Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s action film ‘The Man from Toronto’ revolves around the titular assassin (Woody Harrelson), who gets hired by a former Venezuelan colonel named Sebastian Marín to find the activation keys of a bomb. The Man from Toronto AKA simply Toronto’s mission gets jeopardized when a fitness center employee named Teddy Jackson gets involved in the same. Marín believes that Teddy is the assassin, only for the FBI to use him to get to Marín. As the film progresses through Teddy and the mysterious Toronto’s combined efforts to fulfill the mission, the viewers must be wondering what really is the real name of the assassin. On that note, let us share our thoughts regarding the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
What is the Real Name of the Man from Toronto?
The Man from Toronto or Toronto doesn’t have a real name or at least a known real name. The assassin is either referred to as the Man from Toronto or simply Toronto among the authorities and his fellow assassins. Even the FBI fails to find his name and had to settle with the alias he uses in the crime world. There can be several reasons behind Toronto not having or revealing a name. First of all, he is part of an international crime syndicate that includes several similar assassins/hitmen without a proper name.
Toronto can be abiding by the rules of the syndicate by not revealing his real name. Like Toronto, there are other hitmen like the Man from Miami, the Man from Moscow, the Man from Tokyo, etc. in contact with the Handler, who also refrains from revealing her name. The assassins, including Toronto, may need to keep their names private to keep the authorities away, especially if they have a normal/regular life in their respective communities. Separating their alias and their real name must be helping them to separate their lives as assassins and typical civilians.
Why Does The Man from Toronto Not Have a Real Name?
As far as Toronto is concerned, he needs to keep his name a secret as he plans to put an end to his life as an assassin. He dreams to lead a tranquil and violence-free life while running a restaurant. After living a major part of his life under the alias “the Man from Toronto,” he may want to lead the rest of his life as himself, with his real name and identity. If Toronto had already revealed it, he might have had to rely on another fake identity for the rest of his life, which would have been tiring for someone who wants to stop pretending.
Relinquishing his real name can be Toronto’s way of disconnecting himself from his past. As someone who had to grow up as an orphan, his real name might have haunted him by reminding him of his troubled childhood. Constructing the identity of the Man from Toronto must have helped him overcome those haunting memories. In the introduction scene of the character, Toronto does talk about how his childhood experiences have shaped him as an assassin. So, it isn’t a wonder that he likely wants to distance himself from the same by growing beyond his real name and identity.
Furthermore, the lack of Toronto’s real name and identity does increase the ambiguity that revolves around the assassin. The viewers get to approach the character as a mystery to solve, which forms an instant connection between Toronto and the individual viewers. Thus, the lack of Toronto’s real name does make him a multidimensional and subtle character.
Read More: Will There be a The Man from Toronto Sequel?
