Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Read at your own risk!
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum featured John Wick going up against some of The High Table's finest assassins, although none were good enough to take down the film's hero and eliminate him when he was excommunicado. That may be because one of the key assassins who might have been most capable wasn't one seeking to kill the famed assassin, but was on his side for a majority of the movie.
Now that they're seemingly on opposite sides and John Wick: Chapter 4 is officially a go for 2021, it may finally be time for John to take on a character who may actually stand a chance at bringing him to his knees. Even if he was unsuccessful, it would be a good fight, which is why John Wick vs. Charon, The Continental's hotel concierge, is the match-up we need to see for a number of reasons.
Why Charon Is The Underrated Assassin Of John Wick
For the first two movies of the franchise, Charon has been both seen and heard, but we don't know a whole lot about him. What we do know is he's the bodyguard of New York's Continental manager, Winston, and the overall gatekeeper of sorts to The Continental. He's calm and collected regardless of the situation, and he doesn't seem to fear much of anything.
It wasn't until John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum that we really saw Charon in action, as he helped John defend The Continental from the High Table forces that invaded the hotel. He did so as competently as John, and while he didn't have the same fatigue as his colleague, seemed to be of equal standing in terms of marksmanship.
If Charon is a capable assassin, why is he not out taking missions on behalf of the High Table? It depends on how one looks at it, but one would think being the gatekeeper to New York City's Continental is a huge honor perhaps bestowed to him for exceptional service, or maybe because he's more than capable of keeping a building of assassins in check. Whether that's true I can only speculate, but I'd wager Charon is a talented assassin.
Would Charon Fight John Wick?
Charon looked as though he could at least put up a decent fight againt John Wick if it came down to it, but would he really go toe-to-toe with him? After all, Charon has been shown to have a deep respect for John, and has gone above and beyond for him in the past without being asked. There's certainly some admiration on his end, and John seems to have that same respect for Charon.
As audiences learned in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, however, admiration does not always keep assassins from pursuing each other. In fact, Zero (the Adjudicator's skilled assassin) seemed to be a huge fanboy of John Wick, which made him all the more eager to fight and attempt to kill him. Clearly assassins' minds work a bit differently than others.
Plus, for all the admiration that Charon has for John, he's Winston's employee. Protecting his boss appears to be his priority above all else, and if John is coming for Winston, then it looks like Charon is going to be standing in the way. Even if he's sure it will end in his death, Charon doesn't seem like the type to break his loyalty to his employer.
Could Charon Defeat John Wick In A Fight?
This is a tough question to answer, as it's hard to ever discount John Wick in a fight after these past three movies. He is the title character after all, and has escaped certain death plenty of times. Does Charon really stand a chance against one of the most notable assassins in the High Table's history?
Charon has one big advantage after the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. To start, he's aligned with Winston, who got back into the High Table's good graces at the end of the movie. With John still possibly being hunted, it's safe to say that if he is coming for Winston, and he'll run into quite a few High Table cronies on the road. That means he could be somewhat fatigued by the time the two meet, which gives Charon an advantage.
Additionally, one would reckon that neither Winston or Charon have any reason to leave The Continental now that Winston's name has been cleared. John is likely familiar with the facility, but it's doubtful he knows the grounds as well as Charon. Knowledge of a location is a huge tactical advantage in most battle situations, so John could be in a very precarious position if he's forced to take on Charon inside the hotel.
Will Charon And John Wick Fight In Chapter 4?
The ending of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is somewhat strange, as Winston's betrayal seemed to come out of nowhere. Was it really an on the spot decision for Winston to turn the tables on John, or was it an elaborate scheme the two concocted that will further an agenda to usurp the High Table?
If there was some plan like that in play, it doesn't seem as though John was in on it. He arrived before the Bowery King broken and, in his words, pissed off. Getting shot off of a building is liable to piss anyone off, but is John mad about that, or that Winston tried to kill him when John defied the High Table's order to kill The Continental manager? He can be mad at both things, right?
It's possible Winston thought on his toes and ensured John was initially believed to be dead knowing he wasn't in an effort to protect him. Unfortunately, he probably won't have a way of convincing John of that anytime soon, which means Charon may be forced to defend Winston even though he understands the move was made to protect John. Oof, wouldn't that be a tragic end to one of the franchise's more interesting characters?
John Wick Kill Count: All The Kills In All 3 Movies
We'll get to see if Charon and John go toe to toe In John Wick: Chapter 4 when the film is in theaters Friday, May 21, 2021. Stick with CinemaBlend until then for more updates on its development, as well as the latest news in movies, television and pop culture.
