The following contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4, now in theaters.
The latest installment in the John Wick franchise has finally arrived in theaters in the form of Chapter 4. The movie has received rave reviews making it the highest-rated entry in an already highly-acclaimed series. This amount of success would immediately prompt the creation of a follow-up film for any other franchise, but John Wick's next outing is still up in the air. Those involved with the film have played coy, explaining that they may take a break from the series before revisiting it. However, even if the franchise doesn't continue, it can hold its head high, as it went out with a bang.
Chapter 4 takes place promptly after the events of the previous films. After John emerged from retirement and broke Continental policy, he and his accomplices became targets of the oppressive High Table, the ruling class of the assassin world. In Chapter 3, John attempted to appease The High Table and end the conflict. After the third installment's shocking final sequel, Chapter 4 now follows John as he teams up with allies, new and old, to free himself from his obligation once more. But despite all the good that's come before, the ending to this film takes the franchise to new heights.
John Wick's Tragic Fate Seems Permanent
Much of the film focuses on the Marquis' hunt for John due to the trouble he has caused throughout the assassin world. He is a ruthless villain who contracts the equally as brutal Caine. Winston then reveals to John that the only way he can truly escape The High Table is to challenge the Marquis to a duel, with the stakes being his freedom. John eventually does what is necessary to fulfill this request and is forced to fight Caine as a stand-in for the Marquis. Caine shoots John three times while John only shoots twice, allowing him to use the third bullet on the Marquis. After this, John is shown collapsing and, then, seemingly dead with the introduction of his gravestone beside his wife's.
While John wins his freedom, the film ends with the implication that he has truly died after his duel. Both Winston and the Bowery King pay their respects, furthering this idea. And if this were the end, it would allow John to die a free man, something he has desired from the beginning. He also made peace with many figures in the assassin world, including his new adoptive family in Berlin and the blind assassin Caine who frequently refers to John as a "brother." However, John's funeral and deceased body are never shown, meaning that there is a slim chance he could return in a later film. However, this would undo the franchise's best ending.
Why John Wick 4's Ending Is the Franchise's Best
John's on-screen story began with his quest for vengeance. Since then, the fallout from his initial conflict has made him an international target and kept him on the run. While John has been able to escape at every turn, Charon's shocking death at the beginning of the film immediately sets a tragic tone for this installment. Throughout Chapter 4, several characters comment on death in an eerie foreshadowing of John's eventual fate. Shimazu Koji, the manager of the Osaka Continental, tells John that a good death can only come after a good life. When asked why he wants to live, John expresses his desire to remember his late wife, Helen. Winston and John eventually discuss what they would like on their gravestones, with John offering "loving husband" as his response. When John's stone appears, that is the inscription.
However, these prompts move beyond mere foreshadowing. The Marquis justifies his assurance of Caine's victory by saying that John has nothing to live for, die for or kill for, whereas Caine has all three. Even John seems to understand that the only life left for him is gone, and committing the rest of his life to live in the past is no life at all. For John, the biggest honor would be to be remembered as a loving husband to Helen, whose legacy he fought for in the first film. John never wanted to be defined by his time as an assassin, hence his determination to escape and why he went to such lengths to get free. And thanks to Chapter 4 and its stellar ending, John can finally rest and be remembered as a loving husband while also making amends in the assassin world prior to his departure.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now in theaters