John Wick 4 ending explained: is there going to be a sequel?

John Wick: Chapter 4 is finally in cinemas, with many critics and viewers alike saying that it is the best instalment of the action series so far. The franchise, which stars Keanu Reeves as a vengeful assassin fighting for his life in the criminal underworld, left fans in shock with a very surprising ending - but what was it all about? Here's the ending explained and warning, there are major spoilers from here… 

How did John Wick 4 end? 

In the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 4, John saved the day by requesting a duel with the villainous member of The Table, Marquis Vincent de Gramont, in exchange for his freedom of obligations from the order. In a duel - complete with duelling pistols - against the Marquis’ champion, Caine, John is badly wounded from the third gunshot.

While the Marquis stepped in to finish the job, he hadn’t realised that John had not yet fired his bullet - and he instead shoots and kills the Marquis. As such, Caine and John are released from their obligations, while it is agreed that Winston will have his hotel reinstated. 

Caine and his daughter are freed by the Table 

However, it appears that the duel ultimately kills John, who asks Winston to "bring him home". After thinking about his late wife, Helen, he keels over and apparently dies, with the next scene seeing Winston and the Bowery King at his grave. 

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Is John Wick dead? 

While the movie heavily insinuates that John died in the final moments of the movie, fans are hoping that he could have faked his own death. However, the movie appears to confirm that the character was indeed killed off, particularly when he didn’t appear in the post-credits scene. 

© Murray Close

Is the assassin really dead?

What is the John Wick 4 post-credits scene? 

For those hoping to see John Wick himself sitting at a cafe, raising a coffee cup to his former butler, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Instead of a 'return from the dead' hint, the post-credit scene instead sees Caine finally heading to meet his daughter, free from his obligations. Carrying flowers for her, he is smiling when a hooded figure approaches him - who turns out to Akira, Shimazu Koji's daughter bent on revenge for the murder of her father.

© Getty

Akira wanted revenge for her father

Will there be a John Wick 5? 

Although there isn’t a definitive confirmation, producer Basil Iwanyck told IndieWire: "It’s an ambiguous ending. I’ll put it that way. We don’t have this answer… Just on a personal level, we can’t break up the band yet, If the movie does really well, and people love it, and if there’s a germ of idea, we’ll entertain it. We’re so far away from that. I’m not saying there will be a sequel by any stretch, but if there is a world where we can find a story, we’ll explore that."

Will there be another sequel? 

Keanu also spoke about another sequel, telling TotalFilm: "You have to see how the audience responds to what we did. The only reason we’ve had a chance to make these movies is that people have liked what we have done. So I think we have to wait and see how the audience responds to it. Hopefully, they’ll like it." 

There is also a spin-off currently in the works. Ballerina is set to star Ana de Armas as a ballerina assassin who hunts down the murderers of her family. Keanu and Ian McShane are set to reprise their roles as John and Winston for the 2024 release.

© Getty

There is a spin-off in the works

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