Recaps

John negotiated with Tony Stark for an artificial intelligence in exchange for access to magic crystals, then upgraded his Limited Gauntlet with a second piece of uru. He tested its power and discovered three listening devices in his home, suspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. was spying on him.

• Tony drove John to Stark Mansion and warned him that Ivan Vanko's Iron Soldier project could fail because of palladium poisoning.
• John and Tony traded accusations over their past conflicts before Tony asked John to use magic to help him.
• John agreed to provide Tony with magic crystals in exchange for an artificial intelligence comparable to JARVIS, and gave him a card to order them.
• John returned home by Apparition and fused a second piece of uru into his Limited Gauntlet.
• John tested the upgraded gauntlet by disassembling and restoring objects, walls, and floors, then noticed three listening devices and wondered whether S.H.I.E.L.D. was spying on him.

John joined Matt and Fudge as they investigated Peggy, an employee accused of murdering her coworker at the United Construction Company, and warned that the killer might strike again. After accepting Agent Dax’s invitation to talk, John met him at the place he often visited.

• John crushed a listening device, spotted Ray following him, and suggested that Ray investigate Fisk.
• John went with Matt and Fudge to the Police Station, where they learned Peggy was suspected of killing Daniel Fisher.
• John and Matt believed Peggy was telling the truth, but John pointed out that she could still be hiding something.
• Agent Dax asked John to meet him that night, and John agreed despite Matt’s warning that Dax was more than he seemed.
• John reminded Matt and Fudge that whoever killed Daniel might kill again, then left the law office and used his Wand to reach Agent Dax.

John challenged Dax to repeated coin games, dismantling his fixation on Julie and his treasured therapist’s tapes before stopping him from taking his own life. Dax accepted John as a new guide and left to follow him, while John recognized that Dax was a Squib with an Obscurus.

• Dax recalled how his destructive impulses led him to kill his baseball coach and how his therapist helped him find Julie as a north star.
• Dax met John intending to kill him, but John proposed a coin game with Dax’s cassette tapes and pin as stakes.
• John repeatedly won the coin tosses, leaving Dax distraught and telling him that Julie did not belong to him.
• Dax lost his wager over his north star and reached for his gun, but John stopped him with the gold coin and offered the Sun as a new guide.
• Dax took the coin and later watched Julie without feeling attached, then left to follow the Sun.

John refused the Adjudicator’s demand to cancel the bounty, and the Ten Rings leader’s death made the bounty impossible to withdraw. After inviting Matt, Fudge, and Peggy to investigate the United Company, John’s story widened to Taran Industries’ weapons work and Loki’s plans to bring the Casket of Ancient Winters to Earth.

• Winston brought John to the Adjudicator, who demanded that he cancel the bounty, but John refused and hinted that he knew someone had sent her.
• Winston announced that the Ten Rings leader had been killed and the bounty claimed; John denied involvement and told the Adjudicator to reveal who was behind her demand.
• The news of the $120 million bounty sparked an uproar among assassins, and John told Winston that the game was still on.
• Matt and Fudge helped Peggy expose the United Construction Company’s pension crimes, and John invited Peggy to join an investigation of the company.
• Ivan continued developing Taran Industries’ weapons and reactor prototype, while Loki used his blood to activate the Casket of Ancient Winters and send its power toward Earth.

John traded Magic Crystals with Yuri Orlov for information about Kingpin and met Danny, one of Orlov’s bodyguards. While exploring Queens, John reunited with Peter and May, shared a meal with them, and promised to visit for Christmas; the chapter ended with Wenwu introducing himself to John.

• John gave Yuri Orlov a bag of Magic Crystals in exchange for an account of Kingpin’s power and ambitions against John’s father.
• Orlov warned John that others on the High Table also coveted his father’s position and introduced him to his bodyguard Danny.
• John met Peter and May in Queens, took their photograph, and joined them for Thai food.
• John talked with Peter about magic and invited him to imagine receiving a wizarding-school letter by owl.
• John promised Peter and May that he would visit them at Christmas and bring Peter a present.
• John noticed an Asian man across the street, who introduced himself as Wenwu.

