With “John Wick: Chapter 4”, the saga of John Wick comes to a satisfactory conclusion, or not, given that there is a hint at the possibility of his return in the closing sequence. Looking back at how the franchise started with production concerns and a small budget, to blazing through an almost decade-long journey where its already iconic status has guaranteed a number of spin-offs and the biggest action stars joining the ventures, it’s safe to say “John Wick” has come a long way. Regardless of whether the Baba Yaga is summoned once again or not, there are multiple storylines and character arcs we wish to see attaining completion, and hopefully, the makers will take note of the popular demand as well.
Spoilers Ahead
Aurelio Shouldn’t Be Forgotten
Technically speaking, John’s friend Aurelio, the owner of the chop shop, was the one connection that let the carnage of Baba Yaga unleash itself once again by being an intermediary connection between him and the culprit. After Aurelio comes to know that Iosef, the son of mafia boss Viggo Tarasov, ransacked the house of John Wick, stole his car, and killed his dog, he straight up refuses to do business with Iosef, beats him up, and informs Viggo about it. Later, when John meets with him, Aurelio provides him with the identity of the culprits, which allows John to set him back on the path of death and violence. After taking his revenge by killing Viggo and his son, John retrieves his car and hands it over to Aurelio for repair. That’s the last time we see Aurelio in the John Wick universe as he remains completely absent in the third and fourth entries of the franchise. Aurelio’s past connection with John and how he was connected with the Mafia families like Tarasov could have been explored, and it’s a shame that an actor like John Leguizamo was not utilized in the role as much as he should have been.
Cassian’s Revenge
Another of the least talked about characters is Cassian, the bodyguard of former Camorra crime family head Gianna D’Antonio. During the events of “John Wick: Chapter 2”, John becomes entangled in a conspiracy as a result of the blood oath he made with Gianna’s brother Santino, which makes him answerable to all his requests according to the rules of the marker. Santino tasked John to assassinate the then Camorra family head, soon-to-be coronated as a member of the High Table, his sister Gianna D’Antonio, as he wanted the seat for himself. After traveling to Rome and infiltrating the heavily fortified catacombs, John manages to confront Gianna and reluctantly ends her life. On his way out, he is chased by Gianna’s bodyguard, Cassian. After John engaged in a prolonged, vicious fight with Cassian, both of them later end up in the Continental premises of Rome and have to stop their scuffle as, according to the rule, no ‘business’ can be performed on the Continental grounds. As John and Cassian share a drink, the former lets the latter know that he is bound by predicaments. Cassian responds, saying he will hunt John nonetheless and will try to make his end quick and painless—as a form of professional courtesy.
As John returns to New York after finishing his assignment, he once again faces Cassian. A brutal fight ensues between them, which moves through a subway train. The fight ends with John lodging a knife in Cassian’s chest and fixing it in such a position that it restricts his movement, and unless he stays motionless, there is a chance of his bleeding to death. John leaves him in the subway, returning his quip about professional courtesy. Rapper Common portrayed the role of the vengeful assassin really well, and he believably played a character who could give even John a run for his money. With strong chances of surviving the ordeal already, Cassian may well appear once more, either as a cameo performance or to explore his character’s past.
Sofia And Her Adventures
In “John Wick: Parabellum,” we find John on the run from assassins, as he was declared an excommunicado for his actions during the previous movie. After using his ticket in his adoptive crime family, Ruska Roma, John gets a chance to travel to Casablanca and reaches the Moroccan division of the Continental, managed by Sofia Al-Azwar and her two fierce Belgian Malionais. Initially unwilling to assist John in any way, Sofia later agrees to help her after John reminds her that he is the bearer of her marker, which he received after rescuing her daughter from an impossible situation where she was probably marked for observation by the High Table. Sofia agrees to take John to see her old boss, Berrada, and the four of them reach his hideout. After Berrada provides the details about the possible location of the Elder, the leader of the High Table, to John, he demands one of Sofia’s dogs in return. Finding Sofia unwilling, he shoots one of the dogs, and fortunately, it remains unharmed due to the bulletproof vest it was wearing. A vengeful Sofia, assisted by her dogs and Baba Yaga, proceeds to lay waste to Berrada’s men, which deservingly cripples Berrada. The last time we saw Sofia, she was taking leave after transporting John to the nearest possible location to his destination.
Sofia mentioned previously that a wrong move made by her might risk her daughter’s life, and even though John managed to rescue her, she cannot take that kind of risk to go against the Table. After the incidents at Berrada’s place, it can be assumed Sofia will be faced with adversity when the High Table inevitably comes to know about them and might send enforcers. Actor Halle Berry, who portrayed the character with great finesse, had shared some hints in the last year about a possible spin-off revolving around the adventures of Sofia and her loyal canines, which might also highlight the history she shared with John and the situations that led to her separation from her daughter. The fierce female-led action adventures of the John Wick universe will complement the upcoming “Ballerina” spin-off centered on Ruska Roma pretty well.
John’s Past In Ruska Roma
The third and fourth parts of the “John Wick” movie series give us plenty of information about Jardani Jovonovich, the birth name of the revered assassin who goes by the name John Wick. The Director, chief of the Russian crime family Ruska Roma, reared and trained John from a young age, like her adoptive son. John had his own family growing up, consisting of his adoptive sister Katia, with whom we meet in “John Wick Chapter 4”. After John left the family years ago and later returns to sever his ties with them by using his ticket, a momentary falling out happens between him and the criminal family members. Something that gets solved later as John gets re-inducted into his family after finishing off Killa Harkan, the German mob boss who had killed Katia’s father,
In the series, all we could gather about John’s past was from his connection with Ruska Roma, and it would be great if the makers decided to do a series showcasing John’s past experiences with the crime family.
