There have been plenty of great action franchises since the turn of the century, but two of the best tell the stories of master assassins. John Wick and Jason Bourne have been definitive figures in our recent pop cultural landscape, although their runs barely overlap at all. Wick was introduced in 2014, just two years before Jason Bourne brought an end to the lengthy Bourne movie saga.
Given the prominence of both characters in any action movie lover’s life, though, it’s only natural to wonder what might happen if these two were to go toe-to-toe with one another. It would certainly be a long, bloody, battle, but here’s who we think would emerge victorious.
Sharpshooting: Wick
Both John Wick and Jason Bourne are expert shots, but we’ve got to give this one to Wick. A gun is his weapon of choice, and he regularly takes people down with lethal precision. For instance, in John Wick: Chapter 4‘s standout scene, he utilizes his gun, plus some expert driving skills, to take down a cadre of assassins in downtown Paris.
Every Wick movie is characterized in part by his ability to take out one enemy after another with only a pistol to defend himself. Jason Bourne is definitely a better shot than most, but he doesn’t have the same abilities as Wick in this department.
Strength: Bourne
This one’s a little tricky, in part because Wick is older in his movies than Bourne is in his. Even so, it seems likely that Bourne would have the edge here.
Many more of Bourne’s fights are hand-to-hand and at close range, and his skills are so innate that he can use them without even remembering he has them. Wick, by contrast, can sometimes look visibly tired, and while he tends to find the upper hand in physical confrontation, he often relies on a weapon when he’s outmatched.
Smarts: Bourne
As much as physical skill matters, the most important element of any battle may ultimately be who is the most intelligent. Both Wick and Bourne certainly have plenty of intelligence, but Wick definitely does a little bit less careful planning than Bourne.
Instead, he mostly just finds a good weapon and marches into a room filled with hostile people, hoping for the best. Bourne definitely makes his share of mistakes, but he’s fundamentally an intelligence officer and he has the analytical skills to handle almost any situation.
Willpower: Wick
Although these are both characters with plenty of willpower, it’s hard to argue with Wick’s sheer endurance. He faces off with often insane numbers of enemies and almost always seems to emerge largely unscathed.
He simply has the kind of will to survive that makes him very difficult to kill. You could definitely say the same about Bourne, but it seems like Wick would ultimately outlast here if everything else were equal. Bourne may want to endure, but he’s not quite as superhuman as Wick often seems to be.
Winner: Wick
It’ll definitely be a close fight, but it’s hard to imagine that Wick doesn’t walk out with his life. Given his superior skills with guns and his will to survive, the likeliest scenario is that he finds a way to win some sort of extended shootout with Bourne.
Bourne may have the edge in creativity, but ultimately, Wick is smart enough and strong enough to blunt Bourne’s advantage. It would be a fight for the ages, but at the end of it, the Baba Yaga would emerge the winner.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is playing in theaters. You can rent or purchase all the Jason Bourne movies at a variety of digital vendors.
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