# Bad Guys Vs John Wick Bad Guys vs. John Wick is a 2019 image macro series that jokes about how terrified fictional villains would be watching Keanu Reeves' hitman pick up an everyday object like a pencil or a crayon. The format took off on Reddit and iFunny after users riffed on the pencil kill running gag from John Wick: Chapter 2. ## Overview Bad Guys vs. John Wick is an image macro built around the running gag from the John Wick film series where Keanu Reeves' hitman can turn any household object into a lethal weapon, most famously a pencil[1]. The format typically pairs a grinning shot of Wick holding some innocuous item with a caption written from the perspective of enemies who thought they had him beaten once he ran out of bullets[2]. The humor works because the joke is self-aware about the movies themselves. Characters in John Wick: Chapter 2 openly warn each other about the pencil kill, so the meme just extends that anxiety to any object a poster wants to swap in[1]. Later variants cycle through crayons, staplers and other harmless props to keep the punchline fresh[3]. ## How It Spread The format jumped platforms almost immediately. On May 22, 2019, iFunny user Jacob1336 reworked the image by swapping the pencil for a crayon, and the post cleared 110,000 upvotes within two days[3]. The next day, May 23, Redditor -DefaultName- mashed the concept up with the "Pablo, Why Aren't We Alive" template, gathering roughly 23,000 points and 85 comments in 24 hours[5]. Over the following days more Reddit users cranked out variations that swapped in different mundane objects, cementing the crayon and pencil versions as the templates people kept returning to[4]. The meme kept resurfacing whenever new John Wick sequels put Keanu Reeves back in the spotlight, since the household-weapons gag is a fixed part of the franchise's identity[1]. ## How to Use To make one, people typically pair a still of Keanu Reeves as John Wick holding a specific item, often a pencil or a crayon, with a two-line caption. The common convention writes the villains' relieved reaction first ("finally we are going to kill John Wick") and then Wick's move (picking up the object). Swapping the object for something even more absurd is the usual way to riff on the template. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Bad Guys Vs John Wick? It is a 2019 image macro that jokes about enemies realizing Keanu Reeves' John Wick can kill them with any household item, usually a pencil or a crayon[2]. ### Where did Bad Guys Vs John Wick come from? Redditor ethan_photoshops posted the first widely shared version to r/memes on May 21, 2019, using a still of Wick holding a pencil[2]. ### What does Bad Guys Vs John Wick mean? The joke plays off the John Wick films' running gag that Wick can turn ordinary objects into weapons, especially the pencil kill referenced in Chapter 2[1]. ### How do you use Bad Guys Vs John Wick? People typically pair a smiling Wick holding a mundane object with a two-line caption where enemies celebrate too early, then Wick picks up the item[3]. ### Is Bad Guys Vs John Wick still popular? The pencil and crayon versions from May 2019 are still the reference templates, and the format resurfaces whenever new John Wick sequels put the character back in circulation[4]. ## References 1. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Quotes/JohnWick]() 2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/]() 3. [https://ifunny.co/]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bad-guys-vs-john-wick]() 5. [https://www.reddit.com/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/bad-guys-vs-john-wick Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library