- "The Almighty made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The High Table have given us three days and not a single minute of rest. Know that if I go down... I'm taking all of you down with me. You understand? Your failure humiliates me, and it's no secret what I do to those who humiliate me."
- —Cormac O'Connor[src]
Cormac O'Connor was a notorious crime lord and manager of the New York Continental during the 1970's who raised Winston Scott and his brother, Frankie Scott as criminals from childhood. He was also the master of a young Charon in the 1970's. He is the main antagonist of The Continental: From the World of John Wick.
Biography[]
Cormac meeting Frankie at the hotel's New Year's celebration.
- "Hey, everybody, I picked this one off the street when he was yay high. Trained him myself , and now look at the son of a bitch."
- —Cormac on Frankie Scott
Back in the 70's, The New York Continental held its New Year's celebration with Cormac O'Connor handling the event. With the celebration's theme of disco and crazy nightlife, Frankie Scott enters the party and meets Cormac. Cormac then tells his friends about Frankie, how he got to adopt and train him when he was still young. Moments later, Frankie started a massacre inside the hotel grounds with his plot to steal Cormac's coin press that is kept in a secret vault. The High Table uses the coin press to create the gold coins utilized by the criminal underworld. Frankie successfully steal the coin press and escapes with the help of Yen.
In the morning, Cormac with anger and frustration, told his henchmen to line up in a row, commanding Mr. Flynn, one of Cormac's men to shoot Mr. Avery, just beside each other. Mr. Flynn then reminds Cormac about the rules of the Continental regarding ''business'' on Continental grounds. Charon, being his personal assistant and right-hand man, orders to open the veranda doors. Cormac then tells his henchmen about how frustrated he is, not being able to retrieved his coin press and informs the meaning of ''excommunicado''. Later, Mr. Avery afterwards fell from the balcony to his death.
Cormac confronting his henchmen.
- "Imagine me walking out these doors, you know, alive...but suddenly unprotected from all the people I've hurt over the last 40 years. My enemies'd hunt me down. Or worse. What if they found my family? A wife, son, a daughter. Or two. Luckily, I have no one, just Charon here, who is only a teenager, and I would miss him. But you? Well, you got a family. You got a whole tribe in Tribeca. So you got a choice to make. You could walk outta here right now, leaving your family at grave risk. Or...you can spare their lives. Simply find the nearest balcony...and jump."
- —Cormac to Mr. Avery
Winston Scott was kidnapped in London, which was ordered by Cormac. Winston was then brought to his office in the New York Continental. Winston tells him that he got old with the years gone by leading both to laugh. With a sudden change of his mood's expression, Cormac then asked Winston about Frankie's whereabouts. Winston, who had no idea what had happened, asked Cormac about Frankie, to which Cormac replied that Frankie had stolen something extremely important to him, the coin press. Winston then tells Cormac that he no longer cares for his brother, but Cormac refuses to believe him. He subsequently told Winston to go find Frankie and recover his coin press. If Winston fails, he and his brother will face Cormac's resentment.
Cormac facing Winston Scott.
- "Find him. Cause if you don't, I'll bring the weight of this whole institution down on you both."
- —Cormac to Winston Scott
Cormac then dispatches his mob to find Winston, Frankie, and Yen in an abandoned theater where they were discovered. However, they evaded his henchmen and seek assistance from Charlie. While Cormac was checking out his newly sewed suits with his personal tailor, Charon then informs his boss that their crew has failed to locate them since they've escaped. Cormac then orders Charon to call the Twins, Hansel and Gretel in their room. The Twins then agreed and successfully assassinated Frankie Scott. They then retrieved the coin press from Frankie, only to find out that a monkey figurine with a raised middle finger gesture is what's inside the press. With Cormac finding out, he rages and slams his desk, knowing it is a fake one.
Cormac's reaction while the Adjudicator tastes his meal without her mask.
