John Wick Chapter 4 Ending Explained: What Happens To Keanu Reeves' Character? (2024)

The movie implies that Wick has died, there may be another version and subsequent projects for his story to come on.

John Wick 4 Ending Explained: What Happens to Keanu Reeves' Character? (Image via: IMDb)

The final part of John Wick: Chapter 4has left the fans with many questions as to what happened to his favorite hero John Wick played by Keanu Reeves. The ending scene in chapter 4 of this series is especially open-ended given the thrilling action and emotional moments through which audiences have been taken over four movies. Here’s how it all goes down at the end and what it could mean for the continuation of the franchise.

A dramatic finale

Chapter 4 of John Wick ends with an epic fight between Caine (played by Donnie Yen) and John Wick. At Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris, two old pals square off under very tense circ*mstances. The battle is intense, and eventually, John Wick takes a deadly blow. After Caine kills him, John Wick’s death appears clearly on screen.

In the final scenes, we see Wick lying almost dead from the grave injury. He spends his last breath killing Marquis de Gramont who is a top-ranking member of the High Table Assassin's guild This act accomplishes his mission of liberating Cain from his debts and seeking freedom from the dangerous existence he has always lived amidst.

At the end ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, it is not clear what happens to John Wick. Although the movie implies that Wick has died, there may be another version and subsequent projects for his story to come on. There will be some more updates soon, which fans are supposed to wait for in order to know how John Wick's storyline is going to unfold in the next years. It is known that whether or not John Wick gets peace forever or comes back with more action, one thing is for sure; this franchise has definitely left an everlasting influence on action films.

An uncertain ending

The ending of the series is intentionally cryptic. We get to see a tombstone that reads loving husbandwhich refers to John Wick’s late wife. In other words, this scene implies that John Wick died there. Winston Scott played by Ian McShane also says bye bye indicating a possible conclusion to Wick’s storyline.

Wick’s actual burial isn’t shown in the film though. However, the final scenes are shot from a distance, leaving doubt about what really happened to him. This has led to speculation among his fans and critics on whether John Wick is really dead or if there is more to his story than that.

The alternate ending

The director ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, Chad Stahelski, revealed that there was an alternate ending that was filmed. In this case, John Wick does not die at the end of the movie. Stahelski explained why he and Keanu Reeves preferred a theatrical ending with ambiguities. Nevertheless, they did shoot an ending where it was clear that Wick survived. Test audiences reacted better to an ambiguous ending which is why it was included in the final cut.

Additionally, Stahelski is also working on an extended version of the film that may include this alternate ending. This extended version may be able to elucidate further on what happened to Wick and offer a different perspective for viewers regarding his ultimate fate in previous versions.

What is in store for John Wick next?

Despite the seeming finale ofChapter 4, the John Wick franchise still has a long way to go. Lionsgate, which released these films, has confirmed thatJohn Wick 5is already underway. What this means is that there might be a chance for John Wick to come back but how this would have been so remains unknown.

Keanu Reeves has said he would appear in another film if it had an interesting storyline. Of course, he made it clear that his character should be at peace while leaving room for him to return in case a good story was created.

What about spinoffs and expansions

BesidesJohn Wick 5being possible, the John Wick universe has several projects expanding on them. One of these isBallerina; a spinoff starring Ana De Armas. The film takes place afterJohn Wick: Chapter 3and beforeChapter 4. As such, the movie will reveal more about assassins’ society. Also, Reeves will feature as one of the supporting artists giving meaning to the main series.

Another spinoff featuring Caine played by Donnie Yen is also under development. This movie will explore Caine’s fate and some open-ended questions from chapter four especially what happened after Shimazu Akira appeared during post-credits seeking revenge accomplishing nothing at all.

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