Keanu Reeves’ iconic ᴀssᴀssin will return in John Wick 5, but he shouldn’t be the only actor to reprise his role. After much speculation, John Wick 5 was officially confirmed at CinemaCon 2025. This doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, but it will be interesting to see where Reeves and franchise director Chad Stahelski take the series after the тιтular character seemingly died.

Based on the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4, there’s a perfect opportunity to treat the next movie like a soft reboot. Perhaps Wick is in hiding and living a peaceful life far away from his old allies and enemies. After all, Stahelski has already confirmed that John Wick 5 won’t involve the High Table, which has been an important aspect of the previous four movies.

Because of this, the fifth film could differentiate itself from the previous John Wick movies and follow Reeves’ character on a standalone mission. This opens up a lot of possibilities, but it is not the right move since other characters also need to return in the fifth movie. In particular, it would be disappointing if Winston and the Bowery King didn’t have prominent roles in John Wick 5.

Winston & The Bowery King Need To Return For John Wick 5

Ian McShane’s Winston has been an important character in the franchise since the first film, whereas Laurence Fishburne’s the Bowery King showed up in the second movie. Despite their prominent roles in the previous movies, it would be quite easy for John Wick 5 to leave them out given how the fourth film ended. Perhaps they don’t know Wick is still alive, or where he even is.

If this is the case, then the fifth movie could introduce brand-new allies for John Wick. If he doesn’t return to New York, where Winston and the Bowery King both live, then there’s no reason to involve them. However, a curious smirk shared between Winston and the Bowery King at the end of the fourth movie suggests that they do indeed know that Wick is still alive.

If they know he is alive, then they should be included. Both have been key allies for John; Winston, especially, has been almost like a father figure to him. Replacing Winston and the Bowery King is simply not acceptable. Not only would this be a disservice to both characters, but it would also mean John Wick 5 would fail to answer an important question from the fourth movie.

At this point, it’s hard to theorize exactly what the story of John Wick 5 will be. However, McShane and Fishburne have both confirmed that they would be interested in reprising their roles. Because of that, there is truly no reason to leave them out of the story, especially since John Wick 5 could be Reeves’ last movie in the franchise.

Since the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves has expressed doubt that he can continue making movies in the action franchise, due to the physical demands of the role. There are no certainties about a sixth movie, so just in case John Wick 5 ends up being the last movie in the franchise, Winston and the Bowery King absolutely cannot be left out of it.