Keanu Reeves reprises his role as John Wick in Ballerina, and the movie is now confirmed to show a completely different side of the hired hitman. Ballerina is the first spinoff movie in the John Wick franchise. It stars Ana de Armas as Eve Maccaro, a female ᴀssᴀssin who seeks revenge on the people responsible for killing her family. With it set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, the door was opened for Keanu Reeves to appear without worrying about retconning John Wick’s death in the fourth installment.
Although Keanu Reeves’ Ballerina return has been confirmed for a long time, it’s only been through the film’s marketing campaign that a better understanding of John Wick’s role has come. The early marketing teased him as a looming presence in Eve’s life. There was even an indication that Eve might have gotten some advice from him about the hired gun lifestyle. However, the second Ballerina trailer adds a twist to John and Eve’s interactions. It’s revealed that he’s hired by The Director to hunt her down, which confirms John Wick will be shown in an entirely new way.
Ballerina Is The First Time John Wick Will Be A Villain In The Franchise
He’s An Antagonist To Eve
The revelation that John Wick is hunting down Eve in Ballerina adds a completely different dynamic to the movie. There have already been teases of the Ana de Armas vs Keanu Reeves fight that will ensue from this confrontation, which is exciting. However, it is unexpected due to what this means for John Wick. Ballerina is a movie about Eve, in which Ana de Armas’ character is the central protagonist. If she’s the hero, then anyone who challenges her is a villain. That now includes John Wick after the confirmation that she becomes one of his targets.
This is notable because it’s the first time that John Wick will be shown as a villain within his franchise. He’s always been the hero, with Viggo Tarasov, Santino D’Antonio, The Adjudicator, and The Marquis Vincent de Gramont as the film’s main villains. There are also fellow John Wick ᴀssᴀssins like Zero, Cᴀssian, The Shinobi, Ms. Perkins, and Ares who have opposed him. Through it all, Wick has never been the villain. That changes in Ballerina based on the simple fact that Eve Maccaro is the hero, and he’s meant to kill her.
John Wick’s Villain Role Completely Flips The Franchise’s Point Of View
Audiences May Have Conflicting Feelings About His Turn
Making John Wick a villain in Ballerina is a completely new element for the franchise. The first four John Wick movies were about him and his vengeful missions. Audiences rooted for him to kill anyone he came into contact with and were on his side in every altercation. That won’t be the case with Ballerina. It’s unlikely John Wick is hired to kill Eve until later in the movie, meaning viewers should have plenty of time to connect to Ana de Armas’ character before she’s forced to fight Reeves. Viewers will want her to survive.
Still, it’s an exciting development for Ballerina to use the “real” John Wick and make him a villain through his hired gun status. The John Wick movies have done a great job of establishing the fear that comes to those who have to face the Baba Yaga. But none of the films have really shown what its like to be hunted down by him. They always show John’s perspective, but Ballerina can now flip the point of view.
Ballerina has an opportunity to demonstrate how scary it is for people to come face-to-face with John Wick and have him in pursuit of them. Instead of relishing the entertainment of the action, there will be an added layer of fear by framing John Wick as a villain. That’s a fresh way to use Keanu Reeves’ character even after four movies.
John Wick Won’t Be A Prototypical Villain In Ballerina
Expect A Non-Fatal Resolution To Eve & John’s Feud
It is fair to call John Wick a villain in Ballerina if he’s trying to kill the main hero, but he won’t be a prototypical bad guy. There are some friendlier interactions between Eve and John in the trailers that suggest a level of respect or understanding. Ana de Armas’ character even appears frustrated or confused that The Director would hire him of all people to come after her. John may not even want to kill Eve. It’d be a real shock if Keanu Reeves appears in the franchise’s first spinoff movie only to kill its best John Wick replacement character.
There’s a strong chance their encounter ends without Eve dying
Furthermore, there is an actual main villain in Ballerina who is not John Wick. So even if he and Eve do have to fight, he isn’t the big bad. There’s a strong chance their encounter ends without Eve dying, as John could spare her so she can get her revenge, as he may sympathize with her given his past. John Wick will still be an adversary to Eve Maccaro in Ballerina, but he’s not going to be overtly villainous, especially given audiences’ connections to him.