John met Wenwu, who demanded that he secretly protect Shang-Chi, and the two fought after John refused to help without compensation. John transported Wenwu to a snowy location, where their battle continued and the Wand flew toward Wenwu’s eye.

• Wenwu confronted John about the Ten Rings puppet he had killed and asked him to protect his fourteen-year-old son, Shang-Chi, from the shadows.
• John refused Wenwu’s demand for help without an equivalent exchange, and used Apparition to take Wenwu to a remote area where they could fight.
• Wenwu attacked with the Ten Rings while John countered with spells, shields, Apparition, and Transfiguration; their clash damaged the surrounding terrain.
• John and Wenwu continued fighting until John transported them away from an approaching convoy to a snowy location.
• John blasted the Ten Rings away and sent the enlarged Wand hurtling toward Wenwu’s eye.

Ferdinand was knocked unconscious and taken away after escaping the hospital, while John and Wenwu fought before reaching a deal over Shang-Chi and Kingpin. Their handshake was interrupted by a yeti, and John Apparated with Wenwu as an avalanche buried the creature.

• Ferdinand was taken to the hospital after inhaling pepper spray, then fled from the bill and drove away without Roman.
• A stranger knocked Ferdinand unconscious, moved him into the passenger seat, and drove off in his truck.
• John broke free of Wenwu’s ten rings, and Wenwu offered business concessions in exchange for John helping Shang-Chi.
• John refused Wenwu’s offer and instead demanded that the Ten Rings end their partnership with Kingpin, which Wenwu agreed to do.
• John and Wenwu shook hands, then a yeti charged at them and sent Wenwu flying.
• John bound Wenwu and Apparated away with him as the yeti’s roar triggered an avalanche that buried it.

John brought Wenwu to New York, where they shared tea and discussed power, immortality, and the emptiness of a long life. Wenwu gave John a photograph of his son, Sean, who was working as a dishwasher at the Continental Hotel.

• John Apparated with Wenwu to New York, where he used a Confundus Charm to convince an elderly couple they were ordinary passersby.
• John and Wenwu visited Jack’s tea shop and learned that Robert had gone to visit Terry.
• John and Wenwu discussed how power could protect loved ones, and Wenwu reflected on his centuries of conquest and his wife’s death.
• John offered Wenwu cake, and Wenwu tried strawberry cream cake with East Asian tea before they parted.
• Wenwu gave John a photograph of Sean, and John wondered what the fourteen-year-old could do in New York.
• Sean washed dishes at the Continental Hotel, where the receptionist offered him a financial aid application.

Dax kidnapped Ferdinand to learn how John Wick had vanished, but John called and redirected Dax to the Wick family home. John then recruited Dax to help find Shang-Chi and urged him to treat his violent inner nature as a potential strength.

• Dax interrogated Ferdinand about John Wick, but Ferdinand refused to betray his employer.
• John called Ferdinand’s phone and ordered Dax to bring Ferdinand to the Wick family home for a job.
• John revealed that he had known Dax was following him and gave him Shang-Chi’s photograph, asking him to find the fourteen-year-old runaway.
• John told Dax that his inner monster could be both a curse and a blessing, and encouraged him to become a superhero.
• Dax agreed to investigate Shang-Chi, while Ferdinand was left bewildered that Dax had become one of John’s allies.

Fury and Coulson waited for the frozen Captain America to wake, while John encouraged Robert to act on his conscience over Irina. John learned that Shang-Chi was living near May and decided to buy his apartment; Robert then confronted a Russian with $9,800 and a timer.

• House told Fury that Captain America might wake if something triggered his memories, and Coulson watched over the sleeping hero and his shield.
• Robert told John that Irina had acted on his encouragement to pursue her dream and suffered for it, and John urged Robert to follow his heart.
• Robert decided that some things had to be done and left, while John offered his support.
• Dax gave John a file showing that Shang-Chi had moved to New York under the name Sean and was attending Midtown High School.
• John recognized Shang-Chi's apartment as being near May's home and ordered Ferdinand to buy it so he could keep an eye on him.
• Robert entered an opulent room with $9,800 and started his watch's timer before facing a vicious-looking Russian.

