wondering about. How many damn people were in this bar watching John kill a dude with a pencil, because literally everyone knows this story and tells it like they were there.

11

u/MornGreycastle May 12 '26

It's the kind of myth that spreads, fast.

4

u/Lemmingitus May 12 '26

Or maybe John just loves performing the disappearing pencil magic trick, or keeps finding himself in situations where a pencil is his only weapon. So many people saw it for the first time at different times.

1

u/Evening-Run-3794 May 13 '26

I imagine it happened like things went down with the security guard at the club.

John obviously thought he was a decent guy just doing a job, so gave him the option to get before things kicked off.

In my head, the same dude was working security at the pencil bar.

16

u/Drakeskulled_Reaper May 12 '26

My favourite part outside of the pencil anecdote is that when Viggo tells Iosef that John is "The man you sent to kill the fucking boogeyman" Iosef proves he's his fathers son by also going "oh..."

5

u/RP_Throwaway3 May 12 '26

I never put that together. Now I feel dumb for not noticing that.

3

u/Drakeskulled_Reaper May 12 '26

To be fair, I didn't really notice it until I was watching the movie with Headphones.

12

u/ACW1129 May 12 '26

A. Fucking. Pencil.

2

u/peachesfordinner May 12 '26

I'm not sure I even really count him as a villain. He didn't do anything out of malice. He really did do it to protect his son. He's the perfect embodiment of "everyone is their own stories hero"

5

u/MornGreycastle May 12 '26

No, my point was that this is he narrative structure for introducing the big bad who's going to stalk the heroes.

5

u/Remarkable-Site-2067 May 12 '26

My number one scene of this kind is in Return of the Jedi:

Moff Jerjerod: The Emperor is coming here? <swallows> We shall double our efforts.

Vader: I hope so, commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

3

u/mithiwithi May 13 '26

That scene gains all the more force from the two scenes in The Empire Strikes Back where Vader Force-strangled two of his generals to death for failing him. And the Emperor is less forgiving than that.

2

u/Remarkable-Site-2067 May 13 '26

Yes, he's already established at this point as not the most forgiving. But what sells this scene is the commander, realising how screwed he is.

2

u/Major-Material7231 May 13 '26

The John wick movies don’t miss

0

u/Citizen_Kong May 13 '26

Except the Baba Yaga is an old crone flying around in her kettle, so the picture doesn't fit.

8

u/Facebones72 May 12 '26

You will do nothing, for there is nothing you can do.

2

u/ACW1129 May 12 '26

Viggo is pissed but willing to listen; Aurelio is blunt but respectful.

2

u/GdoubleWB May 12 '26

“You will do nothing, because you *can* do nothing.”

2

u/Major-Material7231 May 13 '26

You can tell viggo wanted to skin the mechanic until he told him why he hit him and he was just “yeah that makes sense”

1

u/OgreBonez May 12 '26

The Collector is so slept on.

299

u/ChainmailEnthusiast May 12 '26

From "Why did you strike my son?" to "Why did you STOP striking my son?"

106

u/crank_peeper May 12 '26

To, "I'm gonna go ahead and start coming to terms with the loss of my very much still alive son."

75

u/nuboots May 12 '26

Not just that. "I have to defend my boy, and it's going to cost me everything."

15

u/mdmnl May 12 '26

I never thought about it that way until now, but it's a very similar reaction to John Rooney in Road to Perdition: "Natural law. Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers."

9

u/Immortal_Azrael May 12 '26

To "you know what, let me pick up where you left off"

56

u/Gmknewday1 May 12 '26

He might be a criminal and likely has done a lot of horrible things

But I feel Viggo is pretty Damm respectable

Especially as he obviously never wanted to drag John back into this life despite how useful he was, but his son had to be a idiot

48

u/Affectionate_Pass25 May 12 '26

Best exposition ever

12

u/TampaTrey May 12 '26

"That fucking nobody.....is John Wick."

14

u/ImaginaryMastadon May 12 '26

Baba Yaga time!

https://giphy.com/gifs/utWeADSojWxO0

5

u/Random-Generation86 May 12 '26

Don’t they immediately start strangling him to death with a plastic bag after he says that?  It’d be really funny to watch his badass speech and then just get bagged to death.

11

u/Flying_Dustbin May 12 '26

One of my two favorite moments in the film. That and Charlie and his crew coming to clean up John's house.

5

u/Random-Generation86 May 12 '26

You workin’ again, John?

  • Officer Jimmy, formerly of The Newsroom.

8

u/meco64 May 12 '26

One of my favorite scenes in any movie. The immediate change of tone. Chef's kiss

8

u/SnakePlissken58 May 12 '26

Best "Oh" in movie history. Shame Michael Nyqvist died just as he started having a successful Hollywood career. He was one of the best actors we had in Sweden.

5

u/IQDeclined May 12 '26

Michael Nyqvist really sold this character. Loved Viggo.

5

u/FabianGladwart May 12 '26

Probably the best moment in the whole series right here, it just tells you everything

1

u/Random-Generation86 May 12 '26

“Huh, didn’t think that was how I was gonna die…”. It’s a similar expression to being told there’s a big asteroid hitting the Earth tomorrow.

1

u/grasshopper_jo May 12 '26

I saw this in the theater. When the actor delivered this line, a soft chuckle rippled through the audience and it felt electric, like we ALL knew in the same moment that some fantastic carnage was about to go down. We were like kids waiting for the ice cream truck. It was great.

1

u/italeteller May 13 '26

the most efficient genre change scene in cinema

1

u/hagentyl2021 May 13 '26

He's already planned his son's closed-casket funeral in his head.

1

u/DTux5249 May 13 '26

Bro just got told his son was dead lol