OPINION – When John Wick: Chapter 4 closed with a quiet cemetery scene and the supposed death of Keanu Reeves’ iconic hitman, fans around the world went into mourning — although not without a fair dose of skepticism. After all, no one actually saw Wick take his last breath. There was no lifeless body, no death knell. Just a tombstone and a distant glimpse of Winston and the Bowery King, lost in thought.

At CinemaCon 2025, Lionsgate proved the doubters right: John Wick 5 is officially in the works, with Keanu Reeves reprising his role as the world’s most feared assassin. Suddenly, the ambiguous ending of the fourth chapter doesn’t feel like an emotional send-off, but more like a carefully orchestrated sleight of hand.

Since its debut in 2014, the John Wick franchise has become a runaway box office phenomenon, with each entry outpacing the last. Chapter 4 alone brought in over $440 million globally, helping push the series past the $1 billion mark. With numbers like these, it’s no surprise Lionsgate is reloading its most valuable asset. But rather than undoing the impact of Chapter 4’s finale, this sequel might be the exact evolution Wick’s journey demands. The return of the Baba Yaga doesn’t just make sense — it might be the franchise’s most brilliant move yet.

Wick’s “Death” in Chapter 4 Was Smoke and Mirrors

Ever since the sequel was announced, the one question buzzing through fan circles has been simple: did John Wick really die? A closer look at the film’s final sequence offers some clues. Unlike the definitive deaths we’re used to seeing on screen, Wick’s final moments were shrouded in ambiguity. He collapses, wounded, on the steps of the Sacré Coeur. A flash of white. A fleeting montage of memories. Then: a grave. No final gasp, no confirmation, no aftermath. In hindsight, it’s narrative ambiguity at its finest.

Director Chad Stahelski has openly leaned into that uncertainty. In interviews, he admitted the story was always intended to revolve around Wick’s death — but test audiences *“clearly favored the open-ended conclusion.”* Producer Basil Iwanyk also revealed that, despite Reeves’ insistence on a definitive death for his character, the filmmakers chose to keep a door slightly ajar. As Iwanyk put it in a 2023 interview:

“After doing the second, third, and fourth movies, making these takes a huge toll on Keanu — physically and mentally. By the end, he’s like, ‘I’m spent, I can’t do this again,’ and we totally get that. He throws himself into these roles until there’s nothing left. He told us, ‘I want to be completely killed off this time.’ And we said, ‘Let’s leave ourselves a 10% window — just in case.’”

In Wick’s universe, death is more of a plot device than a final destination. Characters routinely survive what should be fatal — including being shot, stabbed, and thrown off buildings. If anyone could fake his own death convincingly, it’s John Wick. The lack of resolution in Chapter 4 wasn’t an oversight. It was a breadcrumb trail, and we’re now seeing where it leads.

Who Helped Wick Disappear After Chapter 4?

If John Wick truly staged his own death — and all signs suggest he did — he didn’t do it alone. The most obvious collaborators? Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), the very two men standing solemnly at his grave. These aren’t just mourners — they’re power players in the criminal underworld, both with the motive and means to pull off a vanishing act of this magnitude.

Winston, the ever-calculating strategist, could’ve arranged the fake burial as a clever distraction. The Bowery King, with his expansive underground network, could have secured safe passage and a new identity for Wick. These two operate in murky moral waters, and staging a death could easily be seen as the ultimate checkmate against the High Table.

By the end of Chapter 4, Wick had earned his freedom. The High Table believed him dead, and for the first time in years, he had the chance to live in peace — free from the constant bloodshed. But unresolved threads remain. Characters like Akira (Rina Sawayama) and Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) were left with open arcs, and could easily factor into Wick’s return. If anyone understands what it takes to disappear in plain sight, it’s John Wick — with a little help from his friends.

Why John Wick’s Comeback in John Wick 5 Is Necessary

For Wick, death has never been the end. It’s been an exit strategy. By the close of Chapter 4, he had nothing left to kill for. The assassin world had stripped everything away. To truly break free, he needed to die — or at least convince the world he had. That ending gave him what he craved: a chance at freedom, without erasing everything the audience had invested in. No explosive finale. No last stand. Just quiet release. But for a man like Wick, peace was always going to be temporary.

Plot details for John Wick 5 remain under wraps, but speculation is already swirling. The sequel may dive deeper into the twisted bureaucracy of the High Table, and if Wick really did fake his demise, it’ll take something monumental to pull him back into action. A shot at dismantling the High Table’s darkest secrets? That could be the trigger. It’s exactly the kind of high-stakes scenario that justifies pulling the world’s deadliest assassin out of retirement.

There are more personal reasons, too. If Winston or the Bowery King face retaliation, Wick may have no choice but to resurface — especially if they were the architects behind his escape. Then there’s Akira, who’s still hellbent on revenge, and Caine (Donnie Yen), who might now find himself in someone else’s crosshairs. Wick’s return could see him evolve into more than just a killer: he could become a mentor, an arbiter — or an executioner. John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently streaming for free on The Roku Channel.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-