The world and lore behind John Wick are what makes the franchise more than a series of action films. It's a complex and immersive story. We have yet to find out if the alternate universe of John Wick is grounded in reality or has a fantastic element. Fan theories abound about who John Wick is and his origins, with some saying he might be some kind of superhero or have ethereal powers. Here are a few of the places, people and nifty toys and talismans that make John Wick so much fun to watch.
New York and Rome
So far we have two real-life cities in which to place John Wick. This seems to indicate that most major cities are part of the same secret underground world of which John is also a part. The first movie could take place in any big city, but we get a lot of hints that it's New York from certain features. We have a waterfront, a few busy streets lined with skyscrapers, and other limited exterior shots. Other than that the actions sequences take place indoors, giving the audience a few clues. In the second movie, New York and Rome are actually named as the primary settings, and anyone from New York will jokingly be able to say that ignoring fights and gunplay in a subway station is totally normal.
The Continental
An entirely fictional place, this is more than just a hotel. The Continental provides a neutral zone for John Wick and his colleagues, but it serves a larger purpose to the whole community. It oversees the gold coin distribution and serves as a communications hub for ordering specific contracts. Audiences found this setting so compelling that its popularity has spawned a spin-off television series.
Those ladies in pink shirts who work on vintage computers are the administrative branch of The Continental. They use an obsolete Commodore 64 computer system to ensure total safety from hackers. Other than the capacity to send out text messages to modern phones, the whole system is totally offline.
The High Table
The High Table is not a place, it's a group of people. A seat is awarded to the leader of a powerful crime family, and the membership has an international reach. There are always 12 crime lords at the High Table, and each chooses their own successor. A dispute over ascendancy drives the plot of the second movie.
John Wick featured a branch of the Russian Tarasov family, who likely had a seat or were closely connected to one. In John Wick: Chapter 2, the main antagonist is a member of the D'Antonio family, and most of the film takes place on their home turf, Rome. Santino mentions there's also a Chinese representative when speaking with John Wick about killing Gianna.
The Bowery King
The whimsical but chilling Bowery King and his empire, like the Continental, respect the power of the High Table but don't take orders from it. John Wick is able to seek refuge with the Bowery King because of his neutral stance. He uses the cover of big city poverty to hide a sophisticated network of spies and outdoes the low-tech Commodores of the Continental with a network of carrier pigeons.
Neither an ally nor an enemy, although he credits John for sparing his life in the past, the Bowery King openly muses about turning him in for the ample seven million dollar bounty. John manages to talk him out of it in exchange for averting a war with both the members of the High Table and The Continental.
Charon and Winston
Both of these characters are part of the inner workings of the Continental Hotel and seem to know John Wick personally. Charon appears in both films at the front desk. His name is a reference to the old Greek legend about Hades. To get across the river Styx, travelers had to pay Charon, the ferryman, for a ride on his boat. That's why ancient graves often contain coins, usually placed on the eyes of the deceased. The term "underworld" can mean more than one thing.
Winston is the owner of The Continental and has a closer relationship with John Wick than any other surviving character. At the end of the second film, he follows the rules regarding the contract on John's life but gives him a head start. His counterpart in Rome is equally friendly with John and goes by the name of Julius.
Maps and Keys
The Mapmaker is one of the mysterious figures that John finds through The Continental. He is never named, but he makes it possible for John Wick to enter the catacombs. Not only does he provide John with an ancient key that wasn't exactly cut at the mall, but also walks him through a complex map of the catacombs and the D'Antonio estate. His intimate knowledge made possible the task that John declared was beyond his skill.
Markers
Throughout the first two John Wick films, there is only one marker and only a few clues as to what exactly John did to get his fingerprint on it. This simple agreement requires an elaborate and beautiful device in which to seal the contract. A silver coin, adorned with a skull, a crown, and a grapevine along with the Latin phrase Quod Debitum Sanguine. This translates to "a blood oath."
The top opens up to reveal an inner disc divided into two sides. Only a fingerprint of blood can seal the contract, and only a second can close it. Santino held the Marker, but John's fingerprint was the only one on the marker until Gianna was killed. Santino closed the marker with his own bloody fingerprint.
Coins
We don't know where the coins are made exactly, but we do know it's the responsibility of Winston at the Continental to approve them and allow them into circulation. This isn't conventional money, and it works by a unique set of rules. These coins are made exclusively in this dark underworld for illicit use and are totally untraceable.
Many of the businesses that operate in John's world have a false front, like a cleaning service or "dinner reservations." Presenting the coin is not only a way to pay for certain services, but it is also used as a signal to access them. When John gives the Bowery Boy in the subway a coin, it's not a payment, he's identifying himself.
Contracts are awarded in US dollars, not coins, so exactly what the value of the coins is and how that is determined remains a mystery. The coins have a lion on one side with the Latin words Ens Causa Sui. This means "something generated within itself." This might indicate the value of the coin is determined by the person using it.