Winston (Ian McShane) is one of John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) closest allies in the John Wick franchise, but a popular fan theory suggests they may have a deeper connection than fans think. The John Wick franchise began with John mourning the death of his wife, trying to move on with the help of a new puppy. However, when Russian gangsters kill the poor dog and take John’s car, it sends him on a mission of revenge that sees him reenter his old world and reunite with old friends, including Winston.

While it is clear from their first scene together that John and Winston have a long history, a popular fan theory suggests that they are actually family in a way. The theory suggests that Winston is actually John’s father-in-law, the father of John’s late wife. While the theory has not been confirmed, it is a popular explanation for why Winston helps with John’s fight against the High Table. However, unlike some fan theories about John Wick that are out there, this one actually has some solid evidence to back it up.

Is Winston Being John Wick’s Father-In-Law Plausible?

The Theory Is Backed Up With Some Fun Evidence

Despite the fact that this John Wick theory is never directly addressed in the franchise, there are some interesting details from the movies that do suggest Winston could be John Wick’s father-in-law. Most of them come from John Wick: Chapter 4. The movie sees Winston once again teaming with John for his final showdown with the High Table, while also featuring a moment in which Winston refers to John as “son.” While this could be a simple term of endearment to a man Winston clearly respects, it caused fans to look more closely at their relationship.

This led to the moment in the movie’s final scene, following the death of John Wick, in which Winston is visiting his late friend’s grave. When he places his hand on the gravestone, a tattoo is visible on Winston’s hand that seems to be the same as John’s tattoo, which is the symbol of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate. While this could be explained as a common tattoo shared in this underground world, this tattoo seems to be directly linked to John’s past.

While some took this to conclude Winston was John’s father, others found it more plausible that their relationship is not quite so close but still involved. It could be that John and Winston met many years ago, which is how John met Helen. Winston helping John as a father-in-law would indicate his desire to see John deal with the grief that he also feels about the loss of his daughter. While there is no one to blame for Helen’s death, he would obviously sympathize with John’s mission.

The fact that he and John seemingly haven’t seen each other in a long time when they reunite in the first John Wick movie convinced some fans that this couldn’t be true. However, John left the criminal life behind when he married his wife, and it is likely that this meant Helen wanted to sever connections with her father as well, since he remained in that world.

What The Continental Says About John And Winston’s Relationship

The Prequel Series Didn’t Confirm The Theory

The Continental was the first spinoff in the John Wick universe, with the series examining he backstory of Winston (played by Colin Woodell) and how he got involved with the High Table and the famous H๏τel. This would seemingly be the perfect place to confirm the theory that he is John Wick’s father-in-law. However, the fact that there is no mention of Winston having children in the show was seen by some as a blow to the theory. The show also seemed to suggest that Winston’s admiration of John’s determination is because it reminds him of his late brother.

However, these are not necessarily detrimental to the theory. The Continental ends while Winston is still a relatively young man and would certainly have had more time to have a child of Helen’s age after the events of the series. Also, while Winston’s admiration for John is seemingly connected to Winston’s late brother, that could simply be why Winston was alright with allowing John, a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly ᴀssᴀssin, to marry his daughter.

What Director Chad Stahelski Has Said About The Theory

The John Wick Theory Could Become Canon

The theory about Winston being John Wick’s father-in-law gained so much popularity among fans that it even got the attention of John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski. While the filmmaker confirmed that they never intended to suggest this connection between Winston and John, the theory impressed him enough that it may actually become canon:

Yeah. No, that’s a pretty common one, actually. I get that a lot. Did it come full circle that Helen was Winston’s daughter? Look, that’s a pretty good– That’s not where we had initially thought, but could it go there? Yeah, I think that’s pretty clever. I think it’s cool. I think there is a familiar relationship there for sure.

It’s rare for a fan theory to make that kind of impact on a franchise that the filmmakers actually consider incorporating it into the storytelling. It is a testament to how clever the theory is and how much it works within the universe. While John Wick seemingly died at the end of John Wick 4, the franchise is confirmed to be continuing on with a fifth John Wick movie in development, as well as Keanu Reeves and Ian McShane both appearing in the spinoff movie, Ballerina. Time will tell if the theory is confirmed in these projects.