At Taran Industries, Ivan used a Magic Crystal reactor to power a massive charging chamber and emerge in the Fighter, a suit of armor resembling the Destroyer. After the chamber exploded and wrecked the laboratory, Ivan and Orlov inspected the armor together.

• Orlov entered the laboratory and learned that Ivan considered himself John Wick’s employee, not Orlov’s.
• Ivan activated his new reactor with a Magic Crystal, overwhelming the charging chamber with energy.
• Ivan and Orlov fled to a blast shelter as the chamber shattered and exploded, damaging the laboratory and company building.
• Orlov encountered Ivan wearing silver armor, and the Fighter pierced and sliced through the blast shelter with an energy beam.
• Ivan stepped out of the Fighter and showed Orlov the armor, prompting Orlov to ask whether Ivan had any leather shoes that needed cleaning.

John and Ivan tested Ivan’s Fighter Armor, whose unusual reactor could unleash powerful energy, while John offered to add a magic-restoring rune under one condition. At the hospital, House met Dr. Wu and Helen Cho, who hoped Mr. Wick would invest in her Regeneration Cradle technology.

• John promised compensation and benefits to Taran Industries employees injured when Ivan’s armor test damaged the building, then arranged for Ivan to test the armor elsewhere.
• Ivan showed John the Fighter Armor’s flight, energy beam, electric whips, and other weapons during tests in New Jersey.
• John suspected the reactor’s unusual energy came from magic and offered to carve a rune to restore it, provided Ivan did not use the upgraded crystal when fighting Stark.
• John imagined a future in which the armor could use magic and Apparition, while Orlov discovered that Ivan and the armor had vanished from the laboratory.
• House asked about Shaun Murphy before meeting Dr. Wu and Helen Cho, who sought investment for her Regeneration Cradle technology.
• Dr. Wu told House he hoped Mr. Wick would invest in Helen Cho’s invention.

John posted a job listing for an assistant, met Tony Stark to exchange a USB drive and discuss their clean-energy research, and warned him to upgrade his Armor. A blonde woman accepted an assignment to stay by John Wick’s side, with permission to kill if necessary and a warning not to look into his eyes.

• John supervised the installation of new equipment in Taran Industries’ underground laboratory while the company reinforced the building and repaired the damage.
• At a Miami beach vacation, Orlov urged John to hire an assistant, and John agreed he needed professional help.
• On the drive back to New York, John posted an assistant job listing and told Ferdinand to take him to Stark Industries for his appointment with Tony.
• Tony gave John a USB drive, and they compared their progress in clean-energy research before John warned Tony to upgrade his Armor.
• A blonde woman accepted orders to stay by John Wick’s side, use her judgment about his requests, and kill if the assignment required it; her superior warned her not to look into John’s eyes.

John hired Hattie Shaw as his assistant and collected laboratory equipment from Tony Stark, while Hattie and Pepper Potts clashed over their past connections to Tony. John converted Dad's underground garage into a laboratory and left Tony uneasy about Hattie's presence.

• John put away Tony's artificial intelligence and ordered equipment from Tony to build a laboratory.
• John hired Hattie Shaw, whose résumé impressed him, and she began work as his assistant.
• Hattie and Pepper Potts exchanged tense greetings at Stark Tower over Hattie's past interactions with Tony.
• Tony agreed to give John the laboratory equipment after John teased him about his romantic history with Hattie.
• John converted Dad's underground garage into a laboratory, tipped Tony, and gave Hattie a raise after she flustered Tony.

John Wick bought Shang-Chi’s apartment building and offered to halve Shang-Chi’s rent if he tutored Peter. The boys became friends after John destroyed Ned’s LEGO model, leaving them to rebuild it together.

• Shang-Chi returned home and learned that John Wick had bought his apartment building.
• John offered to halve Shang-Chi’s rent if he tutored Peter, and Shang-Chi accepted.
• John brought Shang-Chi to May’s home and introduced him as a potential tutor and friend for Peter.
• Peter returned with Ned and a completed LEGO model, which John knocked apart while giving Ned unsolicited advice.
• Shang-Chi, Peter, and Ned rebuilt the model together and quickly became friends, united by their dislike of John.

