Beloved action franchise John Wick returned to cinemas for the first time since the pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4 took the box office by storm with a $73.5 million opening weekend, the biggest in franchise history and the twelfth largest for an R-rated film. The iconic trilogy, now a tetralogy, has proven that there are still many millions of dollars to be made from a world that has been explored and expanded over the last nine years of films.

However, this universe may likely be explored without its titular character. At the end of the latest film, John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, allows himself to be shot in order to get the film’s villain to let his guard down. While he successfully gets the opportunity to kill his enemy, he bleeds out. In the following scene, we see him buried beside his wife, finally free from his subjugation to the High Table.

Although we don’t see the actual moment Wick’s heart stops, with the film shifting scenes as he collapses, it is unlikely that the character will return. However, with the immense financial success of the film, it could be explained by way of arguing that his death was faked so he could stay off the radar. While this would bring Wick back for another possible adventure, if that theory were true, it would mean pulling Wick away from the life that he worked so hard to achieve. 

It is also obvious that the writers intend to keep the world alive, with or without Wick. The film features two new characters: Caine, played by Donnie Yen, and a character played by Shamier Anderson, who only refers to himself as “nobody.” Caine’s story is seemingly wrapped up by the end of the movie, but the film’s post-credit scene establishes that there is still someone out to kill him, setting up a future story. Also, while kept vague, it is clear that “nobody” has his own motivations that seem like the writers are planning to explore.

Two of the franchise’s strongest components are the world-building and action setpieces, both of which can continue to flourish either with Wick or without. While many will be disappointed if Wick does not make a return, it’s safe to assume that his world and legacy will continue to live on.