John Wick: Chapter 4 – The Saddest Lesson Unveiled in Post-Credits Scene
The end-credits scene of John Wick: Chapter 4 is unexpected. However, its core purpose is to impart a sorrowful lesson regarding the entire John Wick franchise.
John Wick: Chapter 4 culminates in a fitting conclusion for the character’s journey, as his mission for retribution evolves into a fight for liberation from his lifestyle of killing and chaos. What makes this movie even more powerful than its predecessors is its emphasis on regulations and repercussions. Throughout the saga, John clashes with the rules of his life as an assassin and the regime that controls it, The High Table. Thus, he experiences the consequences of his deeds that ultimately show the only escape from this life is through death.
John Wick’s life is not the only one touched by tragedy, as Donnie Yen’s Caine is introduced. Caine thinks he is free, but does whatever it takes to protect his daughter. In the end, John helps him gain his freedom and be reunited with his daughter. Although he succeeds in achieving what he was fighting for, the repercussions eventually still catch up with him, proving that the franchise’s main lesson revolves around the concept of tragedy.
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The post-credits scene in John Wick: Chapter 4 isn’t about a positive outcome
In John Wick: Chapter 4, John found shelter at the Osaka Continental Hotel. Nevertheless, The High Table was aware that he’d be there, resulting in a clash between their troops and the Continental’s protection, which comprised Shimazu Koji, its manager, and his daughter Akira. Unfortunately, Caine executed Shimazu as he decided to protect John instead of giving him up. Thus, if John did not eliminate Caine, Akira sought retribution.
At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, Caine was joyfully reunited with his daughter. In the background, however, Akira was shown gripping a knife, poised to take a life. The scene then shifted to black without confirming a kill. This moment could be used to launch a spin-off series, or simply stand as another example of the tragedy that persists in the franchise. It also conveys the grim pattern of revenge that these characters, who make a living by taking lives, are unable to escape.
The John Wick Series Has Never Been About Revenge
The John Wick franchise has always been about the adrenaline-pumping action scenes and the thrilling journey of John’s struggle for freedom to lead a normal life. The underlying theme of John’s story, however, has been the voice in his head, reminding him that the peace he desires will never arrive while he is alive. This message was proven to be true in John Wick: Chapter 4, but an additional side to this was revealed in the post-credits scene. Like John, Caine wants nothing more than to spend time with his daughter, yet his past catches up to him in the form of Akira, thus demonstrating that the debt he accumulated in life must eventually be paid for with his own.
Akira’s story presents the tragedy of revenge, as she has taken a path similar to John’s and sought a form of justice for something that was taken from her. However, this has caused her to be exiled from the High Table, meaning she will never find true peace. Breaking the rules in the world of killers can never go unpunished, and thus the cycle of taking revenge and being killed will continue. Regardless of how much a killer might desire freedom, this vicious cycle will never be broken.
Watch John Wick: Chapter 4—currently playing in theaters—show how tragedy comes full circle.
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