John Wick seems dead at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, but the movie left several hints that the character actually faked his death and survived.

John Wick appears to be dead at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, but there are tons of clues that hint that he actually survived. The sequel continues to follow John (Keanu Reeves) on his journey to get back to his normal, non-assassin life, but the increasing price on his head makes that more and more difficult. The movie is full of groundbreaking action sequences, but it’s also surprisingly emotional, as John is seen 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed in a duel with Caine (Donnie Yen). The assassin shares his final words with his old friend Winston (Ian McShane), and he’s then buried in New York with a headstone that reads, “Loving Husband.”

The John Wick movies have grown in popularity since the first film’s modest box office success in 2014. Three movies later, John Wick has become a billion-dollar franchise. John Wick: Chapter 4 made over $432 million alone — a huge achievement for Lionsgate, but it calls into question why the studio would 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 off the character at the highest point of the series’ popularity. It’s a bold move, but in an industry where franchises never die if they’re still popular, no matter how unnecessary they are, there’s no doubt that John Wick 5 will happen. The studio has even left some clues that the titular assassin is still alive.

8John Wick’s Burial Isn’t Shown

While John Wick supposedly dies in a duel with Caine, as he keels over on the steps in Paris, the movie doesn’t actually show him die. Not only that but, while Winston and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) are standing at his grave in the cemetery at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, there isn’t a proper burial in the movie. It’s unlikely that the day Winston and the Bowery King visit the cemetery is John’s burial, as the grass is uncut, and it’s as if John has been buried for months. With action movies, if a character dies off-screen, the chances are high that they’re probably not dead.

7John Wick 5 Discussions Are Already Happening

It seems as if nobody is on the same page about John Wick 5, as director Chad Stahelski seemingly doesn’t want to make another movie, and Keanu Reeves is yet to properly comment on the sequel, but Lionsgate has outright confirmed it. The studio hasn’t verified whether John Wick: Chapter 5 is a prequel, which could very well be the case and keep the emotional John Wick: Chapter 4 ending intact. However, the movie will most likely be a sequel and follow on from John Wick: Chapter 4, and it’ll probably reveal how John Wick survived. Nevertheless, while it has been confirmed, Reeves’ silence on the sequel speaks volumes.

6John Wick: Chapter 4 Cut A Scene Confirming John Survived

Director Chad Stahelski revealed that John Wick: Chapter 4 originally featured an alternate ending where John Wick survived, but the scene tested badly during test screenings. As a result, Stahelski made the brave decision to remove it, making the prospect of John Wick 5 much harder for Lionsgate. However, Stahelski is working on a director’s cut of John Wick: Chapter 4, and it’s possible that he could include the cut scene of John surviving. That would significantly help John Wick 5 swerve its biggest problem. I Am Legend 2 is following on from the first movie’s alternate ending, and audiences could see the same happen with the John Wick franchise.

5Winston & The Bowery King Are Powerful Enough To Fake John’s Death

Between Winston and the Bowery King, they have more than enough power to fake John’s death in John Wick: Chapter 4. The Bowery King alone has so many resources and connections that he can get his hands on weaponry, vehicles, and bulletproof suits across the world, and Lionsgate even wants a Bowery King spinoff. In that respect, there’s no denying that he could have helped John fake his death. However, one thing that undermines this clue is that the Bowery King and Winston expressed genuine sadness when they were standing at John’s grave at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.

4The Dog In John Wick: Chapter 4 Sees Something In The Cemetery

During the cemetery scene in John Wick: Chapter 4, Winston and the Bowery King aren’t alone at John’s tombstone. John’s trusty pit bull is there, too. During the scene, the dog’s ears perk up, and he looks to the side as if he notices somebody in the distance, or maybe he smells his master’s scent. Given that dogs in the John Wick franchise are extremely clever and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed, it wouldn’t be surprising if the pit bull sensed his master. After all, this is the same dog who found John in the Bowery King’s lair after he was left in a New York taxicab in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

3John Wick Has Survived Much Worse

It’s hard to believe that one bullet 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed John Wick when it wasn’t even a headshot, especially given all the injuries he has sustained and the beatings he has endured. Throughout all four movies, John has sustained over 200 injuries, including getting stabbed multiple times, being thrown through windows, and falling from such great heights on countless occasions. Outside the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4, John has only been shot cleanly once, but thanks to the doctor in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, that was taken care of. There’s no reason why John couldn’t have been rushed to that same doctor after the duel.

2Several Of John’s Allies Weren’t At The Cemetery

Whether it’s John’s burial or funeral at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, it’s strange that Winston and the Bowery King were the only two characters to pay their respects. While John has made a lot of enemies, he still has several allies. Garage owner Aurelio and police officer Jimmy should have both been at the cemetery. The movie also made it clear that Caine and John Wick knew each other for a long time and were close, so it doesn’t make sense that Caine wasn’t there either. All the people in attendance at Helen’s funeral in the first John Wick movie would surely have known John, too.

1Marquis Vincent De Gramont’s Words In John Wick: Chapter 4 Were Literal

In John Wick: Chapter 4, Marquis Vincent de Gramont says, “John is nothing but a ghost searching for a graveyard.” That line of dialogue clearly implied that the Marquis believed that John was inevitably going to get 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed sooner or later. However, that dialogue could also have been a hint to audiences that this was John’s plan all along. Throughout the movie, John could have been planning to fake his death and that he wanted to have a burial so that the High Table believed he was dead and assassins stopped hunting him. The Marquis’s comment could have been a clever foreshadowing of John Wick’s return.