Uncovering the Secrets of the High Table from John Wick
The High Table has been featured in all three movies of the John Wick franchise, and remains undefeated.
Before we get lost in the middle of John Wick: Chapter 4 hype, we need to refresh our memory on the franchise’s main antagonist, The High Table!
From New York City to Morocco, The High Table holds significant control over every aspect of life, thanks to its members who have infiltrated police forces and bureaucracy.
Now, with our leading man becoming the target of every assassin on this planet (that’s what you got when you killed someone in the Continental, John), we best believe that The High Table won’t miss the chance to avenge their leaders and members killed by John Wick!
From the rugged goons to the high-end members of The High Table, we have compiled a comprehensive article to uncover the secrets of the criminal organization! So, get your pencil ready, and let’s dive into The High Table’s headquarters!
You may want to watch the final trailer of John Wick: Chapter 4 to prepare yourself for what is to come!
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers from the past three movies of the John Wick franchise, so unless you’re the type who enjoys spoilers, you might want to binge-watch all three movies first!
What is The High Table? Everything that We Know about the Criminal Organization
First referred to in the first John Wick movie, The High Table has always been the primary nemesis for our dog-loving assassin ever since. But what exactly is The High Table, and what purpose does it serve?
According to CBR, The High Table is a council of criminals who rule all the assassins and criminals worldwide. Often claimed to be as old as the Aztec empire, The High Table isn’t a single organization like, say, a real-life Medellin cartel or Marvel’s HYDRA, but it’s more like a government for the underworld!
Ah, speaking of the government, you might notice the role of government (or the lack thereof, really) in the John Wick movies. Well, let’s say those villains have The High Table to thank.
Yep, The High Table has the whole government bureaucrats and law enforcers at its disposal, along with dozens of assassins ready to carry out the hits put out by the council.
Although The High Table is practically the all-knowing and all-seeing being in John Wick’s world, not everyone agrees with the council’s controversial way of governing the underworld, including John Wick himself and his former ally Winston.
You guys might remember that in the second movie, John killed (spoiler alert!) Gianna D’Antonio, the leader of the Camorra crime organization, under the order of Santino, Gianna’s jealous brother.
After John carried out the hit, Santino put a $7 million bounty on John’s head under the pretense of avenging Gianna’s death.
Real smooth, Santino.
Now, fast forward to the third John Wick movie, Parabellum. John set out to kill Santino as payback for burning his house down and the bounty he put out. Here’s where John begins to face the wrath of The High Table.
Gianna was a member of The High Table, so killing her means John has launched an attack on the council. Things began to spiral worse after John assassinated Santino at Continental Hotel, which was supposed to be a neutral ground.
Long story short, our pen-wielding assassin was excommunicated, and The High Table put a $14 million bounty on his head globally!
Fun fact: Do you know that The High Table “disowned” Continental Hotel for backing up John Wick? In the third installment of the franchise, Winston gives John a one-hour head start for him to escape and hide before excommunicating John. After the council found out, they revoked the hotel’s consecrated status.
With three movies released and another to come, only a tiny fraction of The High Table’s members have been revealed. If you’re still up to dissecting the crime organization, read on to uncover some of its mysterious members!
Who Are the Members of The High Table? A Full List of John Wick’s Potential Future Enemies
The High Table has long become John Wick’s main nemesis. From John’s former boss to the late D’Antonio family, it seems like each council member has some beef with the retired (and forced to return) assassin.
Fun Fact: Many theories (canon and fanmade) believe that the 12 members of The High Table resemble the 12 Olympian gods and goddesses. You know, the supreme entities of Ancient Greece. This theory makes sense, considering The High Table governs every aspect of life in the John Wick universe, not unlike Zeus & Co.
Despite the council’s constant appearance in the movies, only six The High Table members have been introduced in the last three movies! One, the D’Antonio family, a.k.a the head of the Camorra crime organization, was introduced in the second installment of the franchise.
Meanwhile, the other five appeared in Parabellum, including the boss of the bosses known as The Elder and his primary enforcer, The Adjudicator.
So, before you go to the theaters near you and enjoy John Wick’s latest adventure with his trusted dog (please, please, don’t let anything happen to the dog), we have compiled everything that we know about the members of The High Table, some of which may be John’s potential future enemies (or allies?)!
The Elder
Starting with the boss of the bosses, The Elder is the supreme leader of The High Table, you can say. Residing in a lavish tent in the middle of the Moroccan desert, The Elder is surrounded by a charismatic and powerful aura (and an A-team protection squad, of course) that made even John Wick declare his loyalty to the council!
The Elder made his first appearance in Parabellum, receiving John’s finger and wedding ring as proof of his loyalty. However, in the latest John Wick: Chapter 4, John sets out to give a twist to The Elder’s mysterious and secluded life!
Camorra
The Camorra is an Italian criminal organization led by the D’Antonio family. In the second movie, they were introduced when Santino asked (or threatened, more likely) John Wick to fulfill the blood pact they made to help him kill Gianna, Santino’s sister and the current head of the Camorra.
By the end of Parabellum, John has killed the D’Antonio siblings, one of their assassins, and many bodyguards. However, he did spare his former acquaintance, who also happened to be Gianna’s bodyguard, Cassian.
Yakuza
It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that this organization has a seat in The High Table! While, unlike Camorra, the big boss of this organization has yet to reveal their face in John Wick movies, Yakuza has been mentioned several times as a member of the council in Parabellum.
As we probably remember, one of the main assassins who set out to kill John Wick in the third movie was Zero, as sushi master in disguise. While he was introduced as a member of mercenaries called The Shinobi, several theories believe that the group is a branch of the Yakuza!
There is no confirmation about this assumption in the three movies, so it’s interesting to see what the fourth installment has in store for us!
Other Known Members
Besides the Camorra and the Yakuza, The High Table comprises the Italian organizations Cosa Nostra and ‘Ndrangheta, Russian Bratva, Chinese Triad, and the Latin American Cartels. These organizations have been introduced briefly in Parabellum, albeit they have yet to get significant roles.
However, with John Wick: Chapter 4 now here, many possible scenarios exist! From a more thorough introduction to the known members to the appearances of the other six (and still unknown) members of The High Table, we best believe in staying glued to the edge of our seats throughout the 2 hours and 49 minutes of the movie!
I hope You Survived Our Attempt to Uncover the Secrets of The High Table!
John Wick: Chapter 4 offers many interesting new casts and characters, from Donnie Yen’s Cannie to Bill Skarsgard’s Marquis de Gramont. And if you are just only planning to see it, prepare for some jaw-dropping action scenes!