John Wick 4 wasted a golden opportunity to define the future of the franchise without Keanu Reeves

However John Wick: Chapter 4 was a near-perfect send-off for Keanu Reeves' titular character, it missed a perfect opportunity to define his replacement in the franchise. The end of John Wick: Chapter 4 likely saw the death of John Wick, which put the future of the franchise in jeopardy. Although there are several nearby John Wick spinoffs in the works, the series is left without its main star and without a new character to take his place. Although John Wick: Chapter 5 is on the horizon, it's unclear how the action franchise will fare without Reeves.

All John Wick the film helped further spread the legend of the eponymous killer. Reeves' character started out as a big name specifically in the Russian mafia, but John Wick 4he was a mythical hero throughout the world. Even though the world of John Wick continued to expand, and the intricacies of the hotels and the High Table were revealed, John's own legend grew along with it. Now, John Wick is suffering from its success: John is too legendary to be easily replaced, and the series hasn't done enough to create a new character to pass the torch to.

John Wick 4 should have created a successor to John Wick

Caine, Akira, and Mr. Nobody Could Have Taken John Wick's Place, But They Didn't

Since the John Wick the franchise must continue despite the death of Keanu Reeves' character, John Wick 4 should have chosen a successor to lead the series. The movie kind of did that, but it also didn't. There were three main people who could have taken John's place – Donnie Yen's Caine, Rina Sawayama's Akira, and Shamier Anderson's Mr. Nobody – but none of them actually stepped up.. John Wick 4 he apparently couldn't decide who should take John's place, and his indecision meant he didn't choose a new protagonist.

Caine was an old friend of John, and here's the next Caine John Wick spinoff, but he also apparently exited the assassin's world. Likewise, Akira had a fairly prominent role in the film and was the focus of the post-credits scene, but John's replacement would not have been almost entirely absent from the third act. Mr. Nobody played an important role in John Wick 4ending, but her future is much less defined than the other characters. All three were equally likely to replace John, but John Wick 4 did not indicate that any of them would actually do so.

The John Wick franchise has had plenty of opportunities to set up a replacement

There are so many interesting characters and big stars in John Wick

After 10 years of John Wick and four films, many famous actors played interesting characters in the franchise. From Willem Dafoe's Marcus in the original film to Halle Berry's Sofia in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellumthe franchise has had no shortage of potential replacements for Keanu Reeves. Any of them, except those who were already killed off on screen, could have been interesting enough to move the series forward without John. It's easy to imagine Halle Berry being the main focus of a John Wick movie, if the franchise had given her a movie to star in.

John Wick had many chances to name a successor to Keanu Reeves' character, but that didn't happen. It's not just that John Wick 4 failed to find a new protagonist, that's what the entire franchise managed. Instead of taking a character like Common's Cassian or Berry's Sofia and developing them alongside John, the franchise immediately turned its focus to Keanu Reeves.. While these characters were interesting and engaging in the short term, the lack of a clear replacement for John hurt the franchise overall. Now, the task of choosing someone to replace Keanu Reeves will be a much more difficult task.

Ana de Armas' ballerina character is the next best chance to replace John Wick

As the first John Wick film after his death, the ballerina is prepared to make Ana de Armas the new protagonist

Since John Wick 4 didn't take the opportunity to name a successor to Keanu Reeves, another film will have to do so. Ana de Armas' next film Ballerina seems to be the most likely path to John Wick to introduce a new protagonist. Ballerina will see de Armas play Eve, a member of Ruska Roma, John's former gang. It will also happen at the beginning of the John Wick timeline, meaning Eva will interact and learn from John. Eve has an extremely direct connection to John, and de Armas is already a box office draw, which makes her seem like the successor John Wick 4 I never chose.

Another big reason why Ana de Armas seems like the most likely long-term replacement for John is simply because Ballerina will be the first film after John Wick 4and the first to feature a different protagonist. Although it occurs chronologically earlier, Ballerina is effectively the test of the franchise to see if John Wick can work without Keanu Reeves in the lead role. Plus, having an entire movie dedicated to portraying her origins and abilities as an assassin is a much better way to establish a new main character than the Caine, Akira, or Mr. Strange stories. John Wick 4.

Can Keanu Reeves' John Wick Really Be Replaced by John Wick 5?

It's hard to imagine someone as legendary as John Wick himself

However Ballerina seems like a way to John Wick franchise to replace Keanu Reeves, there is still the question of whether he can be replaced. Reeves has been the face of the franchise for literally a decade. He and John Wick, and it's hard to imagine anyone commanding the same devoted fan base as effectively as he does. John Wickonly previous attempt to move away from Keanu Reeves, in The Continental: From the World of John Wickwas not as successful as the main film series. It is currently unclear whether John Wick can survive without Reeves.

Although Keanu Reeves' departure puts John Wick at a huge disadvantage, the franchise's future isn't entirely bleak. Ana de Armas is a big celebrity and Ballerina looks like it could become a hit. Likewise, Donnie Yen's Caine spin-off looks set to be successful, given his character's popularity. It is also possible that John Wick it no longer needs a single protagonist: the world of assassins has grown so much that it is essentially a framework for countless stories. Although John Wick: Chapter 4 hasn't named a successor to Keanu Reeves, the action franchise will likely be just fine.