Starting with a film that involved a man's simple search for revenge, the John Wick franchise has evolved into an expansive world of assassins and hired guns. That's shown best in the series' villains, who make up an equally involved syndicate of killers who seemingly rule the world. Unfortunately for John Wick himself, he's rubbed this group the wrong way.

The High Table is a council of criminals who rules the underworld throughout the globe, and one of its most prominent targets is John. Having countless agents at its disposal and ruling with a feared iron fist, this secret organization is still well-known throughout the world, despite its conspiratorial nature. With John Wick: Chapter 4 now on the way, here's what fans of the Keanu Reeves franchise should know about the organization that's put a target on John's back.

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What Does The High Table in John Wick Do?

Introduced in John Wick: Chapter 2, The High Table is a force to be reckoned with, to the point where even Winston and John are far more than just wary of its machinations. Dating back to ancient times, this organization has power and influence that can supersede all manner of rules, even when it comes to assassins. It can, in many ways, be seen as a far more powerful version of the Mafia, with different mobs actually owing their allegiance to The High Table. They set the rules for the many assassins in the John Wick series, such as not attacking civilians and refraining from violence in the sanctuary zone of the Continental Hotel run by Ian McShane's Winston.

Beyond just contract killing, The High Table governs all organized around the globe. Retaliation against them is unheard of, but when it does, its vengeance is swift and merciless. Punishments are decided through the Adjudicator, who is just one of the group's mysterious members. And only the fiercest hope to stand even a sliver of a chance against its forces, as shown when a $7 million bounty got put on John's head for his actions. That led to the events of the third movie in the series, in which it seemed the world was out to get John. Knowledge of The High Table is, of course, non-existent among the general population. But it still has several assassins on call that walk about in day-to-day life.

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The Members of John Wick's High Table Are Still Mostly Unknown

John Wick kneels before the elder in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

There are twelve seats at The High Table, a number that evokes that of the Olympian gods. The leader is The Elder, with John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum establishing him as the main villain of the entire series. A mysterious man whose influence on the criminal world is unknown, The Elder takes to residing in the Moroccan desert. And it's here where John pledges his loyalty to him, even at the cost of his own finger and the wedding ring representing his beloved wife. His secluded nature might be for his own protection, though given how little he fears John, that's highly unlikely,

The father of Santino and Gianna D'Antonio (rulers of the Camorra crime family) was once a member of The High Table, and he passed his seat to his daughter Gianna. Santino hired John to kill his sister so that he could take her place, and once he did, Santino sent the killer Ares to take him out in a twisted sense of revenge. John would also kill him, making it unknown who took the D'Antonio siblings' place at The High Table. The other families with members at The High Table are all crime families, including the Japanese Yakuza. With that said, the other members are still unknown, leaving several seats out there who might come into conflict with John in the series' future installments.