Santino D'Antonio

"No wife. No home. No dog. You have nothing, John. Vengeance is all you have left."

- Santino D'Antonio

Santino D'Antonio is the main antagonist of the 2017 film John Wick: Chapter 2, the sequel to the 2014 film John Wick. He is an Italian Mafia boss and the head of the D'Antonio Crime Family. He seeks to join the High Table by killing his sister and taking her seat.

He is portrayed by Riccardo Scamarcio.

Pre-John Wick
John Wick, to complete his "impossible task" assigned by Viggo Tarasov, which allowed him to retire and marry his deceased wife, Helen, asked Santino for help. As a form of contract, Santino swore John to a "Marker," an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion.

John Wick: Chapter 2
After John came out of retirement to seek revenge on Viggo and Iosef, Santino decides to visit John Wick and presents the medallion to demand service from him. However, John refuses to honor the oath, claiming that he is retied. In retaliation, Santino destroys John's house with a grenade launcher.

John later decides to honor his oath, with some convincing from Winston, and goes to see Santino to find out what his mission for him is. Santino tasks him with assassinating his sister, Gianna D'Antonio, so he could take her spot at the High Table.

After John succeeds in his mission, Santino sends Ares, his personal (and mute) bodyguard, and several of his goons to kill John to tie up loose ends. However, John kills most of his men and escapes. Santino then tries to phone call John, but the assassin refuses to listen. Santino then places a 7 million dollar bounty on John Wick's head, prompting hitmen from all over the world to try and assassinate him.

John fends off most of the assassins, but is wounded while doing so. He later finds out Santino's location at an art exhibit from the Bowery King. John goes to confront the Mafia boss while he is holding a party. Upon noticing John, Santino quickly flees while his henchmen fight the ex-hitman.

Santino escapes into the "Reflections of the Soul" exhibit and mocks John, saying he has nothing left but revenge. While John heads into the exhibit to confront him, Ares arrives with several grunts. Although John manages to kill all of the grunts as well as Ares, Santino manages to escape.

Santino flees to the Continental Hotel, knowing that John can't kill him there because the rules forbid it. While there, Santino demanded that Winston revoke John's membership to the Continental, but Winston refused as John had not broken any rules. When John arrives in search of Santino and confronts him as he is eating, Santino smugly makes it clear to John that he intends to remain in it's sanctuary indefinitely, protected by the rules. However, despite Winston's warnings, John then shoots and kills Santino in the Continental lounge much to the shock and dismay of Winston.

Unfortunately for John, as a direct result of Santino's death, Santino's contract is, per the High Table, doubled and offered globally. John is also declared "excommunicado" from the Continental as a consequences for his actions, losing all access and privileges to underworld resources, almost certainly dooming him to future assassins who began to hunt him down.