John Wick's Blood Oath Explained

John Wick's Blood Oath is one of the most important aspects of the franchise's mythology. In the first movie, John Wick struck a deal with crime lord Viggo Tarasov, who said that John could retire if he completed an “impossible task" — a single night of murder and mayhem that would swiftly consolidate Viggo’s power over his competitors, making him one of the top crime lords in New York City. Determined to leave his violent life behind, Wick seeks the aid of Santino D’Antonio, whose family sits in one of the 12 chairs of the elite “High Table” of global crime lords. John takes a blood oath to garner Santino’s assistance in completing his impossible task. Outside John Wick, "blood oath" is commonly used in the real world to pertain to an unbreakable promise. Historically speaking, several cultures had various forms of blood oaths that involved the actual letting of blood, sometimes mixing it with a handshake as a sign of commitment. In the world of John Wick, it’s a little of both. When...