Quick overview
- John Wick is attacked hundreds of times throughout the movies, with 162 attacks hitting him directly without being blocked.
- The most common attacks are punches and kicks, followed by being thrown to the floor or through glass.
- John’s worst injuries include walking with a limp, being stabbed multiple times, being shot and multiple falls from a great height.
- If John was to seek compensation for his injuries, he could be entitled to up to £286,000.
- Cassian is by far the most successful assassin in his attempt to stop John Wick, followed by Zero.
- John makes it through nine scenes across the movies with no injuries at all.
How many times is John Wick injured?
Across the currently released trilogy John Wick is attacked, stabbed, thrown to the floor, hit by cars and more a total of 162 times. Not great for someone who is retired and just wants to live a quiet life. Amazingly, that doesn’t include all the times he blocks attacks, which would more than double this total.
What are the most common injuries?
With mostly hand to hand combat, it’s no surprise that most of the injuries to John are from kicks and punches. Beyond that the other assassins use a wide variety of tactics to try and stop him. The most common of these is kicking him to the floor and throwing him through glass, which happen 14 times each. Amazingly John is hit by a car 5 times, and stabbed 7 times, and still keeps on going.
Here are the most common injuries we spotted in our watch:
What are the worst injuries?
Despite all the movies taking place over around a week, John shows relatively few after effects from his injuries throughout the series. In terms of the injuries that showed visible signs, these are by far the worst:
Who is the best assassin in John Wick?
Whilst most of the gangs and assassins sent after John Wick are dispatched swiftly, there are several who do hold their own against John. It’s Cassian in John Wick 2 who causes the most injuries to John. Cassian chokes, punches, kicks and stabs John, whilst also throwing him through a window and even throws him down stairs three times in a row!
Zero comes in second, although his students manage 44 attacks against John, even stopping short of a fatal blow at one point, making them by far the best trained group of assassins in the series.
As we didn’t see Cassian die on screen, it’s possible he could even return in John Wick 4 or 5, which would further increase his total (assuming he doesn’t side with John this time around). Whilst Sofia only attacks John once, she shows herself to be an incredible assassin once teaming up with John through a blood pact.
How much compensation could John Wick be entitled to?
In the world of John Wick, being an assassin seems to be one of the most popular jobs there is (seriously how many people in New York are assassins?), but it also comes with considerable risk and occupational hazards. Whilst at work, John Wick is injured a lot, making it one of the least safe professions there is.
Assuming he’s self-employed, whether he’s working for the Table, the Ruska Roma, Viggo’s organisation or anyone else, John is part of a corporation of trained assassins. As such, John may want to make an ‘accident at work claim‘ for the injuries he’s sustained throughout the franchise.
Using our knowledge of accident at work compensation over the thousands of cases we’ve settled, our legal team has assessed John Wick’s injuries and provided a breakdown of what he might be able to claim in compensation. Something that might come in useful in his retirement (should it ever come).
Based on some of his worst and most common injuries, we calculate that John could be entitled to up to £286,000 in compensation for pain suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). He may also be eligible to claim for up to 5 years of lost earnings for the on-going disadvantage on the open labour market, and the cost of care during the recovery period.
Based on the rough value of the gold coins used by assassins in the series, this would net John 173 coins. Best of all, he wouldn’t even need any gold coins to pay us, as we could take his claim on a no win no fee basis.
| Injury | Compensation |
| Walking with a limp as a result of multiple kicks and punches. Reduces ability to do day to day work. Injury is present throughout all three movies. | £15,0000 to £25,000.00 for pain suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). He may also be entitled to the equivalent of circa 3 months to up to 5 years net loss of earnings for the on-going disadvantage on the open labour market. |
| Large laceration in the side of the body as a result of a stab wound. Required stitches and painkillers. Limits ability to do job or the wound will reopen. | £20,000.00 to £22,500.00 for PSLA He might be entitled to the equivalent of circa 3 months to up to 5 years net loss of earnings for the on-going disadvantage on the open labour market. |
| Large laceration in the stomach as a result of a stab wound. Almost caused victim to bleed out and required immediate medical attention. | £17,500.00 to £20,000.00 for PSLA |
| Gunshot wound from shot to the stomach. Required immediate medical attention to remove the bullet and patch up the wound. | £15,000 to £17,500.00 for PSLA |
| Medium laceration in the thigh as a result of a stab wound. Required stitches. Wound is also reopened and made larger by another attacker later, and required further treatment. | £7,0000 – £8500.00 for PSLA |
| Medium laceration in the shoulder as a result of a stab wound. Required stitches. | £6,500.00 to £7,500.00 for PSLA |
| Facial lacerations from being pushed through glass 14 times. No major damage but may leave scars and require cosmetic surgery. | Circa £10,000 to £13,750.00 for PSLA plus the cost of the surgery (approx £7500.00). Also he could claim for his net loss of earnings for the period of recuperation following the surgery. |
| Unable to walk and can barely move as a result of a fall from 205 feet tall hotel, hitting multiple structures on the way down. Recovery likely with time but claimant is currently paralised. | £150,000 for PSLA if the paralysis is permanent. Or, £25,000 to £35,00.00 for PSLA if John makes a good albeit protracted recovery.