John had Dax tested for a lightweight, impact-resistant combat suit and encouraged him to use his destructive urges against criminals as a hero. Later, John met Robert at a restaurant, where Robert noticed an electrical worker enter and hinted that he had a small matter to handle.

• Hattie brought John documents about Hammer Industries and Taran Industries, and John decided to have new gear made for Dax.
• John took Dax to Taran Industries, where Dax demonstrated exceptional aim and throwing skills by testing a bulletproof vest.
• John ordered a custom combat suit for Dax and urged him to release his suppressed urges by becoming a hero who fought villains.
• Taran Industries tailors made Dax a blue, fitted suit with impact protection and concealed weapons, and John took Ferdinand's book to meet Robert.
• John gave Robert the promised book, and Robert's attention shifted to an electrical worker who entered the restaurant.

John and Dax confronted Pushkin’s men, while Dax embraced his Night Ghost identity. In Hell’s Kitchen, Night Ghost rescued women from traffickers by killing the gang members, leaving Matt unsettled and the new vigilante feared.

• Hattie recognized a suspicious man near the restaurant, while John timed seven seconds as Robert killed the disguised assassin inside.
• John confronted Teddy and his men, warning them to show restraint after Dax’s knife wounded the driver.
• John encouraged Dax to investigate Pushkin using his official authority, and Dax eagerly accepted.
• Matt hunted Russian human traffickers at the docks but was ambushed and overwhelmed by their numbers.
• Night Ghost killed the attackers, ignored Matt’s attempt to stop him, and freed the women trapped in a shipping container.

John combined magic and technology in his underground laboratory, upgrading and testing the Destroyer Armor while MOSS analyzed its capabilities. Hattie brought him military business, and John finished testing a Fighter Core that he expected Ivan to want.

• John installed the AI as MOSS, filled the Wick family's laboratory with magical equipment, and tested the Destroyer Armor’s spells and movements.
• John used Reparo to restore the laboratory after his experiments, then had MOSS analyze the armor’s capabilities.
• John spent half a month adding runes to the Destroyer Armor with MOSS’s help.
• Hattie brought John an agreement for Hammer Industries to supply weapons cases to the military and relayed General Ross’s interest in a Large Animal Capture Device.
• John recalled Orlov from his Miami vacation and examined the Fighter Core after MOSS confirmed that it emitted energy at a stable rate.

Ivan upgraded the First-Generation Fighter into a faster, more agile Second-Generation Fighter powered by Magic Crystals and fitted with weapon pods. After Ivan demonstrated its destructive power, Tony, under pressure from Ivan’s survival and his father’s feud with Vanko, decided to speak with John.

• Ivan designed three weapon pods for the Second-Generation Fighter, including an Air Force configuration carrying an Ex-Wife missile, and John required approval before it could be used.
• Ivan completed the Fighter’s upgrades, adding multiple Magic Crystal slots and improving its strength and agility.
• John recharged a Magic Crystal, and Ivan inserted it into the Fighter’s arm.
• Ivan tested the Fighter by firing an Energy Beam, using Electric Whips, accelerating with flames, and slicing a military tank in two.
• Tony continued researching upgrades while Pepper urged him to rest and reminded him that Christmas was coming.
• Tony picked up a Magic Crystal and decided to speak with John about making the conflict fair.

On Christmas Eve, John bought Peter a LEGO set and brought Shang-Chi along to May’s home to celebrate Christmas. After sharing stories about the Wizarding World with May, John watched her rush to save a roast chicken she had left burning in the oven.

• John bought Peter a difficult LEGO London Bridge set and headed to Queens, while a white-haired old man copied him and ended up needing an ambulance after waiting in the cold.
• John found Shang-Chi training at home, teased him about his distraction, and gave him cash to spend on workbooks before bringing him to May’s house.
• At midnight, John gave Peter the LEGO set, and Peter invited Shang-Chi to build it with him.
• John and May talked about Hogwarts and the Wizarding World, and May noticed how much John loved his former home.
• May asked why John did not return to the Wizarding World, but John said his vacation had only just begun before they realized her roast chicken was burning.

