John Wick (Payday)

***FBI Files:** A former hitman previously associated with New York Russian mafia boss, Viggo Tarasov. Suspected of being involved in the mass executions of Russian mobsters on the East Coast. Understood to have gone dark after the massacres at the Red Circle nightclub, but drawn back into the criminal life for unknown reasons.*

Wick has proven to be a highly effective weapons expert. His presence within the Payday crew is perplexing to our analysts, however. Wick has a fearsome reputation as a hitman. Therefore, why is he participating in armed robberies? Though undoubtedly offering unique skills to Crime. Yet, the questions persist - why does Bain need an assassin?

*"Alright, let's do this thing!"*
—Wick upon masking up

**Jonathan "John" Wick** is a hitman and playable character introduced in Update #40 as a promotional character from the 2014 action movie of the same name. Released alongside Wick are his signature Chimano Compact and the Hitman perk deck.

Wick had a weapons pack introduced on October 20, 2016, which included his signature pistol from the film, and a heist pack on February 9, 2017.

## Background

### Military Background

John Wick, prior to being a hitman, likely served in the United States Marine Corps. This can be noticed by the tattoo on his back, which from Latin to English says "Fortune Favors the Brave", the motto of the United States Marine Corps, 3rd battalion, 3rd Marines who have been through five tours of duty.

### *Prior to PAYDAY 2*

John Wick went dark after love made him retire from the career of a hitman, helping the Tarasov Syndicate rise to power in exchange for a quiet exit from the criminal life to marry Helen, the love of his life. But a few years after he went legit, Helen Wick contracted terminal cancer. When Helen passed away, she left John a posthumous gift of a dog named Daisy as a way to help him grieve. When the son of Wick's former boss took away the only link left to the life that he left behind during a reckless car theft, Wick in turn eliminated every last member of the criminal syndicate, including the man who granted him his freedom. Since then he has appeared in Washington to continue his criminal trade and to remind D.C. of one of the most feared hitmen in the criminal underworld.

### *PAYDAY 2*

According to Wick's CrimeFest description, he and Chains were former comrades during their time in the military. Apparently Wick has just resurfaced after a time of "going dark" to lend Chains (and his buddies) a hand.

Based on in-game interactions, Wick and Hoxton have apparently known each other for quite some time, or at least have heard of each other, though the former case is more probable due to Hoxton knowing about Wick's family.

As seen on the CrimeFest site, Wick apparently has an affinity for shades/sunglasses, as he wears a pair as his signature "mask", and a couple of new sunglasses were introduced alongside him.

## Quotes

### Normal gameplay

* *"Hey <heister name>, follow me now!"*

* *"Hey <heister name>, on me now!"*

* *"<heister name>, come with me!"*

* *"<heister name>, follow me!"*

* *"Hey <heister name>, on me!"*

### While downed

* *"Come on, stop the bleeding!"*
* *"I'm losing blood!"*
* *"I need a hand!"*
* *"Come get me out!"*
* *"Get me up!"*

### Answering a call (AI only)

* *"BE THERE ASAP!"*
* *"As soon as I can."*
* *"On my way!"*
* *"Hold the fort, I'm coming!"*
* *"HOLD ON!"*

### Reviving a player (AI only)

* *"You've looked better, that's for sure."*
* *"Wow, you look like shit!"*
* *"You look like you've been to hell and back."*
* *"You need more than good laundry."*
* *"This must've hurt."*
* *"You look terrible!"*
* *"You don't look too good."*
* *"You look rusty."*
* *"I'll get you up."*
* *"Let's get you up!"*

### Getting revived

* *"Yeah, I'm back!"*
* *"I'm definitely back!"*
* *"Ugh, just in time!"*
* *"Oh! It's personal now!"*

### Cuffed

* *"Take me out of these cuffs!"*
* *"Get this cuffs off!"*
* *"Pick my cuffs!"*

### Masking up

* *"Yeah, let's do this."*
* *"Ok then, let's do this thing!"*
* *"It's zero hour."*
* *"It's time."*
* *"It's go time."*
* *"Let's hit it."*
* *"Let's begin."*

