Desperate action fanatics already in denial over ‘John Wick 4’ ending

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’

The phenomenal John Wick: Chapter 4 has been out in the wild for less than a week, and fans of the increasingly popular action franchise are already debating and speculating about the film’s (at face value) seemingly definitive ending.

Unlike the previous two entries in the John Wick series, Chapter 4 doesn’t end on quite as grippy a cliffhanger. Rather, it seems to shut the book on the Baba Yaga’s journey around the world to finally free himself of his past life in service of the High Table. We’ve warned you once already, but unless you’ve seen the film – we don’t advise you hang around for the next paragraph onwards; we’re in spoiler territory from here on out.

While many consider John Wick’s presumed death as a fitting finale to Reeves’ character, many others refuse to accept what transpired, and consider it to be an ambiguous conclusion which still leaves the door open for the return of the grizzled hitman in a fifth installment. One such view is shared by u/TopGeezer50 on the FanTheories subreddit: 

Responses to the theory seem to have conflicting views, with one commenter pointing out that Wick’s dog appeared to perk up and look at someone, or something offscreen while the Bowery King and Winston were visiting John’s headstone. Of course, that could just be the simple matter of a dog being a dog. Another points out that a reveal of John observing the final scene from a distance would be way too similar to the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. 

The simple fact is, just about anyone’s theory about the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 is correct, at least at this point in time. The minds behind John Wick: Chapter 4 deliberately left the film’s conclusion open-ended, for fans to make up their own minds as to whether or not John is dead, and whether the world needs more John Wick movies. The film’s box office response speaks for itself – and if Lionsgate were to have its way, then John Wick most certainly would be rising from the grave for a fifth installment, perhaps even more.

Chad Stahelski, Keanu Reeves, and all of the writers behind the film ultimately want the fans to make the call as to whether or not we should see more John Wick movies. Even if the fandom were to unanimously express a keen interest in a continuation of Wick’s story, Stahelski notes that it may well be some time before it comes to fruition. Even then, it may not be him in the director’s seat. 

The one consolation that we do have right here and right now is that we’ll be getting to see at least a little more John Wick in the series’ upcoming spinoff, Ballerina, currently slated for release some time next year.