The cost of care for the period he is paralysed and the equivalent to his net loss of earnings from the date of the accident to when he is able to resume work would also be recoverable as part of his compensation as will the cost of any treatment that is required. |
| Limited leg movement as a result of being hit by a car. No medical treatment saught but internal injuries are likely. | From circa £1,400.00 if it takes him circa 1 month to recover, to £13,750.0 for PSLA assuming he makes a good recovery over time. |
| TOTAL | £117,400 to £286,000 |
In which film is John Wick injured the most?
The subtitle of the third film, Parabellum, means “Prepare for War” and John certainly needed to do so, with 75 attacks that made contact and could have resulted in an injury. That’s almost double the amount in the first movie.
By comparison, in the 2nd film he sustained 45 attacks and in the 1st he sustained 42. So, on the whole John is being injured more as he progresses through every movie in the trilogy.
Are there any scenes where John Wick isn’t injured?
They don’t call him the Baba Yaga (Boogeyman) for no reason, and there are nine scenes throughout the trilogy where John Wick defends himself without a single hit. Despite often being attacked by multiple adversaries, John makes it through the following scenes blocking every kick, punch and more:
- Raid on John’s house (John Wick 1)
- Little Russia church (John Wick 1)
- 434 Wallace Place (John Wick 1)
- Car chase (John Wick 2)
- Motorcycle chase against unnamed assassins (John Wick 3)
- Casablanca alleyway (John Wick 3)
- The smelter (John Wick 3) – Although we mainly follow Sofia and her dogs in this scene
- Motorcycle chase against Zero and his assassins (John Wick 3)
- Continental lobby (John Wick 3)
Despite all the injuries received through John Wick 1 and 2, it’s the third film where John is at his peak performance. He makes it through five entire scenes without injury and up until the third act of the movie has taken less injury than in the first and second movies up to the same point.
What will happen in John Wick 4?
Only time will tell how many times John will be injured in the 4th film, which is due for release on the 24th March in the UK. As John takes his fight to the High Table we expect he will receive many more injuries, although hopefully he’ll take a break for more than a week between movies for a little rest and relaxation. We expect he’ll need it.
What to do if you have an accident at work?
Whilst John Wick is fictional, accidents at work are not. We asked Damian Bradley, Partner at Express Solicitors, to explain more: “In the world of John Wick, you can get hit by a car, thrown through glass or fall down a flight of stairs and walk away, sadly we aren’t as lucky in the real world. Every day people are injured through no fault of their own, with many experiencing long term debilitating effects.
From slips and falls, to manual handling accidents, back injuries, electric shocks and more, it only takes one small incident to negatively alter someone’s life forever. If you’ve been injured at work, then you don’t need to go on a rampage for justice like Mr Wick, instead we can help you to make a no win no fee claim for compensation to help you access the care you deserve.”
If you are injured at work in an accident that was not your fault or due to an employer’s negligence, then you may be eligible to make an accident at work claim. Speak to our team today to find out more.
Methodology
We watched John Wick chapters 1, 2 and 3, noting down every time someone successfully hit John Wick. So, if John blocked or avoided an attack it wasn’t listed. In addition, we didn’t include any injuries John caused others in self-defence or any injuries John caused himself. We also looked for any visible sign of injury or treatment that was needed. Our full list can be found here.
Disclaimer
This piece is for entertainment purposes only and we in no way encourage the actions taken by John Wick or those taken against him. We are also not affiliated with Thunder Road Pictures, Summit Entertainment or any parties or organisations responsible for the films.