John Wick 5 will see the return of Keanu Reeves’ protagonist after his apparent death in the final moments of John Wick 4, and the decision understandably has audiences conflicted. Although he won’t be the only returning character in John Wick 5, Reeves’ involvement sets an interesting precedent for the franchise and his filmography as a whole going forward.

While there’s no official release date for John Wick 5 yet, the film is clearly one of Lionsgate’s biggest priorities over the next few years. With rumors of Ballerina 2 circulating rapidly, and a Donnie Yen-led spinoff on the cards, the John Wick franchise has a clear direction for the future. However, Keanu Reeves shouldn’t be at the front of it.

John Wick 5 Should Be The Last Of Keanu Reeves’ Franchise Sequels

The Actor May Just Make Standalone Features From Now On

Throughout his career, Reeves has done an excellent job of keeping his most popular movies alive through countless sequels and spinoff projects. Whether that’s Bill & Ted, The Matrix, or most recently, John Wick, the actor is always willing to come back to those franchises that he clearly values so highly.

While it’s been great to see these series evolve and thrive over the years, John Wick 5 could (and should) be the end of this particular phase of the actor’s career. Bill & Ted is seemingly over, and The Matrix looks like it’s going to continue without Neo if another sequel is even made.

John Wick 5 is the only confirmed sequel in the actor’s upcoming schedule, and that will most likely be his final installment in Chad Stahelski’s long-running action franchise. Given Wick’s death at the end of Chapter 4, there are only so many routes John Wick 5 can take to bring the character back, and none of them have him sticking around for more sequels.

There have been several hints that John Wick is still alive over the past few years, making his return in the fifth entry a little bit less obtrusive, but it still feels like an unnecessary step that risks ruining an otherwise powerful ending for the character. This is just further proof that Reeves’ other franchises shouldn’t fall into the same trap.

Both The Matrix and Bill & Ted have satisfying endings that would only be stained by Reeves returning to the franchises. All of these examples combined mean that Reeves probably won’t be making any more sequels anytime soon, and John Wick 5 could be the last for a while.