While Cormac was having his lunch inside the hotel's dining room, he was accompanied by Charon and Thomas. Thomas is Cormac's personal cellist for his day-to-day music. an Adjudicator from the High Table has arrived and approaches Cormac without expecting her. The Adjudicator then informs him about the New Year's event, telling him that wealthy people like him still seeks comfort in the face of adversary. The Adjudicator then removes her mask revealing something unnerving within her face, causing Cormac's face to fill with disgust with him losing his appetite. The Adjudicator further tells him that the events of the missing coin press had brought attention to the High Table. She then tells him that he has only three days to find and retrieve the missing coin press. If he fails, the High Table will declare interregnum at his position until they can find a new one to replace him. The Adjudicator then leaves with Cormac still disturbed with her face.
While Thomas the cellist approaches Cormac, he's playing a game of golf for his own entertainment. Thomas then asks Cormac about a conservatory in Ireland accepting him an opportunity to be a student there. Cormac then hears about it and congratulates him. He then asked Thomas a question regarding the school with him knowing the location, making Thomas surprised. Cormac then shows a sign of support to him. Thomas thanks him with a tone of shock and confusion.
Cormac then questions why he seemed astonished by his capacity to wield influence and power, knowing everything about his institution doubting Charon told him. When Thomas told him about what Charon said regarding his intention to stay in the hotel to serve him, Cormac's countenance changed from blank to enraged, and asked him to play music that describes Charon's commitment. Thomas then performs in front of him with theme of the musical piece, ''loyalty to the master''. While he plays his cello continuously, Cormac then tells him to keep playing, as he strides along throughout the entirety of the room. He then approaches Thomas from the back. Striking his head twice using a golf club, knocking him down. With blood all over him, he continues to smash Thomas' head and his cello a couple more times with full rage. Later, Charon arrived and saw Thomas' corpse lying on the floor. Cormac then lies to Charon, claiming that he stole something important and that this is the result of his actions. Charon then asked him about what Thomas tried to steal and Cormac then goes on to answer, ''You''.
Cormac striking Thomas' head with a golf club.
- "Join the club, you... mother!... fucker! You... take... my breath away."
- —Cormac while smashing Thomas' head
Cormac then told Charon to make the elixir or drugs he used to calm or stimulate himself. After that, he prays before sniffing it. Cormac becomes outraged as he realizes Winston will attack with his crew to take over his position in the hotel, and the Adjudicator's warning fuels his hatred once more. He then piles up a stack of books on a glass table and smashes it to feel his rage.
Cormac unleashing his outrage.
- "The High Table wants to send me to the glue factory. This is my house! It was ordained. From us Charon, from us. And the audacity of that Adjudicator to mark me with an expiration date. That fucking rat-chewed mutant. She comes from the rib and I from the marrow of the Almighty!"
- —Cormac O'Connor expressing his anger
Cormac and his mob discovering Winston and Charon in the armory vault.
Winston was then captured once again by Cormac's henchmen, who questioned him angrily about the coin press. With Winston reluctant to answer Cormac's questioning, Cormac orders Charon to open to doors balcony, for "a breath of fresh". But really, Cormac plans to throw Winston off. This plan is stopped short when both of Cormac's henchmen holding Winston are killed by Jenkin's rifle. Cormac, surprised, then runs to his desk to alert the Inimicus alarm button but fails. He attempts to grab his shotgun, not realizing that Charon took it, aiming at him. Because Charon was unable to shoot directly, Cormac was able to flee. He then used a secret route to tear down a wall and enter another room. When the red light signals red, it tells everyone on Continental premises that killing is allowed. Cormac then grabs his henchmen by knocking on their doors within the hallways to hunt for Winston. Winston then ordered Cormac to open the vault. Cormac then approaches the vault with his key, almost opening it but smashes the key in half, to prove no entry. Cormac then directly switches off the lights, leading to a dark shoot out throughout the place. With all of his mob dead and him escaping. Cormac heads to the elevator. He then was accompanied by a bellman in the elevator but later killed him due to rules of being announced first before going to the specific floor, known as the operations room.
- "Nobody's getting into this armory! Kill all this cocksuckers!"
