It’s not yet known if the John Wick animated prequel will release in theaters or on streaming, but it can definitely bring back one of the franchise’s best characters. John Wick’s franchise potential was obvious from the first movie’s release, but there almost seemed to be some doubts. After John Wick: Chapter 4’s ending, it seemed like prequels were the only way to move forward. That turned out to be untrue, however, as it was announced at CinemaCon 2025 that a new adventure will indeed continue the chronicles of John Wick.

But that didn’t put an end to the extended franchise of prequels and spinoffs. The announcement of a new John Wick animated prequel detailing John Wick’s Impossible Task was announced at the same time as John Wick 5. Given that we don’t know much from the movies about what “Impossible task” was required for John Wick to earn his retirement, the film should be a huge eye-opener for the franchise. And while it remains yet to be seen how this affects the backstory of John Wick’s High Table, it opens the door to establishing another backstory as well.

John Wick’s Anime Prequel Means That Marcus Can Return

Marcus Can’t Appear In Sequels For Obvious Reasons

Of the two upcoming John Wick movies besides Ballerina, only the prequel truly makes room for the return of Willem Dafoe’s character from the flagship movie of the franchise. Marcus was a former colleague and mentor of John Wick’s, although the first movie initially makes it seem as if his plans on killing Keanu Reeves’ character to collect Viggo’s bounty. In the end, he turns down Viggo’s offer and turns out to be Wick’s greatest ally in the first film. Unfortunately, this leads to him losing his own life in the hopes Wick will get to retire once again.

But Marcus’ return to the John Wick franchise is more possible than ever thanks to the new prequel. If Wick’s going to accomplish this Impossible Task, it makes sense that he might need advice or even active ᴀssistance from his past mentor. Bringing Marcus back could also allow him to play a larger role in the movie’s action scenes, particularly since the past setting and the advantages of animation mean that Dafoe’s age won’t hamper his character’s ability to do things onscreen the actor might not have been able to do himself. If so, his return would be long overdue.

Willem Dafoe’s Marcus Is One Of John Wick’s Most Overlooked Characters

He Arrived Too Early For Many To Strike A Chord With Him

Willem Dafoe’s John Wick character is arguably the most unsung hero of the movie. Although he plays a major role in the first movie, he doesn’t demand the same attention as later side characters due to his comparative lack of major action scenes. Common and Halle Berry, respectively, playing Cᴀssian and Sofia in the second and third installments, get to command major action scenes in which their characters truly shine. Marcus comes in early, before the film has earned franchise hype, and he doesn’t get to do the same kind of scenes.

But the animated prequel to John Wick has the potential to change all of that. We might primarily know Marcus as a sniper in the original movie, but a prequel means he’s younger enough that he might still be able to match Keanu Reeves’ best stunts as John Wick. Given the franchise director’s work on the anime Lazarus, it certainly appears that he doesn’t skimp on fight choreography when it comes to animation. If there’s anything that allows fans to see Marcus in a new light, it should be this prequel.