How John Wick's Wife Is Included In Every Film

Many may not realize that Helen Wick (Bridget Moynahan), the late spouse of suit-wearing killing machine John Wick (Keanu Reeves), has proven to be almost as resilient as her death-defying husband. That's mostly due to the fact that her presence lingers heavily in each chapter of the franchise, even though she became the first character to kick the bucket, doing so in less than five minutes into the first movie.

Mrs. Wick made her debut at the beginning of the 2014 film in a video recording John captured on his phone of the two together at the beach. She is also seen in photographs and flashbacks that depict happier times between the two before the reveal of her tragic passing due to an illness. After her funeral, Mr. Wick receives an adorable beagle, the last gift Helen had arranged for him before she passed to help him move on after she was gone. Then, when the dog is killed and the car she gave him after their wedding is stolen, John returns to his Baba Yaga ways in revenge. This is a life he went to great lengths to leave behind so he could be with his wife.

Even though her part in the movie was relatively small, the weight of Helen's love and the memory of their shared life arguably became the driving force behind John's next-level ability to survive against perilous odds during his ruthless run at retribution. While the sequels further explore the intricacies of the gold-coin-operated underworld of high-priced assassins in more detail and focus mainly on Mr. Wick's extraordinary struggle to stay alive, Mrs. Wick's overall impact on the story is further solidified with each unique way she is revisited.

While many characters that expired in the initial "John Wick" movie were mostly forgotten about by the next installment, Helen Wick managed to remain relevant from beyond the grave in every sequel.

After John gets his car back in "John Wick: Chapter 2," he finds a birthday card in the glovebox with a photo of the pair, leading to flashbacks of when she gifted him the car. Later, John attempts to leave the Baba Yaga life behind again but is thrust back in when his home is destroyed, along with all the photos and memories he made with Helen.

In "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," she appears in a black-and-white still of the two in a hollowed-out book containing various items. Mr. Wick kisses the photo before leaving it behind. Mrs. Wick is not seen in "John Wick: Chapter 4," but is brought up during a chat with Cain (Donnie Yen) in the church where John reveals that even though she is gone, he still wants to believe a part of her watches over him. Later if he fails, John requests the words "Loving Husband" be engraved on his tombstone and to be laid to rest beside his wife, indicating that after barely surviving four bullet-ridden feature-length thrill rides, the one thing that remains strong as ever with the broken-down, war-torn John Wick is his love for Helen.

Despite only being mentioned briefly and having barely any screen time throughout four films, Bridget Moynahan's portrayal of this pivotal character ultimately became the heart of the hyper-violent "John Wick" saga, and some might want to know more about how she pulled it off. 

From starring in pulse-pounding films like "I, Robot" and "Battle Los Angeles" to helping bring dangerous criminals to justice on the series "Blue Bloods," it's pretty evident that over the course of her career, Bridget Moynahan has been known for not only delivering compelling performances but also has a knack for crafting standout personas. But when it came time to develop the character of Helen Wick, the ill-fated wife of John Wick, the actor took a unique approach that involved not exposing herself to anything relating to her fictional hubby's Baba Yaga days. 

"Helen was bringing the love and the light, sort of the joy into his life and in that portion of the script, I didn't want to know that side of him that would maybe inform a different story for me," Moynahan revealed in an interview posted on Trailer Addict. "So I chose to leave that and take the side of John that maybe she had actually spent her life with as opposed to that side he wasn't participating in when they were together."

To perfect her portrayal of Mrs. Wick and prove their relationship was bulletproof, the actor made the wise choice to deliberately focus on the loving connection Helen and John shared and the warmer, more vulnerable side of the former fear-inducing assassin while remaining completely in the dark about his killer reputation and violent past. There's no denying that Moynahan's chemistry with Keanu Reeves and the dedication she brought to the small role ended up being a major factor, leaving behind a lasting emotional impression throughout the series of action-packed films.