- —Cormac ordering his men to start the shootout
He then enters the hotel's operations room where he announces a $2,000,000 bounty on Winston's head leading all guests continuously searching for him. With Charon and Winston sending bombs through mail vents to all the hotel's location, Cormac witnessing this becomes outraged. He then killed his I.T operator. When a telephone rang next to him, Cormac answered it revealing it was an Adjudicator calling the operator all along. He then activates the hotel's self-destruction feature. While using an elevator going beneath the hotel, KD sees him at the elevator. Winston then asks Charon where he might find Cormac and follows him. Winston then confronts Cormac beneath the hotel, prompting both of them to fight. Back in the day, Cormac ordered Winston and Frankie to burn down a building killing KD's family when they were kids with, with KD listening and knowing. KD then shoots Cormac in the stomach, leaving him unfazed for a countable amount of seconds, then once in the head, ultimately killing him and bringing him down. Winston then uses Cormac's severed hand to shut down the hotel's self destruct feature, with seconds left to spare.
Personality[]
Winston in Cormac's office
- "A father figure is responsible for teaching you about loyalty and family, relationships and business. And Cormac may preach this, but he only cares about one thing... himself. And sooner or later, you’re gonna realize it's either you or him. I'm offering you a chance to decide who you want to be before it's too late."
- —Winston Scott to Charon[src]
Cormac appears to be a gentle father figure but he is, in truth, a vindictive, amoral, and unhinged person. He is selfish and power-hungry, and is indifferent of others' welfare but only his own. He easily becomes irritated and will never hesitate to inflict violence on people who he thinks can potentially betray him. He is also shown to be religious, as he kneels down to pray and uses Biblical themes to express his feelings about the lost coins press and the High Table's warning, contrasting to his rageful and wicked personality. So wicked that even he treated his employees even worse such as killing his own henchmen, bellman, cellist and I.T operator within the hotel.
- "It took David five smooth stones to topple the giant. Me, I got a big-ass boulder up my sleeve. I hold one sweet secret that can bring this entire empire down and swallow it whole. I can make all their secrets and all their souls vanish. One trigger is my palm, and the other is the palm of Orson, the bloated freak that lives in the floor. Yeah. I'll take them all with me if I have to. It'll be one Pyrrhic punch in the face. This'll always be my kingdom, press or no press!"
- —Cormac O'Connor
Skills and Abilities[]
Cormac O'Connor on the Continental's stairs.
- "I remember thinking, "This is the scariest man I have ever seen." The first thing he did was point out that my shoes were falling apart, as if I didn't have any self-respect."
- —Winston Scott to Charon[src]
- Skilled Brawler: Though Cormac has no known background in martial arts or in any fighting styles, He was able to face in a hand-to-hand combat with Winston.
- Intimidation: Cormac is shown as an imposing presence who makes people feel threatened, overwhelmed, or even scared. He is always in command of the discourse, desiring everything he owns, particularly his coin press.
- Massive Strength: He has a strength who has killed individuals by bashing them in the skull with a powered force. In addition, He was able to destroy tables and even his own vault key.
Cormac leading his henchmen.
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- "Get a move on. Come on. What are we waiting for? It's open season on Winston Scott!"
- —Cormac while leading his mob
- Influenced Power: Cormac also appeared to have vast management skills, since he managed the entire New York Continental as well as his own mob within the hotel, demonstrating his influence.
Weaknesses[]
Cormac isn't shown to have many weaknesses throughout his entirety, but he does have a growing hatred to those who are superior than him, and those who try to take what is rightfully his.
- Trust: While Cormac has had numerous relations with criminals throughout the hotel, trust never plays out in the end for Cormac. Even Cormac's right-hand man in The Continental, Charon, ends up betraying Cormac to help Winston. Trust has become such a key factor for Cormac, that he's the only person to carry the special key to the armory vault.
Equipment[]
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Weapons[]
- "Keep playing. Everyone's gonna miss your music. I think I'll take a mulligan. Join the club, you... motherfucker! You... take... my breath away."
- —Cormac O'Connor to Thomas[src]
- Golf Club: Cormac smashed Thomas' head in with a golf club.
Trivia[]
- The name "Cormac" means "Charioteer" in Irish.
- It also shows the connection that the sculptures and decorations throughout the hotel, particularly in his office, involve horses.
- Mel Gibson, who plays Cormac, may have been eyeing this particular role the entire time. During a Behind The Scenes video for The Continental, Kirk Ward, the show's showrunner, said that he had gotten a call from Mel Gibson, saying he wanted to do this.
Gallery[]
