Even though John Wick: Chapter 4 seems to end John Wick’s story, there are still ways Keanu Reeves can return as the elite assassin for John Wick 5.
After suffering what appeared to be fatal wounds in John Wick: Chapter 4, it seemed like the end of the line for elite assassin John Wick, but there are still ways Keanu Reeves can return for John Wick 5. Even though Wick earned his pardon from the High Table by killing its representative, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont, he didn’t have long to enjoy it, seemingly expiring from several bullet wounds he received during their duel. In his final moments, he asked Winston to take him “home,” and the following scene showed Winston and the Bowery King visiting their old friend at his gravesite, where a marker reads, “John Wick, Loving Husband.”
Both Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have said that while they have no immediate plans to start production on John Wick 5, they aren’t opposed to embarking on another collaboration sometime in the future. The role has been one of Reeves’ most celebrated, and with Stahelski’s direction, the movie has revolutionized the action genre with stunning fight sequences and complicated car chases thanks to his background in stuntwork. John Wick 4’s ending leaves enough wiggle room with its characters and setting to indicate that there are myriad ways Keanu Reeves could indicate, “Be seeing you.”
At the end of John Wick 4, Winston and the Bowery King stand at John Wick’s grave and pay their respects, but their dialogue is vague enough to suggest that Wick might not really be dead. Even the dog (which Wick never named), seems to look off-screen, elsewhere in the cemetery, as though he’s looking at someone he knows. If John Wick did fake his own death, it would be to finally have peace from the High Table which, even with a full pardon after killing the Marquis, has proved to be self-centered and self-preserving, and wouldn’t want to know Wick is still alive somewhere.
It’s possible that for John Wick 5, Wick has returned to either the house he had in the first movie, or somewhere entirely new to disappear. An assassin looking to make a name for themselves, such as Mr. Nobody, might try to see him out and make a name for themselves by trying to end his life once and for all. Or, perhaps if an old friend like Caine is in trouble after killing the manager of the Osaka Continental, his services might be called upon to prevent his daughter Akira from taking revenge.
4John Wick 5 Takes Place During Viggo’s Impossible Task
It’s revealed in John Wick that the only reason its titular hero was able to get out from under the High Table was to complete an “impossible task” for his boss Viggo. Not much is known about said task, except that it involved several highly trained assailants and a pencil, causing fans to speculate any number of scenarios. John Wick 5 could choose to focus on the time period when Wick was an active assassin and on Viggo’s payroll, finally revealing what he had to do to get out once and for all.
Part of the allure of Wick is the mystery surrounding the impossible task, which has been built up quite a bit in fans’ imaginations over the years. However, it would also be a time period in which fans could finally see more of Wick’s wife Helen rather than in hazy flashbacks, which would make her feel like more of a real person rather than an abstract concept. After all, her memory, which lived on in the puppy she gave Wick (and which Viggo’s son killed) is the main reason why Wick takes revenge on the High Table and becomes an unstoppable killing machine.
3John Wick Fakes His Own Death To Kill All Remaining Members Of The High Table
The Marquis was granted all the combined power of the High Table in exchange for bringing Wick down, something he didn’t accomplish. How many High Table members haven’t been revealed is still unknown, but as Winston said, cutting the head off the hydra (or killing the Marquis, in this case), would only ensure another grew in its place. With 12 members of the High Table somewhere in the world, even the Marquis and the Elder of the High Table being deceased wouldn’t hobble them.
It’s possible that John Wick will fake his death to regroup and figure out the perfect plan to bring down the High Table once and for all. It’s possible he means to restructure the entire hierarchy and replace it with a new system that’s much less interested in ensuring its governing members fairing better than those they govern. Showing more High Table members would certainly open up opportunities for celebrity cameos and greater world-building for the franchise.
2Keanu Reeves Is A Narrator If John Wick 5 Is A Prequel
If John Wick 5 is a prequel that takes place during Wick’s formative years of being raised as an orphan by the Ruska Roma family, then it’s possible that Keanu Reeves’ involvement will be very minimal. Reeves could act as a narrator, or perhaps appear in flash-forwards, where Wick is engaged on an assignment and the prequel reveals how he came to learn each of his many skills, from martial arts to marksmanship. Given that The Director has served as a mother figure to him over the years and refers to Wick by his real name Jardoni Javavich, it’s clear that the Ruska Roma had a great influence on the man Wick became.
Fans will get some world-building as far as the Ruska Roma is concerned with the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, starring Ama de Armas, but a John Wick 5 prequel could reveal the specific tutelage that male assassins received. John Wick: Chapter 2 revealed that boy assassins participated in Greco-Roman grappling, Judo, and other mixed martial arts, while the girls trained in dance and other, more artistic endeavors. The Ruska Roma are the real John Wick 5 story, and Wick’s early life would expand the franchise in a way that will still feel fresh and exciting plus reveal the origins of the Baba Yaga.
1John Wick 5 Takes Place Much Later After Keanu Has Been Hiding Out
On average, Chad Stahelski has taken 2 years to make each movie in the John Wick franchise, allowing him to grow and innovate as a director, with spectacular results. While every film has its own distinct aesthetic and tone, his camera technique and stunts only get better with each installment. It’s possible he’ll choose to collaborate with Keanu for John Wick 5 even further down the line, in five or even ten years, when they can tell an “Old Man Wick” story similar to Wolverine in Logan.
Perhaps, after faking his own death in John Wick: Chapter 4 and hiding out for some time, an older, more grizzled John Wick could be brought back into the fold as a mentor for someone like Akira, who might have made her name as an assassin after killing the infamous Caine. Or perhaps he’ll have successfully remained off the grid for years without being noticed until someone like Mr. Nobody recognizes him. More intriguing still, Wick could eventually choose to re-enter the fold of the High Table and become a Manager like Winston.