### Sniper

* *"Sniper! Stay back!"*
* *"Watch out, Sniper!"*
* *"Woah, Sniper!"*
* *"Look out, Sniper!"*
* *"Sniper, there!"*
* *"SNIPER!!!"*

#### Killing Snipers

* *"Sniper just ate a bullet of mine!"*
* *"Sniper down!"*
* *"Sniper dead!"*
* *"Sniper is history!"*
* *"Sniper OUT!"*

### Shield

* *"Shield inbound!"*
* *"We've got a Shield!"*
* *"I've spotted a Shield!"*
* *"Got a Shield over here!"*

#### Killing Shields

* *"Shield eliminated!"*
* *"Shield down!"*
* *"Got the Shield!"*

### Taser

* *"Taser, stay back!"*
* *"Look out, Taser!"*
* *"We've got a Taser!"*
* *"TASER!!!"*
* *"Taser spotted!"*

#### Killing Tasers

* *"Taser, I put him down."*
* *"Taser eliminated!"*
* *"Taser Down!"*
* *"Taser's in hell!"*
* *"Got the Taser!"*

### Cloaker

* *"Cloaker spotted!"*
* *"We've got a Cloaker!"*
* *"CLOAKER!!!"*
* *"It's a Cloaker!"*

#### Killing Cloakers

* *"GOT HIM! GOT THE CLOAKER!"*
* *"Eliminated the Cloaker!"*
* *"Cloaker down!"*
* *"Cloaker's dead!"*

### Bulldozer

* *"DOZER!!!"*
* *"Goddamn Dozer!"*
* *"We've got a Dozer!"*
* *"Got a Dozer here!"*
* *"DOZER'S HERE!"*
* *"It's a Dozer!"*

#### Killing Bulldozers

* *"Dozer taken care of!"*
* *"Took out the Dozer!"*
* *"Dozer down!"*
* *"Got the Dozer!"*
* *"Dozer's dead!"*
* *"Dozer out!"*

#### Killing Medic

* *"Medic taken out!"*
* *"Medic sent to the morgue!"*
* *"Got the Medic!"*

### Reactions to enemy presence

* *"It's the long arm of the law!"*
* *"Oh, we've got company!"*
* *"Helicopter, inbound!"*
* *"They're coming up through the ground!"*
* *"They're coming in from the outside!"*
* *"They're coming down the sides!"*
* *"They're coming down the facade!"*
* *"They're coming up the facade!"*
* *"They're coming up through the floor!"*
* *"They're coming from above!"*
* *"They're on the roof!"*

#### Assault Wave ending

* *"They're pulling back!"*
* *"They're retreating!"*

#### Flashbang or Tear Gas

* *"Oh! They're tear-gassing us!"*
* *"Oh! Tear Gas! \*cough\*"*
* *"UGH, I'M BLIND!"*
* *"Oh, my fucking eyes!"*
* *"AH! FLASHBANG!"*

### Dominator

* *"Hands up!"*
* *"Drop the gun!"*
* *"Drop your gun!"*
* *"Drop it NOW!"*
* *"On your knees!"*
* *"Kneel down!"*
* *"KNEEL!"*
* *"Now cuff yourself."*
* *"Cuff yourself."*
* *"Now cuffs!"*
* *"Bracelets on!*"

### Inspire

* *"Don't you DIE on me!"*
* *"Get back up and FIGHT!"*
* *"Get off the ground!"*
* *"Come on, up!"*
* *"Get back in the fight!"*
* *"Don't give up!"*
* *"Stand up!"*
* *"You can do it!"*

### Stealth

#### Spotting Guards

* *"Watch out, guard."*
* *"Look out, guard."*
* *"Guard, careful."*

#### Spotting Cameras

* *"Look out, camera."*
* *"Watch out, camera."*
* *"Camera, over there."*

### Compromised

* *"Yeah, I should've known: the quick and quiet approach never works."*
* *"All right, so much for subtlety."*
* *"Looks like we'll have to huff n' puff!"*