John spent Christmas with Tony and Hattie before agreeing to fund Helen Cho’s Regeneration Cradle research under terms that gave Taran Industries exclusive use of the technology. As 2012 began, John watched the Mandarin claim responsibility for a terrorist attack and wondered what Wenwu was planning.

• John returned to his dark house after Christmas with May, Peter, and Shang-Chi, then Tony arrived and discussed their competing new energy sources and armor.
• Hattie drove John to Taran Industries, where Helen Cho and Dr. Wu presented the Regeneration Cradle.
• John agreed to fund Helen Cho’s research lab in exchange for shares and exclusive Taran Industries access to the technology, and Helen agreed that Taran would fully support its development.
• John asked Helen whether her ancestors had siblings because she resembled his friend Nagini, but Helen did not know.
• As 2012 began, John watched the Mandarin claim responsibility for a terrorist attack and questioned what Wenwu was doing.

A suspicious bombing attributed to the Mandarin prompted Tony to investigate its links to an earlier attack on him. In Hell’s Kitchen, Matt confronted Dax, the Night Ghost, over his killings, but Dax escaped after badly injuring Matt.

• John questioned Wenwu’s promise of an explanation after news of the bombing and the Mandarin’s appearance spread panic across the United States.
• Tony asked JARVIS to search surveillance footage for clues connecting the bombing to the attack on him.
• Matt found Dax killing Bryce and accused him of terrorizing Hell’s Kitchen rather than serving justice.
• Dax fought Matt with throwing knives and powerful bouncy balls, injuring him before police sirens forced Dax to flee.
• Police officers identified Bryce as a recently released robber, and the police chief suspected Night Ghost had access to the Police Station’s system.

Dax told John that District Attorney Samantha Reyes was investigating the Wick family, while John helped Dax understand his role as a hero. At Taran Industries, Orlov revealed that Reyes was using the company’s dealings with a hotel to pressure him, and John said they could find help beyond his missing father.

• Dax told John that he had deleted FBI records to protect Robert and that Samantha Reyes was quietly investigating the Wick family.
• John healed Dax’s bruised arm and reassured him that the family he had saved had feared the killing, not him.
• Hattie told John that Reyes had investigated the company, and Orlov returned furious that she had found evidence of Taran Industries’ hotel dealings.
• Orlov threatened to deal with Reyes, but John pointed out that Hattie could hear his plan, and Orlov abandoned the idea of openly killing her.
• Orlov explained that the company’s transactions depended on an informal understanding with the government, and John said they could seek help from someone other than his father.

John tried to persuade General Ross to support him against District Attorney Reyes, but Ross refused to interfere. A week later, Reyes confronted John at the Wick home with alleged evidence against Taran Industries, and John claimed someone would vouch for him before calling on Fury.

• John offered General Ross Weapon Box designs and asked for support against District Attorney Reyes, but Ross said he could not interfere in local matters.
• John raised Hattie's salary to sixty thousand and teased Ferdinand about his salary and his brother's debt.
• A week later, Reyes visited John and used Taran Industries' Gray Ledger to threaten to shut down the company unless John did something for her.
• John rejected Reyes's evidence, argued that the weapons could have come from Stark Industries, and said someone would vouch for him.
• John called out to Fury as Reyes challenged him.

John Wick used Fury’s testimony to foil Reyes, then agreed to help S.H.I.E.L.D. in exchange for a suitable reward. At the hospital, Fury revealed he knew John was a wizard and asked him to wake the comatose Captain America, while John demanded the shield’s material as payment.

• Fury vouched for John, forcing Reyes to abandon his attempt to pressure him, and John offered the Black assistant support in a District Attorney campaign.
• Fury confronted John about the flying Golden Snitch, and John dismissed it as a miniature device powered by a rare battery.
• Fury asked John to save someone for S.H.I.E.L.D., and John agreed to help if Fury offered an equivalent reward.
• Fury drove John to the hospital, where John learned the request concerned the comatose Captain America.
• Fury confronted John with evidence of his magic and warned that he had violated the wizards’ agreement with Muggles.
• John rejected Fury’s terms, asked for Captain America’s shield as payment, and accepted its material when Fury refused to give up the shield.