John Wick

Short Answer: Wick becomes the new Elder

Remember playing Tag as a kid, and there was "base" that was a spot where, if you reached it, that you could not be tagged out? That's what the Continental hotel system is-- a home base that, if you are there, no one can tag "tag" you "out." You know, assassinate you. 

Well, Mr. Wick broke that rule in Part 2, so he has to either run forever... or change the game. He can't even expect to be safe in Continental; after all, if he didn't respect its ability to protect others, why should others respect its ability to protect him?

In Part 3, Neo and Morph... I mean, Wick and The Bowery King decide to go up against the High Table.

In other words, they challenge the game itself. And start a new game:

King of the Mountain.

So that's what Part 4 needs to be. The subtitle of Part 3 is "Parabellum," which is actually two words: para bellum. They are Latin, and they mean "prepare for war." They are part of a Latin expression: "If you seek peace, prepare for war." Meaning, if you look like you mean business, no one will mess with you... so there will be peace. 

So if Part 3 means "prepare for war," then Part 4 should be that war.  

The poet Robert Frost said that "the best way out is always through." Meaning, don't run from your problems, but deal with them until they are dealt with, and then you will be done with them.

But in John Wick's case, the best way out is... up. He has to take out, or win over, all the members of the High Table-- and assume the role of Elder himself. 

In a way, this is the fulfillment of his name. The "wick" is always at the top of the candle, right?

As part of the final fight, we see that Wick having lost his finger somehow saves him, to make that worthwhile.

But he doesn't kill the Elder in the "final boss" fight. Wick's new dog does. The whole thing started in Part 1 with the death of a dog, so a dog should get the ultimate revenge for his canine brother.

So Part 4 should end with the pit bull killing the current Elder. The last shot should be Wick in the Elder's seat, then we pan to the dog sitting next to him, then zoom in on the dog's collar. Hanging from it, we see, are two wedding rings-- Wick's and Helen's. 

The whole thing was about their love, his grief at losing her, and his fury at the death of the dog that she gave him. 

It makes sense that Wick becomes the Elder. He is the best assassin, after all. It takes an army to defeat him, and so far even that hasn't worked for long. Because he always has friends to save his butt. And having developed that kind of loyalty-- among assassins!-- proves his leadership capabilities. 

Of course, it would be interesting to see which "John Wick" characters we meet in Parts 1, 2, and 3 who survived to Part 4 and could still be folded into its storyline. It would be nice to have our meeting them before pay off now. 

For sure, I think Tarasov should play a role. We haven't seen him since Part 1, but Wick spares him, so he owes Wick. He's small potatoes compared to the High Table? Well, maybe not anymore-- it's been a while and he could have risen up since then. He should be killed or wounded in a fight, saving Wick. 

Reeves is pushing 60, so maybe not an "elder" yet, but if an assassin makes it to 60? Maybe in that game, that is an elder. Only 7 MLBers have played past 50. No NFLer made it past 50. The oldest NBAer? 45. 

So if you can still win at Tag and King of the Mountain at 60, you get to be an Elder. 

Oh, and once the series ends, we should have a one-off movie about the whole global Continental Hotel system, about what an average week is like for their staff. What a place to work...