Here is why John Wick Might & Might-Not be Truly Dead

Please be aware that this article contains SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick, Keanu Reeves’s iconic hitman, has been drawing audiences in with his intense action scenes and exciting storyline. With the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, viewers are left wondering if John Wick is actually dead. Throughout the first three chapters, Wick has been through a lot; he’s been beaten, shot, stabbed, hit by cars, and thrown off a roof, all of which have shown off his resilience. The finale of Chapter 4 puts him through a series of tough tests before he faces off against a new villain, The Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård). But did John Wick really die?

Why John Wick Might Be Truly Dead

At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, Wick and Caine (Donnie Yen), who the Marquis had appointed to take his place, face off in a duel where they take turns shooting each other. Wick gets hurt pretty badly. The Marquis is sure he’s got the win in the bag and grabs Caine’s gun to finish him off. He didn’t realize that Wick had never fired in the previous round and Wick shoots him in the head. Later, John Wick sits on the steps of Paris’ Sacré-Cœur and dies, thinking of his wife.

When Chapter 4 debuted at SXSW, Stahelski (according to THR) was asked about the ending and said it was based on The Hagakure. He said it was about “the way of dying or the way we live well to die well,” using the samurai-related book of ethics as inspiration. John’s death was something Stahelski had hinted at in an interview with Den Of Geek after the third movie (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) – he was pretty sure John would eventually bite the bullet. In the end, John Wick: Chapter 4’s ending was kind of a happy one; John was liberated from the High Table and got to be with his wife again.

Why John Wick Might Still Be Alive

The last scene of John Wick: Chapter 4 shows Ian McShane’s Continental manager Winston, Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, and John’s dog at Wick’s gravestone. Following John’s wishes, Winston took him back to New York to be buried with his wife. The Bowery King seemed to think it was too good to be true, asking Winston if he thought the Baba Yaga went to Heaven or Hell. Winston simply replied “Who knows?” with the Bowery King giving a mysterious laugh. It looks like John is gone for good, but there’s still a chance he faked his death and is living a peaceful life somewhere.

The Bowery King’s chuckle could hint that he and Winston know this. Even with the success of Chapter 4, the filmmakers may not want to say goodbye to John Wick just yet. We may never know if he’s truly gone, so for now, we’ll have to accept that John Wick is dead in the last scene of Chapter 4.

Despite John Wick’s death in Chapter 4, it’s looking like a fifth movie could still be on the cards. Keanu and Stahelski have both said they’re not ready to say goodbye to the franchise, and Lionsgate’s head executive has said they don’t want to say goodbye to Keanu either. According to Stahelski “As for John Wick, you will never [hear] Keanu or I say, we’re done.” Keanu even said he’s not against coming back, so you never know! Stating “Never say never”.

John Wick is Coming Back in “The Continental” & “Ballerina” Spinoffs

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John might not have made it in John Wick: Chapter 4, but he’ll be back at least once more. The Ballerina movie will show us what happened between Chapters 3 and 4, with Ana de Armas as the eponymous killer on a mission for revenge. We’ll be learning more about the Ruska Roma crime syndicate, where John and Rooney learnt how to kill. Len Wiseman is directing, and McShane, Reddick and Huston are all set to return too. On top of that, John and Rooney will be having a fight scene!

The John Wick: Chapter 4 movie gave McShane’s Winston a big role, and the upcoming The Continental miniseries on Peacock will show how he got there. Colin Woodell stars as young Winston in the ’70s set series, with Mel Gibson as his mentor Cormac. Not much else is known, but three episodes will show how Winston became the owner of The Continental. Ayomide Adegun will play a younger version of Reddick’s Charon, but it’s unlikely that Keanu Reeves’ Wick will make a cameo since it’s a different period. If the miniseries does well, maybe a future season will have Wick showing up.

Sources: Screenrants, EW, Den of Geek, THR