Here are the best theories for how the John Wick franchise could end. Launching in 2014, John Wick gave the action movie genre a much-needed shot in the arm, combining expert world-building and characterization with relentless, innovative action sequences that looked gorgeous without sacrificing substance for style. John Wick 2 proved a rare example of a sequel that more or less lives up the original, expanding the mythology of the Continental and the High Table, and furthering John's tragic tale. The most recent John Wick installment came in 2019 with John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, and continued the lofty bar of quality. Two further films have been announced, with John Wick 4 set for 2022, and a fifth film planned some time after.
John Wick 5 isn't officially confirmed as Keanu Reeves' final outing as Baba Yaga. Theoretically, the action franchise could continue into double figures if it maintains the current level of box office punch and critical acclaim. But, sooner or later, the Wick will burn out completely, extinguishing in a hail of gunfire and glory. Following the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, however, there are several paths Wick could take to reach that ending. Will John survive? Will he find peace? How many bodies will pile up before we find out?
Fans will have to wait a little longer for answers - John Wick 4 has been subject to a lengthy delay thanks to the current pandemic. Filming is expected to begin this year ahead of a May 2022 release, and reports suggest the fifth film will be produced back-to-back. With at least two chapters still to come in the Book of Wick, what possible endings could await John at the end of his journey?
Wick Takes Out The High Table & Finds A New Reason For Living
John Wick isn't an especially happy franchise, but the character could still find peace when the bullets stop flying. At the end of John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum, a beaten and bloody Wick is taken into the sewers to meet with Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King. After the pigeon man's followers were slaughtered, they both have axes to grind against the High Table - the coalition of 12 crime lords who organize the worldwide assassin operation. Both John Wick 4 & 5 will surely follow Wick and the Bowery King's joint effort to wipe out the High Table once and for all, and finally get revenge for all the hardships they've suffered under the organization's rule. Keanu Reeves' character has desperately tried to avoid all-out war with his former employers in past movies, but now all bets are off, and there can only be one side left standing when the conflict is over.
The High Table are the root cause of Wick's troubles, and the one-man death machine can happily spend two films systematically killing all 12 seats one at a time, with the mysterious Elder his final target. After completing the mission, John could then find happiness by adopting a orphaned child. In the original movie, it's revealed that Wick's late wife bought a dog, so John had a reason to carry on following her death. If John Wick is to end happily, he'll need a similar anchor to remain on the righteous path. During his assault upon the High Table, John may encounter an orphan, whom he takes into his care, thereby giving him something to fight for beyond pure vengeance. The franchise would end with John, the child and their dog living peacefully, satisfying Keanu Reeves' own desire for John to walk off into the sunset.
John Wick's Revenge Journey Ends In His Demise
As John has been reminded on several occasions, he who seeks revenge should dig two graves - one for his enemy, and one for himself. For Wick to die completing his crusade against the High Table would adhere to the philosophy of violence John Wick's world is built upon. After making a valiant attempt to live a normal life, John now knows that peace is impossible - and he'd rather die punishing the criminals who made those rules than sit down quietly and accept his fate. As in the theory above, John Wick teams up with the Bowery King to massacre the entire High Table. He works his way through each of the crime families and their litany of agents, getting more and more injured with each kill. On his last legs, John finally makes his way to the Elder - the enigmatic head of the High Table introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
At this point, John knows there's no way back. Not even his mythical skills can save him from the Elder's personal army. Acknowledging his demise is inevitable, John lays one of his trademark set-ups, bowing out in a blaze of glory but, more importantly, completing his revenge mission. With the High Table gone, the assassin world is plunged into anarchy, but the Continental's Winston steps up to assume leadership of a fairer, more forgiving organization. As a sign of respect for a former friend, Winston affords John a fitting send-off, where mercenaries from across the world bid farewell to a legend. It's a beautiful moment. Even John's dog cries.
John Wick Becomes The New High Table
John Wick is good at killing people, this much is clear. It's safe to assume, therefore, that John and the Bowery King will succeed against the High Table and wipe out the enemies who wronged them. The larger question of John Wick's ending isn't whether or not he'll win the final battle, but what becomes of John in the aftermath. As per the two theories detailed above, the death of the High Table could either bring John his happy ending, or lead the character to his grave. A third option, however, is Baba Yaga becoming the new head of the High Table, and rebuilding the entire guild of assassins in his own image, because if John's story so far has proved anything, it's that one does not simply walk away from the mercenary lifestyle.
Without leadership, the entire Continental infrastructure would fall into chaos, meaning another figure must replace the High Table in the event of their dissolution. John Wick already seems to be the most respected assassin the franchise's fictional world, and will be even more feared if he and Bowery King successfully wipe out the current regime. No one would be better placed than Wick to step into the breach and become the new "Elder." Wick could set his own rules and regulations, and give people like himself an easier route out of the business should they wish to settle down with a family. In a sense, this ending would be even more tragic than death for John Wick, as he becomes the very thing he hates most. Wick holds no aspirations of becoming a leader among his fellow criminals - but that lack of self-interest is exactly what makes him so suitable for the job.
The Elder Is A Stooge For John Wick's REAL Villain
In John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, the series finally shows its arch-antagonist, and the man sitting at the highest seat at the High Table - The Elder. But is this merely what viewers are supposed to think? The reveal is surprisingly low-key for the most powerful person in the John Wick world - a man in a tent, unceremoniously plopped in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Many questions still remain over The Elder's past, how he came to power, and why the other criminals follow his lead, but given the intense secrecy that defines the assassins' guild, it's entirely possible that the character John meets in Morocco is just a stooge to protect the identity of the High Table's true leader - Winston.
The manager of the New York Continental appears permanently in control of any situation. He watches John Wick's antics and remains largely neutral at first, but involves himself more in Parabellum. All of Winston's actions can potentially be interpreted as part of a larger, unknown scheme. For example, The Elder orders John to kill Winston, and this could be a ploy to ascertain Wick's loyalty - whether he'll betray someone he respects, or whether he's willing to incur the wrath of the High Table for the sake of a friend. It's also possible that Winston intentionally spares John during their rooftop shootout, only appearing to kill him for the benefit of the High Table (who don't know he's the one in charge). In John Wick 4, Winston could reveal himself as the true architect behind the operation - someone who spent the past three films building John into the perfect assassin. Realizing he's been played, the final fight of the John Wick franchise would then be John and his allies vs. Winston.
Wick Accepts He'll Never Find Peace
According to many fans, each John Wick movie is based upon the so-called Five Stages of Grief. 2014's John Wick would be "denial" - refusing to accept the death of his wife, his dog, and the ending of his peaceful life. John Wick 2 is "anger" - fairly self-explanatory looking at his creative methods of killing. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum would be "bargaining" - John makes a deal with The Elder for his freedom. Following this model, John Wick 4 will represent depression, which makes sense considering the desperate state he was left in by the final credits. Finally, John Wick 5 would round off the story on "acceptance."
In the context of Wick's journey, acceptance would surely mean coming to terms with the end of his idyllic existence. Those precious few years with Helen, away from the violence and bloodshed of his career, are John's to treasure, but he must now admit those days were always only temporary, and the one true way to escape his profession is death. John and the Bowery King can rage against the High Table, taking their grievances all the way to the top, but with a trail of bodies behind him, John Wick would ultimately accept that, whether he likes it or not, killing people is his business, and business is booming. Keanu Reeves going back to being an assassin would represent a fairly dour ending for the John Wick story, but would also leave the door firmly open to a future revival.
