A fan theory about the John Wick movies could hint to John’s defeat against the High Table in John Wick: Chapter 4. Recently displaying exciting footage at CinemaCon, John Wick 4 is slated to hit theaters on March 23, 2023. Despite being subject to numerous COVID and scheduling-related delays, John Wick 4 is nonetheless one of 2023’s most widely anticipated movies, and certainly right at the top for many action movie fans.
At the end of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, John (Keanu Reeves) is betrayed by his old friend Winston (Ian McShane) in order for he and the New York City Continental to remain in the good graces of the High Table. Despite his great fall from the Continental’s roof, John survives and is brought to the lair of the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), with he and John forming an alliance to take down the High Table. Though they both have good reasons for embarking on such a daunting mission, it might not go as smoothly as they seem to expect.
A John Wick fan theory on Reddit has posited that each installment of the series acts as an allegory for one of the five classic stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This would leave John Wick 4 as the depression-based entry of the franchise. When measured against his and the Bowery King’s coming war with the High Table as the assassin world’s ruling body, this could indicate that their efforts end in their defeat. In turn, this also raises big questions for John Wick 5 as the chapter based upon acceptance.
John Wick “5 Stages of Grief” Theory Explained
Per the Reddit fan theory, John Wick shows the titular character in denial of the loss of his wife, leaving her things in their house as though she had never passed away. John Wick: Chapter 2 shows John in the anger stage, taking out many opposing assassins. John also finds himself excommunicated from the Continental assassin safe haven after his wrathful killing of Santino (Riccardo Scarmarcio) on hotel grounds. With John Wick 3, John enters the bargaining phase, trying to negotiate for his life and his freedom with the High Table Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui) as he fights off assassins pursuing the contract on his head. Going by this theory, John Wick 4 would then move into depression, while acceptance would be John Wick 5 ‘s theme. This indicates John Wick 4 may be the darkest installment of the series thus far, which doesn’t bode well for John and the Bowery King’s war against the High Table.
John Wick 4 Theory: Depression Theme Means John & The Bowery King Lose
When John and the Bowery King team up at the end of John Wick 3, their shared desire to defeat the leadership of the High Table ends the movie on a cliffhanger. With the Bowery King having his own legion of assassin associates disguised as New York City’s homeless population, they’re likely to have a considerable number of allies behind them in facing the High Table. However, depression is hardly the emotion one associates with victory.
If the theory about the five stages of grief is true to the John Wick franchise’s story trajectory, John and the Bowery King could find themselves headed into a losing battle. The Bowery King is far more likely to die in the conflict than John, in order for John Wick 5 to even happen. Even still, with happiness always seemingly eluding John Wick, failing to defeat the High Table and assert his independence from the assassin world for good would be a crushing, and depressing defeat for John. If that ends up being the case, it could also offer a picture of what John Wick 5’s story might be.
What John Wick & The Bowery King Losing Would Mean For Chapter 5
Coming off of the depression of losing to the High Table in John Wick 4, a theme of acceptance for John Wick 5 is ominously open to interpretation. On the darker end of it, John might come to accept that he can’t leave the life of killing as the Baba Yaga behind. This could lead to John deciding to acquiesce to the demand of the High Table’s Elder that he become the organization’s sworn soldier for the rest of his life. On the other hand, John could also decide that his only escape lies in death, and electing to face the High Table one last time, knowing that he’ll be killed and choosing to go out in a blaze of glory rather than submit to his enemies.
On the flipside, the possible acceptance theme of John Wick 5 could have a much rosier ending for John’s story. Acceptance might take John back to where audiences first met him in the first John Wick when he was still mourning his wife and hit with another tragedy in the loss of his dog. John Wick 5 could show John making his last stand against the High Table, and winning this time, with acceptance relating more to his personal life. After defeating his enemies with his extensive skills in weaponry and numerous forms of martial arts, John Wick, finally free of his life as an assassin, might at last accept that the new life he tried to make for himself is over. In the aftermath of his hard-earned triumph over the High Table, John would then have a new lease on life and the freedom to start over as he’s long wanted to.
The John Wick movies have put John through a lot of emotional and physical pain. With the loss of his wife and dog as the starting point of the franchise, that certainly lends credence to John’s on-screen battles acting as an extended metaphor for his grieving process. With the addition of the martial arts entourage in John Wick 4, John might finally find himself in a conflict where victory escapes him and the Bowery King. If that’s the case, John Wick: Chapter 4 could be either the prelude to John’s death on his own terms or the darkness before the long-awaited dawn from him in John Wick: Chapter 5.
Key Release Dates
John Wick: Chapter 4
Release Date:2023-03-24