### Pager Responses

* *"I'm trying to quit smoking but \*sigh\* I can't keep my fingers in check. I was just fiddling with the radio \*sigh\* sorry about that."*
* *"What? Oh... uh, no, I didn't call you, it must be some kind of interference on your end, sorry."*
* *"What... uh... I thought... you're the one calling me. What's up?"*
* *"Oh, I just reached into my pocket and hit the radio button by accident. It won't happen again."*
* *"My mistake. Headquarters, I thought I saw something, but it's all clear."*
* *"No, nothing's up over here, just uh... same old same old."*
* *"Is that you HQ? Uh, we've got nothing but static on this end."*
* *"Nothing, just, fooling around and I, accidentally hit the button. Sorry."*
* *"I must've pushed the button by accident. It happens."*
* *"Headquarters, we just had a short here. You see that on your side?"*
* *"Uh, sorry about that, everything is fine over here."*
* *"No, it's all cool on this end, I didn't hear anything."*
* *"Nothing on this end, probably just somebody on the line."*
* *"I don't know what happened, I might have hit the button without knowing it."*
* *"Nah-ah, nothing's going on."*
* *"No, I didn't call you, you called me."*
* *"Everything is clear over here."*

### Controlling Civilians

* *"Nobody move!"*
* *"Nobody moves, nobody talks, and everybody lives!"*
* *"Move one more time, and it will be your last!"*
* *"You could be brave, or you could be alive."*
* *"You got something to say, or do you want to live?"*
* *"Don't talk, don't die."*
* *"Sit down, and stay down."*
* *"Do not make me say it again."*
* *"Move and I will END you."*
* *"Get down or get killed."*
* *"AND DON'T FUCKING MOVE!"*
* *"Did I FUCKING STUTTER?!"*
* *"And don't move!"*
* *"On the ground."*
* *"I said DOWN!"*
* *"Bite your tongue hero!"*
* *"Don't make me say it again."*
* *"And stay quiet."*
* *"Hands where I can see them!"*
* *"GROUND, NOW!"*
* *"On the ground."*
* *"Don't you speak English?"*
* *"And stay down!"*
* *"Stay put!"*
* *"You've got a death wish?"*
* *"And shut up."*
* *"Get down on the ground!"*
* *"Don't move!"*
* *"Facedown!"*
* *"And stay there!"*
* *"Stay down!"*
* *"Get down!"*
* *"Lay down!"*
* *"Did I stutter?"*
* *"Play dead!"*
* *"Stay still"*

### Objectives

* *"The computer process is stopped!"*
* *"Something is not right with the computer!"*
* *"The computer process is jammed!"*
* *"Something's up with the drill!"*
* *"The computer is jammed!"*
* *"The drill has jammed!"*
* *"Someone's gotta fix it."*
* *"Somebody needs to FIX IT."*
* *"I think the drill is stuck!"*
* *"We need to get it fixed!"*
* *"The drill is jammed!"*
* *"Drill in place!"*
* *"We gotta fix it!"*
* *"Drill placed."*
* *"Drill up!"*

### After Assault Wave ended

* *"Eyes back on the prize."*
* *"Back to regular business."*
* *"Back on track now"*
* *"No time to rest!"*

### After triggering the Escape

* *"We've gotta get outta here!"*
* *"Let's get out of here!"*

### Heist completed successfully

* *"We pulled it off! Spending some blood and bullets."*
* *"It took some effort, but we pulled it off."*
* *"In, out, no alarm. Perfect."*
* *"Not perfect, but we pulled through."*
* *"Wow, that was close! A clandestine op if there ever was one."*
* *"Our work is done! Let's head off!"*
* *"Like clockwork: just as planned."*
* *"Completely under the radar."*
* *"Yes, we did it, WE DID IT!"*
* *"We're just getting started, let's do it again."*

### Deployables

* *"Got a Bodybag case here!"*
* *"Bodybag case."*
* *"Bodybag case right here!"*
* *"Bodybag case deployed!"*
* *"First Aid Kit, get your band-aid here."*
* *"I placed a First Aid Kit here."*
* *"Here's a First Aid Kit!"*
* *"First Aid kit here!"*
* *"Extra ammo, over here!"*
* *"Ammo bag dropped."*
* *"Ammo bag right here!"*
* *"Medic bag deployed!"*
* *"Medic bag here!"*
* *"Medic bag in place!"*

