John Wick 4: Who is Killa? Scott Adkins’ character explained

Chris Tilly
Scott Adkins as Kill in John Wick: Chapter 4.

In John Wick Chapter 4, the title character has to fight an opponent called Killa, who is quite unlike anyone he has ever faced – here’s everything we know about Scott Adkins’ character.

We’re just a couple of days away from John Wick: Chapter 4 hitting cinemas. You can read our review here, while the film’s official synopsis is as follows…

A new day is dawning in Wick’s world: new rules, new ideas, and new management, as personified by The High Table’s sadistic frontman, Marquis. But now, win or lose, Wick has a way out: challenge the Marquis to single combat. If Wick prevails, the Table will honor its word and Wick will no longer have a target on his back. Whatever the fateful outcome, John Wick knows that he left a good life behind a long time ago.

The film introduces new heroes and villains, including Donny Yen’s Caine, and Bill Skarsgård’s The Marquis. Here we’re taking a look at another addition to the John Wick ensemble – Scott Adkins’ Killa.

John Wick 4: Who is Killa?

Killa is introduced in a nightclub in Berlin, where he is dealing cards at a card table. Killa is brother of Queen of the Romas Katia (Natalia Tena), has gold front teeth, laughs a lot, and is huge.

As actor Scott Adkins explains: “Killa was once a feared and revered assassin, but obviously he’s let himself go.”

The character is inspired by Signor Ferrari, the morally ambiguous nightclub owner who was played by Sidney Greenstreet in Casablanca.

How did Scott Adkins play Killa?

Scott Adkins is one of the most successful and in-demand action stars working today. Born in the West Midlands in England in 1976, he made his name in the Undisputed movies before appearing in the likes of The Expendables 2 and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.

Adkins has also popped up in The Bourne Ultimatum, Zero Dark Thirty, and Doctor Strange. While away from movies, he’s experienced in pretty much every martial art out there, meaning his action credentials are second-to-none.

Adkins is also all muscle however, meaning he looks nothing like the Killa on the page. But Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski was keen to cast him as the character, so Adkins wears a plus-sized body suit to play the role.

Weighed down by the prosthetics, Adkins had to come up with a new way of both moving and fighting to play Killa, revealing: “We landed upon a style that’s a bit of the MMA version of Mike Tyson.”

For more John Wick: Chapter 4 coverage, check out the below articles…

Review | Is John Wick true? | Killa explained | Ranking the movies | Is there a post-credits scene? | Marquis explained | Ballerina cameo | How long is Chapter 4? | Caine explained | Potential Chapter 5 | What happens to Charon? | 13 Best John Wick kills | Post-credit scene explained | Does the dog die? | Keanu Reeves on emotional ending | Is Chapter 5 streaming? | Movies to watch if you like JW | Will there be a Chapter 5?

Related Topics

About The Author

Chris Tilly is the TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He has a BA in English Literature, an MA in Newspaper Journalism, and over the last 20 years, he's worked for the likes of Time Out, IGN, and Fandom. Chris loves Star Wars, Marvel, DC, sci-fi, and especially horror, while he knows maybe too much about Alan Partridge. You can email him here: chris.tilly@dexerto.com.