The John Wick franchise blew up as soon as its first film was released, as people were enamored with the stylized world of a secret society of assassins, with one standing above all as the greatest killer of all time: John Wick (Keanu Reeves). Perhaps the greatest aspect of this quadrilogy is that every time we think that stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski has surely mined all the narrative potential of this on-paper basic character, he finds new ways to give us thrilling set pieces and deeper layers of lore for John Wick to interact with, producing four of the best action films released in the 21st century and making interest in a fifth film so high that Reeves had to come out and confirm his character was indeed dead following the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.

However, while it is John Wick’s unstoppable nature that draws us to this man who strikes fear in the biggest gangsters in the underworld, it may surprise people that, when you think about it, we have only seen the “Baba Yaga” once in the entire franchise. This came in John Wick: Chapter 2 when he reverts to his role as a contract killer. While some may argue that Wick is simply doing what he always does, killing people, there is a key distinction in his motivations and how well he executes his assassinations that shows us just why he was so feared in the past.

John Wick Once Again Kills for Money in ‘John Wick: Chapter 2′

While in the other three installments, we see John motivated by a personal need for revenge or justice, in John Wick: Chapter 2 John’s first kill is completely business-related. Due to Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) activating John’s “marker,” he is free to call upon John for anything and tells him to kill Santino’s sister, Gianna (Claudia Gerini), so he can take her seat at “The Table.” Despite resisting at first, Santino forces John into taking up the mission, arguing that he needs the old John back, the cold killer, not the moral recluse.

When he does revert to this mentality, we see why he earned the title of “Baba Yaga” and why people shake at the name “John Wick.” In contrast to John’s other killings, this mission is unemotional. He is methodical, silent, and cold in his planning and execution, visiting an array of different underground shops to gather his supplies and simply appearing in Gianna’s room, which is very different from the often-scrambling reactions he has as he is hunted, such as barely getting to the doctor in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Even when he is hunting Iosef (Alfie Allen) in the first film, there is a rage to every kill and move John takes, such as when he stares a man in the eyes the entire time as he is forcing his knife deeper into the man’s heart during the nightclub sequence.

‘John Wick: Chapter 2′ Contextualizes How Effective Keanu Reeves’ Assassin Is

What is so great about the scene in which John and Gianna have their confrontation is how it shows just how much better John Wick is than the other assassins in the series. Everyone who comes after him or another hitman faces a struggle, such as when Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Caine (Donny Yen) fight. In contrast, John has no issues getting to this woman, and the tone of the scene is very matter-of-fact, as Gianna makes no effort to call her guards or fight John, merely engaging in a verbal debate over whether John’s service to Santino will be rewarded with freedom as he hopes. His presence is so strong that she simply ends her own life rather than fighting, knowing if Wick is on the case, then she isn’t leaving the room alive.

Some may not think this distinction is that important, as, in the end, John Wick always achieves his mission, whether he is hunting or being hunted. However, there is so much to Wick’s assassination of Gianna D’Antonio that it is fascinating as he reverts to his role as a killer for hire. His motivations are unemotional and simply a necessity rather than morality as his other crusades have been. Furthermore, Wick’s incredibly effective execution of his mission shows just why the “Baba Yaga” was the best of the best in this underworld.