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Marcus was given the contract to kill John Wick. Then the next thing we know that he was helping John Wick. Question is why? Did I miss anything?

They must have been communicating, otherwise Marcus wouldn't know when and where John will be. At hotel Continental John wasn't worried about the first shooter, he was fighting Perkins as if there is no other killer. So John knew Marcus is helping him.

Even when they meet after the saving of John Wick for the second time they don't discuss really why Marcus helped him. Is it for the money? Were they partners before? Or friends? Was there any mention why he did it?

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    I think the implication is that they're just really old friends and Marcus, when he heard about the contract, took it as an opportunity to help his friend. I don't think they were in communication until they met towards the end. The film hammers in the concept of him being the best at what he does and being really well known in that world, it's not difficult to imagine that he has some allies.
    – Catija
    Commented Feb 24, 2015 at 5:32
  • @Catija could be. Or John could offer Marcus more money than Viggo. The reason I think they were in communication because Marcus always knew where is John Wick. John knew Marcus is going to help him. His conversation with Viggo while he was tied up in a chair concludes that.
    – AtanuCSE
    Commented Feb 24, 2015 at 5:39
  • My interpretation is the same as Catija's. They were just good friends. I didn't sense that John knew Marcus was going to help.
    – DA.
    Commented Feb 24, 2015 at 5:48
  • It is better if john's wife is related to marcus...make it like john's wife is marcus baby sister. They could show it in a picture in marcus house. Thats why marcus helps john. For me that would be the best plot. Marcus was called to help his brother in law, john
    – user19339
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 8:26
  • I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in the film that Marcus trained John so maybe it was some teacher student loyalty.
    – user21025
    Commented May 6, 2015 at 12:01

4 Answers 4

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Marcus was given the contract to kill John Wick. Then the next thing we know that he was helping John Wick. Question is why? Did I miss anything?

You did not miss anything. As already mentioned in the comments, Marcus helped John because they were good old friends. One way of knowing that is that Marcus is shown attending John's wife's funeral at the beginning. As to the "Marcus helping John part", it's because, at the last moment, Marcus chose friendship over money.

They must have been communicating, otherwise Marcus wouldn't know when and where John will be.

No. They were not communicating. Marcus knows that John is at Hotel Continental because that's where all the gangsters reside when they're attending business and John is staying in the same room he used in the old times before he retired.

John wasn't worried about the first shooter, he was fighting Perkins as if there is no other killer. So John knew Marcus is helping him.

No. If you re-watch the scene again, you'll notice that John knows that someone is shooting but his main priority is to deal with Perkins who is an immediate threat to his life.

Even when they meet after the saving of John Wick for the second time they don't discuss really why Marcus helped him?

It doesn't matter. As the main villain mentioned in the beginning, John Wick is sheer will and focus. I'm guessing that John is intelligent enough to understand that Marcus took the contract for money but for the old times and Friendship's sake, he changed his mind.

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    Haven't seen the second one yet, although I've just recently watched the first one. I have to say, it wasn't clear to me if the shot Marcus gave by the side of John's head in the hotel was a warning to wake him up or a real miss.
    – LeonX
    Commented Jun 28, 2017 at 19:33
  • @LeonFreire WereSheep Lightbringer's answer explains about the gun shot scene more accurately, the gun shot was to wake him up to signal him that Perkins trying to kill him.
    – chaitanya89
    Commented Jun 29, 2017 at 5:34
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    I don't think "at the last moment, Marcus chose friendship over money.". In my interpretation, Marcus chose friendship as soon as he was given the contract. He decided to help John, but kept it well hidden from his 'employer'.
    – Martijn Heemels
    Commented Jan 28, 2018 at 19:11
  • @MartijnHeemels You're correct, after reading the other answer I got to know that Marcus was playing all along and was on John Wick's side.
    – chaitanya89
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 6:36
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I joined here just to answer your question because I find the movie really cool. Here's my opinion. Communication isn't necessary at all. Viggo said they're "close" so yeah it's granted that he knows John's every move. When Marcus made a deal with Viggo, he's been betraying him(Viggo) all along and has been covering John Wick's back. When he's about to come into the Continental, Marcus has been watching over him. In the hotel that night, that shot isn't missed, it was intentional (there's no way a serial killer would miss a shot on a sleeping person's head even though it's John Wick), why? he saw beforehand that there's someone else in that room, and he shot his pillow to wake John Wick up. He didn't shoot that Perkins directly maybe because imo he respects John Wick to take care of her and yeah he fought in the Hotel without worrying anything because he knows he got his back covered by his friend Marcus.

Edit: I don't think Marcus is related to Helen(John Wick's wife) like the other person said. In the burial, he asked, "Marcus what exactly are you doing here.". I think it would be really rude.

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    its a good answer but you mean professional killer instead of serial killer i am presuming because Marcus isn't a serial killer.
    – Dredd
    Commented Jul 7, 2015 at 17:45
  • @Dredd From a purely legal standpoint, I imagine Marcus is a serial killer, unless he's a truly awful professional hitman (i.e. he's killed less than three people).
    – Anthony Grist
    Commented Mar 7, 2016 at 16:36
  • I just watched John Wick again and noticed this question. In my opinion this should be the accepted answer. Marcus would never miss a shot like that and just shot the pillow to make John aware of the intruder.
    – Nic
    Commented Jan 16, 2017 at 9:38
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Well, i think that John stole Marcus wife Helen and that why Vigo said I think you would find it personnel. But at the end, Marcus respects that John really loved his wife and respected the fact of her passing. And that's why Marcus's was at the wedding in the beginning of the movie that's why John asks what are you doing here.

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  • Any source to support same. In movie, it is never mentioned that Helen was Marcus wife ?
    – Panther
    Commented Oct 2, 2016 at 19:07
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What I was thinking is that Marcus was offered millions to kill him, yet someone else was doing the killing, meaning he wouldn't get the money. So by rescuing him, that gives him a new opportunity to follow through with the original contract. This is what I thought at first, but then they met again and were cordial. He didn't try to kill him, and told him it was time to go home. Then, the other guys must have known that, because then they killed Marcus, and this was also to get that guy's anger out about his son. It appears that the student's skille exceeded the master by that point, or did it? Because John Wick's timing was not enough to save Marcus, the way Marcus had saved him; food for thought.

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