Keanu Reeves' depiction of Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 may be one of the actor's best roles. Although Silverhand is introduced as an antagonistic terrorist living in the player's head, over time he becomes one of their closest friends and only confidants, and, depending on the player's decisions and choices, both V and the player can grow quite attached to Johnny over the course of Cyberpunk 2077's story.
[Warning: Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 below]
It's easy to hate Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, especially at first. He's rude, crass, and the definition of the phrases "too cool for school" and "dialed up to eleven" both at the same time. When the player first becomes infected with Johnny's construct, he eggs them on and encourages them to go ahead and kill themselves - and then, for the rest of the game, appears randomly to offer his own commentary, criticism, or advice on whatever V happens to be doing.
After completing some missions for the Voodoo Boys in Cyberpunk 2077, however, player opinions of Johnny may begin to change. By diving into Silverhand's own past, one which looks at the world of Cyberpunk's Night City fifty years prior, V begins to understand the motivations and inspiration being Silverhand's hatred of corporations. He doesn't become any less of a terrorist - and still does some pretty despicable things, even after his death - but those terrible actions are at least given context. When players learn the real reason why Johnny decided to bring two thermonuclear bombs to Arasaka Tower, it makes sense.
Johnny Silverhand & V Grow Closer Over Time
There's a lot to unpack when it comes to the emotional state of Cyberpunk 2077's two main characters. V is currently dying, and Silverhand is the one who is killing them. They are told eventually Johnny's construct will completely take over their entire body and there's nothing they can do about it. Johnny never asked to be put in V's head, and, deep down, doesn't want to kill them - but he also yearns to be free again and complete the battle he started against Arasaka over half a decade ago. He feels guilty over the death of Alt Cunningham and wants to set things right.
Of course, wanting to set things right is a long way from getting trashed in someone else's body, forcing them through sexual encounters and a car crash, only to bail before experiencing any affects of the hangover - but that's just Johnny being Johnny. A lot of this rests on the shoulders of Keanu Reeves' performance, which often communicates to players in pauses and glances how Johnny is truly feeling, despite the harshness of his words. A touching scene in which V and Johnny find Silverhand's actual grave, and Johnny lets his guard down and begins to act like an actual human with emotions, is especially moving.
Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 is a terrible person. He's a murderer, a liar, a terrorist, and he's the reason the playable character is dying. And yet, between Keanu Reeves' performance and some incredibly well-written scenes, Johnny can also be the heart and soul of Cyberpunk at times. He's rough around the edges, and many people may wish he was better, but he just unapologetically is who he is - and, if nothing else, finding out exactly who Johnny Silverhand is can be one of the best parts of Cyberpunk 2077.