WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for John Wick 1-4.

Summary

• Winston referring to John Wick as Jonathan implies a close relationship between the two characters, reinforced by Winston's role as a guide and mentor to John.
• Winston consistently breaks the rules for John Wick, bending the principles of the Continental Hotel and risking the integrity of the Underworld, suggesting a deep care and loyalty towards John.
• The nickname "Jonathan" is not John Wick's actual full name, indicating that it is likely a personal nickname Winston has given him, potentially ing the theory that Winston is John's father.

Winston from John Wick always calls the beloved Keanu Reeves character by his full name, Jonathan. Winston Scott, played by Ian McShane (Deadwood, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), has appeared in all four installments of the John Wick franchise as the owner of the New York Continental Hotel. This luxurious hotel is known as a neutral safe zone where the assassins and other criminals in the John Wick universe cannot be harmed. As the acting manager of the hotel, Winston oversees all activity that occurs on the premises and enforces punishments on those who break the Continental's established rules.

Winston constantly refers to John Wick as Jonathan which immediately implies a closeness between the two characters that is reinforced throughout the John Wick film series. Above all, Winston is a firm upholder of the principles of the Continental Hotel, which often forces him to act from the objective stance of the Continental's interest rather than taking sides of any individual people. Despite Winston's strict adherence to the Continental code, his alliance with John Wick remains undeniable, especially considering that he is the only person to refer to the notorious killer by an informal but also inaccurate first name.

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Winston Calling John Wick "Jonathan" Shows Their Close Relationship

At a first glance, Winston calling John Wick "Jonathan" has an authoritative, even parental undertone. Winston's character, particularly in the original John Wick (2014), also acts as a voice of reason and even a guide or mentor to "Jonathan", which contributes to the trending theme of Winston caring for John Wick in a personal way. Despite discouraging John's attempts to find out information at the Continetnal about the Russian criminal Iosef Tarasov who killed his dog in the first move, Winston ultimately bends his own rules by telling John where he might be able to find him.

Winston consistently bends the rules for John Wick in ways that he wouldn't for other characters and even risked sacrificing the integrity of the Continental and the Underworld at large just to give Wick a fair chance to fend for himself.

Winston has also shown necessary mercy for John Wick that reveals his care for the character, particularly in 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 when he allows "Jonathan" to get an hour-long head start before placing an inevitable bounty on his head for killing Santino D'Antonio on Continental grounds. Winston consistently bends the rules for John Wick in ways that he wouldn't for other characters and even risked sacrificing the integrity of the Continental and the Underworld at large just to give Wick a fair chance to fend for himself. This evidence heavily s the theory that "Jonathan" may in fact be a term of endearment.

"Jonathan" Is Not John Wick's Full Name

What's even more interesting about the "Jonathan" name that Winston frequently uses is that it's not even John Wick's actual full name. Wick's full name is Jardani Jovonovich which he used to go by before adopting the alias "John Wick." Further, if Jonathan was actually John Wick's full name, then it would have to be spelled as "Jon Wick" instead. This indicates that the name "Jonathan" is likely something that Winston has arrived at by himself, like a personal nickname close friends or loved ones would have for each other. This point ultimately makes the making the meaning of "Jonathan" even more significant.

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Winston's Nickname For John Wick Makes 1 Big Theory More Likely

Throughout the John Wick franchise and fandom, there is growing for the theory that Winston is actually John Wick's father and that the biggest clue of all is the "Jonathan" nickname he has for him throughout the film series. Despite Winston's seemingly antagonistic opposition against John in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, resulting in Winston shooting and nearly killing him at the end of the third installment, John Wick: Chapter 4 proved once and for all that Winston's alliance with "Jonathan" remained unscathed and fully intact.

This kind of rare, infallible loyalty between Winston and John Wick makes it seem like the relationship between the two is sourced in something deeper than friendship, respect, and professional alliance alone. The biggest hint of all that s the Winston and John Wick father-son theory arrives in the very final moments of John Wick: Chapter 4, in which Winston looked over "Jonathan's" grave and says in Russian "Goodbye, my son." While this could be interpreted as a figure of speech to demonstrate the fatherly type of relationship Winston had with John Wick, it could also have been the last piece of the puzzle that proves Winston all along was ing his son "Jonathan."