"John Wick: Chapter 4" comes to the most dramatic conclusion of the entire series,
and it gives the titular character some much needed time off. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
As in all the previous films, Keanu Reeves' iconic dog-loving hitman racks up an insane body
count throughout "John Wick: Chapter 4." However, unlike the other films, John Wick doesn't come out
of this one alive. John Wick, for all intents and purposes, actually dies at the end of "John Wick:
Chapter 4," finally succumbing to the many injuries he's earned throughout the story.
The final blow to Wick is dealt by blind assassin Caine. Wick and Caine end up
dueling each other with old, antique guns. Wick fights to escape the High Table's grasp,
and Caine fights to save his daughter, whose survival is dependent on Caine killing Wick.
Luckily for Caine, Wick discovers his moral dilemma. Wick also realizes that his anger is only
hurting those around him and that killing isn't bringing the famed assassin any closer to peace.
So Wick decides not to shoot, sacrificing himself so that Caine's daughter can live. By doing so he
also outsmarts the smug villain Marquis Vincent de Gramont, who makes them duel in the first place.
According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
director Chad Stahelski says that both he and star Keanu Reeves,
"...are done for the moment. We're going to give John Wick a rest."
He goes on to mention that the studio might have other ideas,
but also seems to confirm that the death is real and final.
John Wick's death at the end of "John Wick: Chapter 4" is extremely surprising,
for a variety of reasons. For one, we've seen him mow through other assassins with ease, as well as
falling from great heights, so to see him finally succumb to his injuries is jarring. Not to mention
that this means the main "John Wick" franchise is over. If the franchise is to continue, it
will need a reboot or a major retcon to bring John back to the land of the living. The good news is,
though, that we still have the upcoming spin-offs "The Continental" and "Ballerina," both set in the
"John Wick" universe to look forward to. .
So, beyond the shock of the event itself, what does this mean for the long-running
film franchise as a whole? Will the death of the series' protagonist be a new trend going forward?
Arguably, this would be a great trend to establish. In a Hollywood
landscape that covets the constant continuation of franchises and IP,
the end of "Chapter 4" lets stories and characters get real closure. There is even more precedent,
including the death of Iron Man signaling the end of "The Infinity Saga," and the recent
death of James Bond at the end of "No Time to Die." Hopefully, more franchises will take
this approach going forward.
One thing that sets "John Wick" apart from other violent,
R-rated action films of the era, beyond its undeniable style and Reeves' committed
physical performance, is its extensive and intricate lore and world-building.
"In one hour. John Wick. Excommunicado."
The original "John Wick" only scratched the surface of the assassin underworld,
but its subsequent sequels significantly expanded on the franchise's universe,
making it feel lived-in and consistent.
However, with Wick's death at the end of "John Wick: Chapter 4," the movie calls
into question what that means for the upcoming announced spin-offs from "John Wick." This is
especially true for "Ballerina," which is set to star Ana de Armas as the main character,
with Len Wiseman directing. For one, there's the fact that it's been confirmed that Keanu
Reeves filmed a fight scene between him de Armas' character, meaning it's either a prequel or Wick's
death was greatly exaggerated. Furthermore, if it is indeed a prequel and Wick is definitely dead,
then is the movie setting up de Armas as the new face of the franchise?
Unlike "Ballerina," which we know very little about at this point,
"The Continental" is a show that will stream on Peacock about the adventures of a young Winston,
played in the original films by Ian McShane. In the new show, he will be portrayed by young
actor Colin Woodell. Wick's death, therefore, doesn't seem to impact this show's story. Still,
it'll be interesting to see what the franchise looks like going forward.
At the beginning of "Chapter 4," John has very few allies and even fewer friends. This is how
Caine can catch up with John Wick. He knows that one of the few people that would risk
their lives to protect Wick is the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel, Shimazu Koji. He
turns out to be right, as Wick seeks the help of Koji and his beautiful and deadly daughter, Akira.
Unfortunately, Wick and Koji's reunion is cut short by Caine's arrival with
an army of High Table goons. While Caine doesn't want to fight either Koji or Wick,
his daughter's life hangs in the balance. Their bloody shoot-out leads to Akira being shot,
forced to watch Caine regretfully kill Koji as he attempts one last time to protect John.
Caine, however, senses Akira's injury and tells her not to try to fight. He has no intention of
hurting her. He even says he'll be waiting for her revenge. During the post-credits sequence, Akira
makes her move to take out Caine once and for all. Unlike John Wick, who by the end let go of
the cycle of violence, Caine instead continues to perpetuate it, and must now face the consequences.
In the "John Wick" series, the High Table is the omnipresent, infinitely wealthy head of
the assassin world. When we are introduced to the world of "John Wick" in the first film,
the intricate and strange rules that govern this organization are
background details and fun but mostly disposable world-building. The sequels,
however, delve much deeper into the lore and mythos behind those rules and rituals.
