# Who Was John Wick‘s Best Friend? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/who-was-john-wicks-best-friend/ - Published: 2023-10-22 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Business & Worth](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/worth/) --- John Wick‘s closest friend and confidante was Marcus – a fellow elite assassin who helped mentor Wick early in his shadowy career. Their bond shed light on Wick‘s underworld life and the loneliness he endured. Marcus‘ eventual betrayal delivered an emotional gut punch that shook Wick‘s foundations. ## Brothers in Blood: The Story of Marcus and Wick Marcus entered the assassin world long before John Wick. He was a hardened veteran who had seen it all and eliminated countless targets. According to assassin underworld lore, Marcus was responsible for over 200 kills across several continents, making him a highly feared and revered contract killer. John Wick was still a rookie when he first crossed paths with Marcus on a job in Moscow circa 1998. Wick‘s raw talent and steel nerves impressed Marcus, who saw massive potential in the upstart hitman. Marcus decided to take 28-year-old Wick under his wing, inviting him to join his small team of elite assassins he had trained. > "You‘ve got a spark in you. The skills are there, no question. But you still got some things to learn if you wanna run with the best of us." > > > - Marcus recruiting a young John Wick Marcus spent the next several years mentoring Wick in the assassin arts – teaching him methods for tracking targets, conducting surveillance, cover identities, and stages of planning high-profile hits. He also schooled Wick in the inner workings of the global High Table crime network that governed the contract killing world. Wick was an eager and adept protege, absorbing Marcus‘ teachings like a sponge. Within just a few years, he had developed into an efficient killing machine and Mint Killer, with over 100 hits completed successfully across the globe. > "I taught you everything you needed. The rest you picked up on your own. I couldn‘t be more proud of what you‘ve become." > > > - Marcus praising Wick after a 2008 joint operation As Wick became a feared assassin in his own right, he grew very close with Marcus. They traveled all over the world on missions together. When downtime allowed, they would unwind by sharing drinks and stories only fellow hitmen could relate to. Over the decade they operated, Marcus and Wick became more than mentor and student – they were brothers. ## Why Their Bond Meant Everything True friendship and trust were nearly impossible to find in the duplicitous underworld Marcus and Wick inhabited. Backstabbing and betrayals happened on a regular basis within the High Table crime network. Operatives were often forced to sell each other out to save their own necks or reputations. The lifelong bonds soldiers forge in combat applied to Marcus and Wick as well. Only they fully understood the mental toll and mechanics of efficiently ending human life on an industrial scale. This shared grim understanding deepened their trust in each other. They watched each others‘ backs on hits where the smallest mistake meant death. John Wick lost his true love, Helen, and was existing in a state of profound grief and detachment from humanity when he met Marcus. Their mentor-student relationship developed into one of the few bright spots in Wick‘s tortured world. Marcus became the only real family Wick had left. > "You probably saved me, giving me a reason to keep going. I‘ll always think of you as a brother, Marcus." > > > - Wick thanking Marcus after a joint 2010 operation Given how empty and alone Wick felt after Helen‘s death, Marcus‘s friendship was an invaluable lifeline. For over a decade, they were brothers in arms who enjoyed mutual respect and affection. This made the circumstances of Marcus‘s death all the more tragic for Wick. ## Marcus‘ Devastating Betrayal and Execution In 2014, Russian crime boss Viggo Tarasov was desperate to have Wick eliminated after Wick‘s rampage against Viggo‘s son. Viggo knew taking out someone of Wick‘s lethal skills would be nearly impossible. He decided to exploit the one vulnerability Wick did have – his trust in Marcus. Viggo blackmailed and threatened Marcus to force him to betray Wick. Marcus reluctantly agreed but found himself unable to pull the trigger when he met Wick and saw the depth of trust still in his friend‘s eyes. This failure to kill Wick led Viggo to execute Marcus as punishment. > "Sorry, old friend. Nothing personal." > > > - Marcus‘ apology to Wick before attempting to kill him Viggo met Marcus on a darkened sports field and had him brutally gunned down by his henchmen for not fulfilling his obligation. Marcus died painfully but did not resist or plead for mercy. Wick soon learned of his dear friend‘s death at Viggo‘s hands. This devastating news punctured Wick‘s already damaged soul. The lone rock of support and trust he had left was now gone forever thanks to Viggo‘s manipulation. This fueled Wick‘s fury and bloodlust against Viggo‘s empire until the very end. ## Why Losing Marcus Shook Wick to His Core John had already lost the love of his life in Helen. Her death sent him into a state of deep nihilistic melancholy where he separated himself from humanity. Marcus was the lifeline that kept Wick engaged and gave him a sense of purpose beyond mourning Helen. Killing had become almost therapeutic for Wick after Helen‘s passing. Marcus mentored him through this phase and enabled him to become an elite angel of death. When Marcus died, it represented the loss of Wick‘s new family, the final bonding ties he had in the world. Wick‘s reaction showed how painful this was – he essentially went on a roaring rampage of revenge until Viggo‘s empire was destroyed. The subtext was that Viggo had taken the last of Wick‘s remaining loved ones, so he had nothing left to lose. > "You were all I had left, Marcus. I have no choice but to rain hell until it‘s over now." > > > - Wick after learning of Marcus‘ death Losing Marcus made life feel even more empty and alone for Wick. It contributed to his descent into becoming a mythical, restless avenger. Like Achilles mourning Patroclus, he doubled down on his violent talents rather than retiring. The strength of Wick and Marcus‘s brotherly bond was great enough that its severing pushed Wick deeper down the path of the wounded warrior who can only find solace in the fury of combat. He would continue fighting with heaviness in his heart from losing the only family he had left. --- Source: [Who Was John Wick‘s Best Friend?](https://33rdsquare.com/who-was-john-wicks-best-friend/)