### Grenades

* *"DUCK!"*
* *"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"*
* *"Fireworks!"*

### Unspecified

* *"You've no idea what damage I can do with a pen, imagine what I can do with a gun."*
* *"That one was for Daisy."*
* *"My doc says I need an MRI, among other things."*
* *"Bourbon would be... perfect now... for the pain."*
* *"Oh, I feel retired."*
* *"Oh! Luck favors the strong buddy."*
* *"Oh! Fortis fortuna adiuvat!" (fortune favors the bold)*
* *"Ugh! Just... patch up the worst of it."*
* *"Ugh! It stings like fucking hell!"*
* *"Ugh! Hurry, hurry up!"*
* *"Faster!"*

## Trivia

* Wick was added to the game as part of a cross-promotion deal with Lionsgate Studios to promote the 2014 film, *John Wick*. Wick is played by actor Keanu Reeves in the film, though in-game his voice work is not provided by Reeves.
	+ John Wick is the first "guest" heister, and the first heister to originate from a medium other than video games (namely film), followed by Bodhi, Jimmy, and Scarface.
* Wick is portrayed by "himself", as noted in the credits. For whatever reason, the in-game Wick has a personality that is substantially different from his movie self, being a great deal more vocal, impatient and violent in stark contrast to his professionally calm, quiet and focused nature depicted in the film.
	+ Because of how player interaction with NPCs in the game works, Wick is depicted as an uncharacteristically menacing and oppressive individual when ordering civilians to stay low. While his movie self does not shy from starting loud firefights in public places, he would actively try to ignore civilians or politely tell them to flee in order to minimize innocent casualties and focus more on the target(s).
* John Wick's character model has several scars on his face: on the bridge of his nose, on the left side of his forehead through his brow and one beneath his left eye. These were all results of injuries sustained during the events of the first movie.
	+ The scars became available as a mask pattern alongside his weapon pack.
* John Wick was the secret that Overkill had for the 1.5 million group member mark on the CrimeFest Community Site and the first heister to be released post-launch.
	+ As Wick was released alongside two new weapons, this would mark the start of the "signature weapon" tradition seen in the character releases that came after him. In Wick's case, his signature weapons are the Ursa Tanto Knife and the Chimano Compact.
		- While the addition of the Chimano Compact is justifiable as Wick does use it for quite a significant stretch of the first film, the Ursa Tanto Knife is out of place here as it does not make much of an appearance there. While Wick does in fact use a knife in the movie, his was a small and vastly more concealable switchblade instead of a combat model.
			* Wick received his signature pistol from the film, with the release of the John Wick Weapon Pack.
		- Currently, John Wick is the only crew member who goes by his real name during action. This is supported by how the game, through the aforementioned collaboration, is set up to be an expansion of the movie canon where it's his full, legal name.
			* As explained in the movie, Wick does not make use of an alias to hide his true identity *because* the police already knows full well who and *what* he is. Due to the strict set underground criminal codes Wick adheres to and the hitman's own reputation, much of his activities and conflicts in the movie universe would be allowed to occur unabated. In short, Wick does not make use of an alias because he doesn't *need* to, the local police would deliberately and sensibly turn a blind eye to his killings out of respect and to avoid trouble.
		- Wick wears a full outfit of black in-game (black suit, gloves, tie and shirt).
			* The all black suit was used for most promotional material for the film, and was worn during several of the major action scenes in the film. He also wears a Lightweight Ballistic Vest underneath his shirt whenever he's expecting opposition, though for gameplay reasons and ease of modeling, the in-game armor is still worn like the rest of the cast.
		- Hoxton apparently knows and has presumably met Wick sometime prior to the events of *PAYDAY 2*, as implied by the remarks (e.g. *"John motherfuckin' Wick, haven't seen you in ages."*) Hoxton makes when the two meet during Hoxton Breakout. While Wick does not respond during the sequence itself, he will acknowledge their acquaintance later on when spoken to in the Safe House if the player is currently playing as Hoxton.
		- Wick seems to be the only one of the crew to barely include profanity in his dialogue, with only a few (highly contextual) lines containing crude language.
		- Wick is apparently a former boxer, as mentioned in his in-game description. He is, however, not the first (and only) heister to have done so, as Hoxton too has allegedly boxed in his youth.
