John Wick: Chapter 5needs to answer a key mystery to the franchise that was created thanks toJohn Wick 4’s villain.John Wick fought many villainsover the course of the four films released in the franchise thus far, overcoming every single one of them. Although John seemingly died inJohn Wick 4’s ending, a continuation of the franchise has been recently confirmed. Aside from the spin-off movie starring Ana de Armas, thestory ofJohn Wick: Chapter 5is now in development.
While it is currently unclear whether Keanu Reeves will return or not, the franchise still has a lot of story to tell. After all,John Wick’s High Tableis still standing, with the destruction of this organization being the primary objective of the iconic assassin since the end of the second film. With this in mind, some questions have been raised byJohn Wick: Chapter 4, specifically its villain, that need answering in the next movie if Keanu Reeves' legacy in the franchise is to be completed.
John Wick 4 Didn’t Explain Where The Elders Come From Or How They’re Chosen
The Elders Remain A Big John Wick Mystery
The question thatJohn Wick: Chapter 4left shrouded in mystery is how exactly the Elders of the High Table operate. The Elders have been confirmed as the singular leaders of the High Table in theJohn Wickuniverse, with two being shown across the four movies. One was shown inJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellumbefore his successor appeared in the opening scene ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4. What neither film divulged, though, is where the Elders come from or how they are chosen.
The High Table has a process that allows new Elders to take the place of prior ones…
Evidently, thanks to the appearance of a different Elder inJohn Wick: Chapter 4, the High Table has a process that allows new Elders to take the place of prior ones. This would mean that a new Elder will somehow be picked after John’s murder of the most recent one in the opening ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4.Instead of answering exactly how the Elder hierarchy works within the High Table,John Wick 4introduced the Marquis de Gramont, another member of the organization, as the film’s villain. As a result, the mystery of the Elders remained completely unanswered.
Understanding John Wick’s Elder Mystery Is Vital To John Ending The High Table
John’s Mission Remains Unfinished
With the answer to this mystery left unaddressed by both theJohn Wickfilms and its titular protagonist, the High Table will continue. John defeated the Marquis de Gramont and was declared free of theHigh Table’s rules, but that does not mean the High Table was defeated entirely. Given that this has been a mission of John’s for a while, it only seems fitting that a fifth movie would capitalize on this and have John - if, indeed, he is still alive - uncover the mystery of the Elders.
If this were to be the plot ofJohn Wick 5, the character would grow one step closer to finally bringing down the High Table completely. Rather than fighting other random agents of the organization, likeJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum’s Adjudicator orJohn Wick: Chapter 4’s Marquis de Gramont,John Wick: Chapter 5would finally pit John against the ever-changing cycle of Elders that runs the High Table. If so, his mission becomes clearer once more.
How The Elders Could Be Involved In John Wick 5’s Story
John Would Need Answers… & Retribution
Concerning how the Elders could fit intoJohn Wick: Chapter 5’s story, I have already alluded to this. Perhaps the main theory is that John Wick actively seeks out answers to the Elders' mysterious reincarnations. In the opening ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, John does not seem to know how the new Elder came into power before killing him. As mentioned, this will likely result in a new Elder being appointed. If so, the new Elder could once again seek vengeance against John for going against the High Table, as well as for John potentially faking his death.
John Wick faking his death could be seen as a slight against the High Table, as it stops them from recruiting him again if needed.
This would set up the main plot ofJohn Wick 5: figuring out how the Elders are voted in.John Wickis at its best by giving the titular assassin waves of enemies to fight through; having those enemies be the Elder candidates for the High Table would naturally increase the stakes and narrative weight of his slaughter. At the end of the film, John could have killed every potential Elder for the High Table, as well as the other villains in high positions from prior movies, thus finally causing enough damage for the organization to collapse on itself.
Keanu Reeves' Story Won’t Feel Complete If The High Table Is Left Standing
John Wick 5 Is A Necessary Edition
Concerning how all of this would impact Keanu Reeves' legacy as part of theJohn Wickfranchise, it would make it feel complete. The ending ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4was excellent, but I cannot deny that I felt somewhat disappointed by the character’s death before his mission was truly finished. Although I understood the symbolism of him finally being free and able to join his wife in death,John Wick: Chapter 3 - ParabellumandJohn Wick: Chapter 4made me heavily invested in seeing the High Table being brought down once and for all.
For this reason, I feel as though John Wick’s story will not be complete until the mystery of the Elders is answered and the High Table is destroyed. More so than anyone, Reeves will likely want his legacy to be complete in theJohn Wickfranchise. This could explain why he is up for returning as John Wick, as the filmmakers have realized there could be one more story to tell. If told correctly, the mysteries ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4could be answered, the hero could have one last blood-filled outing inJohn Wick: Chapter 5,and Keanu Reeves' legacy in the franchise could be rounded off perfectly.
