Christopher Lloyd’s Nobody 2 Role Confirms The Franchise’s Biggest John Wick Difference

Summary Nobody 2 sets itself apart from John Wick with the return of Christopher Lloyd, proving its unique family dynamic.

Bob Odenkirk's Nobody successfully bridges the gap between John Wick films, offering a refreshing take on former assassins.

Family plays a crucial role in Nobody's storyline, emphasizing the protagonist's motivations and personal stakes, a big departure from John Wick.

Nobody 2 has officially confirmed the return of Christopher Lloyd, allowing the franchise to prove its biggest John Wick difference. Bob Odenkirk's Nobody acted as the perfect John Wick replacement in 2021 as it conveniently split up the wait between the third and fourth installment of Keanu Reeves' action series. The two franchises share creators and follow similar stories of former assassins coming out of retirement to fight off powerful enemies, making comparisons inevitable. While being compared to John Wick is a huge compliment for Nobody, it has still a hard time escaping the bigger franchise's shadow.

Although Nobody does some things better than John Wick, the latter has grossed over $1 billion across its four movies and is a huge mainstream success, making it the more popular series. Thankfully, the similarities didn't hurt Odenkirk's film as it was a critical and financial success, proving it can stand on its own. Like John Wick, the movie has plenty of unique action sequences and masters the gun-fu style of action, but Nobody's biggest difference comes from its characters and relationships. With Christopher Lloyd set to reprise his role, the sequel looks to double down on this element.

Related Nobody 2 Villain Actor Teases The Franchise's Own Version Of John Wick's High Table Nobody 2 officially announced who will be playing its main villain, which hints at the sequel introducing its own version of John Wick's High Table.

Christopher Lloyd Reprising His Role As Hutch’s Dad Proves How Important Family Is In Nobody

The Return Of Christopher Lloyd's David Mansell Means Hutch's Family Will Be Critical To Nobody 2's Story

Christopher Lloyd played David Mansell - Hutch's dad - in Nobody and will do so again in the sequel, proving how important family is in the franchise. Rather than being a wise old veteran who gives his son some simple advice, David got involved in Nobody's final battle, proving he was more than capable of assisting his son during high-stakes action. His role was an excellent part of the movie, and his return suggests the rest of Hutch's family could be back as well, which would be fitting, considering family is one of Nobody's biggest themes.

Despite being a violent and action-packed movie, the whole plot stemmed from Hutch tracking down his daughter's stolen bracelet. Hutch managed to restrain himself from fighting back during a home invasion despite his former experience as an assassin, but having such a sentimental item go missing was enough to bring him out of retirement. Although this unintentionally led to him getting involved in something bigger, it's clear his daughter's happiness was worth Hutch risking his life.

Hutch also restricted himself to a relatively mundane life and concealed his violent nature for the sake of his family, showing how much he cared about them.

Hutch also restricted himself to a relatively mundane life and concealed his violent nature for the sake of his family, showing how much he cared about them. While Nobody 2's story will likely follow on from the previous film and be less about protecting Hutch's loved ones, the protagonist will still mainly be fighting for them and Lloyd's casting suggests his dad will also be by his side, showcasing that family is an integral part of the franchise.

John Wick Rarely Focuses On The Theme Of Family

John Wick Has The Ultimate Lone Wolf Mission

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In contrast to Nobody, John Wick's narrative doesn't focus much on family and instead explores John's story as a lone wolf. Although the first film revolved around John's deceased wife, most of his journey afterward centered around him trying to leave the world of assassins and gain his freedom. While John has honored his friendships and alliances over the years, he doesn't fight and kill to protect people or out of love, he does it to try and leave such a violent world behind; however, this usually leads to him gaining even more enemies.

John Wick Created by Derek Kolstad First Film John Wick

The protagonist doesn't lack compassion, but throughout John Wick's timeline, he never develops a new love interest to protect. He does have long-term allies who he has risked his life for on occasion, but this isn't the central theme of the franchise. Even when John reconnected with his adoptive mother and sister, it wasn't a particularly warm scene and proved family relationships held little value in the action series. Worrying predominantly about himself is one of the traits that made John Wick such a compelling and refreshing character, which is why audiences found him so fascinating.

Why Hutch & John Wick Both Work Despite Their Differing Motivations

Both Characters Are Easy To Like Despite Fighting For Different Things

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John Wick and Hutch may have different motivations in each of their respective stories, but both franchises make their protagonists work. Hutch being a family man is an instant way to win over audiences as his desire to keep his loved ones safe is a very relatable trait, and fighting for something greater than himself is not only noble, but it's also what makes him so dangerous. Concealing his more violent side for the sake of his wife and children is admirable but unleashing it on those who threaten his family is also justifiable, making Hutch a likable protagonist.

Nobody 2, and John Wick's spinoff movie, Ballerina, are both expected to be released in 2025.

On the flip side, John Wick's main motivation after the first film is survival, which offers something completely different to Hutch. The Baba Yaga just wanted to live a quiet life with his dog, but this was interrupted, forcing him to come out of retirement and show how deadly he is. John is still sympathetic - considering he rarely starts any of his conflicts - but he is also more than capable of fighting the most skilled assassins, making him incredibly exciting to watch.

Despite being driven by different things, Nobody and John Wick both use their protagonists to great effect, and their respectable personalities make it easy to root for them, even when they're on a killing spree.