John Wick: Chapter 4's ending left viewers wondering whether John Wick is dead or alive, and if Keanu Reeves will come back to the franchise for a fifth movie.
At the moment, there is no official confirmation about John Wick 5 being in development at Lionsgate. However, we know we will see the character again, as the saga keeps growing in different ways — a spin-off movie starring Ana de Armas and Reeves, Ballerina, will arrive in summer 2025.
But let's get back to the ending of John Wick 4. There's a lot to unpack.
The movie sees our favourite hitman deal with the contract put on his life and attempt to take down the High Table once and for all, bringing him into contact with fellow assassin Caine and the despicable Marquis.
Winston, who has his own grudge against the Marquis who killed Charon and destroyed the Continental Hotel, tells Wick that if he challenges the Marquis to a duel and wins, he'll be free of the High Table for good. Finally!
Of course, it's never simple when John Wick is involved, leading to an action-packed and emotional finale. So let's dig into it to explain what happened – and whether this really is the end.
John Wick 4 ending explained
The Marquis sees no reason to play fair and lets every killer, in every arrondissement, know that Wick has arrived in the city. Wick battles through the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe.
He battles through an abandoned apartment complex. And, finally, he battles up (and tumbles down) the 222 steps of the Rue Foyatier. At one point, he steps in to save Mr Nobody's loyal hound from death. In return, the tracker switches allegiances.
Already beaten to a pulp, Wick is helped by Caine, who encourages his soon-to-be foe to stand up and finally face his fate.
At the Sacré-Cœur, Wick and Caine take their 30 paces and shoot. Bullets graze both their arms. Ten steps closer, and they shoot again. This time, Caine is hit in the side. But he is not felled. A final ten steps. They shoot. Wick collapses to the ground, a bullet lodged in his gut.
The Marquis, satisfied with his victory, snatches up a pistol and takes over from Caine in order to deliver the final blow. Bang. A bullet to the head. Our villain drops dead. In his arrogance, the Marquis missed the fact that Wick had never taken his shot. The Marquis is gone. And both Wick and Caine are freed from all debts and obligations.
Wick scrambles down the steps of the Basilica, only to collapse halfway down in a rather Christ-like pose. He dreams of his dead wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan) – in a key piece of dialogue, earlier on in the film, Wick had stated that he'd like his gravestone to say nothing more than "John Wick, loving husband".
He closes his eyes and the screen fades to black. Say it ain't so!
Does John Wick die in Chapter 4?
Winston and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) visit Wick's gravesite. We can see that his final wishes were respected – "John Wick, loving husband". The Bowery King wonders whether Wick is currently in "heaven or hell". Winston's response? "Who knows."
The trace of a smirk on his face is all that's needed to fuel a hundred fan theories over Wick's ultimate fate. And then there's the well-timed cut to Wick's pitbull – adopted at the end of the first film – suddenly snapping his head to look at something, or someone, off in the distance. He's noticeably restless for the rest of the scene.
Could Wick have faked his death? For director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves, they currently feel as though the ending is pretty definitive. Whether you like it or not, Wick is dead – for now.
"We had the opportunity [to do another film] because of the audience [response to] Chapter 3, and we were like, 'What was the Why?'" Reeves explained. "And when Chad and I was talking, the Why? was death — and it was John Wick's death.
"For him to get his peace, or freedom, in a way... that was the reason to make the movie. It can't just be, 'Let's do another one'. It was really about death, or a way of dying. We were really inspired by the Hagakure."
The Hagakure, if you weren't aware, outlines the warrior code of the samurai and talks about how to live well to die well, something which Wick and Koji talk about before the big battle at the Osaka Continental.
Wick doesn't believe he can have a 'good death', but his actions at the end of Chapter 4 might be as close as he can get: he saves a dog and the life of a former ally/friend, while protecting Winston too.
Of course, there's enough ambiguity in the ending that Wick could technically still be available. Stahelski has also revealed that they had shot a different ending scene that was more ambiguous, and that's why you see the dog look up.
So Wick is dead. Or maybe he isn't. For now, it's up to you to decide.
Despite John Wick 5 having been teased already, Stahelski has yet to officially confirm it and producer Basil Iwanyk also stopped short of saying it'll definitely happen.
"What I love about the end of John Wick 4 is, if this means that there's never another John Wick movie, it's a nice elegant way of ending it," he said in November 2023.
"If there is another John Wick movie… I do feel like it will be a completely [different] book. If these movies were four chapters... the next John Wick will be another book. It won't be like six months from John Wick 4.
"We just don't know what that is. But we all love spending time together, and we love the process. The more time that goes by, the more we miss it."
Sure sounds like John Wick might not end up being as dead as we think.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to watch on Prime Video, while you can also buy or rent the movie on iTunes, Microsoft Store and more.
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