			* This is a reference to the CQC-shooting style known as "Center Axis Relock" which was employed extensively by Wick in the movie. Center Axis Relock was based partly on boxing, namely the defensive stance.
				+ However, Center Axis Relock is not used by John Wick in game, instead he uses the Weaver Stance while shooting pistols, the same technique employed by his fellow heisters.
		- The "ageless physique" mentioned in his biography is a reference to an internet joke that his movie actor, Keanu Reeves, is "immortal". This joke is explained in detail here.
			* Wick's pager answers are also laden with "woah!"s, as a reference to Reeves' memetic lack of emotion in most of his movies.
		- One of his quotes start with *"You have no idea the damage I can do with a pen..."*. This is a reference to a scene in the first movie where Viggo Tarasov, the crime lord Wick used to work for, mentions a past occasion where he (Wick) once killed three men in a bar with just a pencil.
			* Additionally, Wick may also take a life in the name of his deceased pet dog (*"That one was for Daisy."*)
		- Wick's default "mask" is a pair of glasses called **The Collateral**, which is odd since his movie counterpart never sports eyewear of any kind throughout the first movie. The "mask" here was added seemingly because a *PAYDAY* heister *has to* have a mask no matter what.
			* Initially, **The Collateral** is the only default heister "mask" to have neither a standalone nor a "Begins" variant. The standalone version has been added to the game in an update as an Infamous-grade item, though there is still no "Begins" one to be found.
			* Wick also does not wear gloves of any kind throughout the entirety of the first film, preferring to go barehanded for maximum precision. As was the case with his "mask", Wick's model was created with gloves on just so that he does not look out of place among the crew, and that it makes his view model much simpler to create, being a mere retexture of the generic male heister arms.
				+ Because of this, he is the first heister to not wear original crew's usual blue latex ones, followed by Jacket whose hands are bound with boxer's bandages, and Sydney, who wears blue fingerless gloves, Bodhi who wears SOG gloves and Rust who wears Black leather biker gloves. However, Wick's "leather" gloves are actually just a reskin of the blue latex gloves.
		- Wick has several tattoos, though unlike other characters who have them, all of his are in places where they are hidden by his clothing, namely on his back and shoulders.
		- Wick is the protagonist of John Wick Chronicles VR, an upcoming virtual reality videogame created as part of a collaboration between Overkill Software and Lionsgate Films.
		- In the safehouse, Wick sometimes talks about that if you're a bodybuilder, you still need training. This is a possible reference to the movie where he engages in a fistfight with a bodybuilder who was much bigger than John but was easily defeated since he only possesses raw strength, while Wick has more experiences in hand-to-hand combat (and a sidearm, but that's beside the point).
			* As of Update 110 and the introduction of the new safehouse, Wick can be found inside the armory. If the house is upgraded, Wick can be found occasionally practicing down at the target ranges with a Contractor, clearly modeled to resemble his in-movie counterpart's Heckler & Koch P30L.
				+ The P30L is included in Wick's eponymous weapon pack.
				+ Despite him firing non-stop at the targets, Wick will not register any damage on the counter at all.
				+ Wick currently holds the killhouse's highscore at 30 seconds flat, though this can be easily broken by a reasonably experienced player.
				+ Wick may occasionally be found gesturing at the range's counter as if he's typing on a keyboard, complete with clicking sounds, despite there not being one.
			* His reviving line "*You look like you've been to hell and back."* may be a reference to the Keanu Reeves film Constantine, in which he plays a demon hunter who has been to hell and then back to Earth.
			* Due to his murder of Santino D'Antonio at the end of *John Wick: Chapter Two* being in direct violation of the Continental's rules, Wick has been summarily excommunicated from all Continental services and locations worldwide and his membership revoked, in addition to him being hunted by many assassins, some of which are even employees of the hotel. As such, it remains unclear why the Continental still makes its services and contracts available to him and the player crew, who are his explicit accomplices.
			* Wick may mention a pair of old partners named William and Theodore when spoken to in his room, which is a reference to the *Bill & Ted* film series, in which Keanu Reeves plays the latter.