John Wick 4: Is Baba Yaga Really Dead?
The death of John Wick marks the end of the franchise, though the ending is still open to various interpretations.
In the world of John Wick, death is never quite as simple as it appears to be. Over the course of the franchise, we've seen a retired Russian assassin survive against insurmountable odds and take down his enemies with ruthless precision.
From taking on entire criminal organizations to going head-to-head with skilled assassins, John Wick has proven time and time again that he is a force to be feared. However, the possibility of John's demise after the release of Chapter 4 raises the question of whether Baba Yaga really met his end in the last installment.
The highly anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4 saw the light of day just a few months ago, leaving fans of the franchise shocked by the ending, and marking the point at which death finally catches up with the resilient hitman.
The film defied the typical franchise conclusion by not hinting at its end beforehand, and it's hard to say whether or not John Wick's apparent downfall is his final one.
In Chapter 4, in the climactic high-stakes duel, John uses a saved bullet to defeat the Marquis but is weakened by dozens of life-threatening injuries. He asks Winston to take him home but doesn't make it more than a few steps before John falls and faints. The movie ends with Winston, the Bowery King, and John's dog standing at Wick's grave.
Although some fans found the ending shocking and yet fitting, and others were emotionally affected, all of them tried to dig deeper and find some kind of foreshadowing of John's better fate.
That's when the cinematic portrayal of Wick's death left the audience skeptical, due to factors such as the absence of his body in a coffin, or the quick transition to his funeral.
The lack of proper foreshadowing and the abrupt ending leaves the fans with no sense of closure as to John's fate.
While fans fret over John Wick's possible death and try to find answers, the franchise director made his statement loud and clear (but still somewhat fuzzy.) Chad Stahelski revealed that Chapter 4 filmed an alternate ending with John Wick alive.
However, test audiences preferred the ambiguous ending, and since the ending of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum left audiences dissatisfied, it was decided to stick with a more convincing series conclusion.
Although John Wick: Chapter 5 is as uncertain as the fate of the character, the franchise is certainly not over.
The upcoming TV prequel, The Continental, and the spin-off, Ballerina, show that the John Wick universe has more stories to tell beyond the main protagonist, meaning that the presence of the titular hero, while eagerly awaited, is not essential to the continuation of Baba Yaga's legacy.