"Two rules that cannot be broken, Jonathan.
No blood on Continental grounds, and every marker must be honored."
It eventually becomes clear that the assassin world is completely dominated by the High
Table. The organization is so powerful they can conjure up hundreds of highly-trained assassins
at a moment's notice to keep an iron grip on their subjects. Even John Wick had trouble
escaping that life and it eventually catches up with him after his temporary escape. It's also
clear that the only thing the High Table cares about is maintaining power. They are willing to
threaten the children and loved ones of assassins to keep them in line, as we see happen to Caine.
However, John Wick's defiance of the High Table and its rules, as well as his continual success
in fighting off their attacks, threatens the entire underworld order. At one point,
Lawrence Fishburne's The Bowery King declares, "vive la révolution," a rebellious rallying cry,
in support of John Wick's mission to take down the High Order's current head,
the Marquis Vincent de Gramont. Perhaps Wick will even inspire others to do the same.
There's something very liberating and exciting about seeing John Wick, a lone,
solitary figure, find a way to challenge the long-established power governing the
film's sprawling underground assassin world. And in the film, he inspires others such as
Shimazu and Mr. Nobody to work against their superiors for the common good. In this case,
they help fight back against the powerful High Table organization.
However, there's another, more cynical, take on the film's world, and the more probable conclusion
of "John Wick: Chapter 4" after the credits roll. While the "John Wick" films are obviously inspired
by action films, spy thrillers, and crime capers, they also arguably have roots in film noir. This
means that there's a dark undercurrent to the "John Wick" films, and it isn't as gleefully
goofy as its superhero or "Fast and the Furious" contemporaries. Noir doesn't usually have a happy
ending, and often deals with the existential dread of living in inescapable and corrupt systems.
At the end of "John Wick 4," while Wick saves Caine's daughter and finds a sense of relief
and peace, the world itself doesn't seem to have changed much. Winston gets his hotel back,
The High Table still exists, and assassins continue to lurk in the shadows. Like in the
real world, those who are powerful enough will not only get away with anything,
no matter how illegal or corrupt, but they will thrive.
Gramont, played with contemptible arrogance by Bill Skarsgård. The Marquis is given
unlimited resources and carte blanche from the organization to find and kill John Wick,
and he sees this as an opportunity to expand his already incredible power.
However, a main focal point of "John Wick: Chapter 4," and the "John Wick" series in
general, is how a corrupt system forces people to do the unthinkable to survive,
while those in power remain safe and reap the benefits.
The Marquis is a figure who can break rules and traditions with impunity to get what he
wants. He also doesn't do much actual work himself. When Wick challenges him to a duel,
he cowardly passes off the job to Caine instead. He also has no ethics, morals, or sense of justice
as he constantly changes the nature of the deals he makes, reneges on his promises,
and even physically harms his underlings as they try to negotiate their contracts.
Considering how "John Wick: Chapter 4" ends, coupled with the expansive nature
of the assassin underworld, it's likely that spin-offs and prequels will be the
way forward. However, besides the Peacock prequel show "The Continental" and the
spin-off film "Ballerina," nothing else has been announced yet. But what are some other
potentially entertaining spin-offs from the "John Wick" universe that could be produced?
One of the most obvious ideas would be a young John Wick show,
where we see Wick rise through the ranks as a child orphan trained to be an assassin.
This would probably mean no Reeves since it's unlikely they would attempt to use CG
to de-age the actor back to his "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" years.
"No way." "Yes way Ted!"
Another idea would be a spin-off show focusing on the newly rebuilt Continental Hotel in New
York City. It could possibly be a sort of anthology-type show, where Ian McShane's
Winston acts as a host for guest-starring assassins and their action-packed adventures.
As previously mentioned, it seems pretty clear that John Wick is dead and buried at this point,
at least according to director Chad Stahelski. It would probably be for the best for the character,
and franchise, if Wick is allowed to remain dead. It provides emotional catharsis for Wick,
as he gets to go out on his own terms as a hero and possibly reunite with his beloved wife Helen
in the afterlife, which is implied by the snippets we see of her as his life slowly fades away.
However, as the infinite supply of sequels,
remakes, and never-ending superhero movies proves, if there is still an audience,
Hollywood will find a way. And while there are spin-offs already in the works, it seems likely
that studio executives are already scrambling to find a way to bring Reeves back to the franchise.
But how would that be possible, narratively speaking? One idea is that he and Winston
worked together to fake his death, using The Bowery King as a reliable witness at
John's grave site. It could be a favor from Winston to John for forgiving his betrayal
and giving him the Continental Hotel back. That might be what the penultimate shot of
Winston's tattoo is all about. John is family, and Winston will protect him.
We didn't see his body being buried, after all…