The upcomingJohn Wick 5is one of the most unlikely sequels of all time given the protagonist’s fate in the final moments of the previous movie, but the film, if it happens, must somehow bring Keanu Reeves’ action hero back for another adventure. AlthoughJohn Wick 5is officially in development, many are understandably concerned about how the movie will manage to bring the character back. Reeves’ protagonist was killed at theend ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4following a deadly duel with Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont on the orders of the High Table.
Facilitating Wick’s return in the upcoming sequel certainly won’t be easy, but this franchise has never been afraid of pushing boundaries and breaking rules. With each passing sequel, writer/director Chad Stahelski is drifting further and further from the gritty realism of the first movie and towards a more dynamic, electric style of storytelling that knows no limits. So there’s no doubt there is a way tobring John Wick back from the dead, but the argument that he should is much harder to make.
Why John Wick Returns Is A More Important Question Than How He Returns
The Movie Needs To Justify Its Own Existence
The question of how John Wick could return from the dead is honestly the least interesting thing aboutJohn Wick 5. What audiences should be asking instead iswhyhe would come back for another adventure. Throughout the whole series,Wick has been trying to repent for the crimes of his pastand enter a peaceful retirement where he can live the rest of his days without the involvement of these endless crime families and dangerous syndicates. If the character somehow did survive the ending ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4,then it’s safe to assume he’s found that exact peace.
How Old John Wick Is In Every Movie
John Wick may fight like a younger man, but a producer revealed his real age, making him older than you might expect.
With everybody under the impression that Wick is dead,there’s no reason for the character to come back into this seedy underworldand throw away the perfect retirement. Of course, it’s also possible thatJohn Wick 5will take place at some point in the character’s past, or even in an alternate future where he survived the duel in Paris, but this seems much less likely. It’s more fitting with the tone of the previous movies to assume that Wick merely faked his death, but this doesn’t explain why he would return.
John Wick: Chapter 4’s High Table Story Makes It Difficult For John Wick 5 To Raise The Stakes
The Next Movie Has To Somehow Increase The Tension Following John Wick 4
With each passingJohn Wickmovie, it’s taken something increasingly high-stakes to drag the character back into the crossfire. The first movie saw Reeves’ protagonist take revenge on a group of criminals for the death of his dog, and by the second movie,it took something as serious as a blood oath to make him return. InJohn Wick: Chapter 3, the entire city had turned against him and the retired hitman had nowhere to hide. It seems unlikely thatJohn Wick 5will manage to raise the stakes even higher, especially given the High Table subplot in the last film.
Wick’s vendetta against the High Table was presented as the final battle for the relentless action hero, taking out the last people standing in the way between him and the peaceful retirement he’d always dreamed of. The franchise constantly made us aware thatthe High Table was supposed to be Wick’s most dangerous enemy, so it’s hard to imagine howJohn Wick 5would retract this sentiment without it feeling cheap and lazy. The protagonist’s fate poses manychallenges forJohn Wick 5,and most would agree that keeping him dead is the safest option.
There Must Be A Reason For His Return
If we assume that Wick somehow survived his encounter with Bill Skarsgard’s Marquis in the final moments ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, it logically follows that he’s living off-the-grid somewhere the High Table can’t find him. This would have taken a huge amount of effort to actually pull off, so it would require something even bigger to make him abandon this perfect escape plan.
Wick has frequently proven himself to be a selfless and compassionate person despite his violent work.
John Wick 5will need to dig deep into the character’s backstory to explain why his retirement couldn’t last; perhaps there’s another character whom he’s indebted to, or somebody that he loves finds themselves in grave danger. Wick has frequently proven himself to be a selfless and compassionate person despite his violent work, so it would make sense that he’d sacrifice his peace to save somebody he loves.
