I love Keanu Reeves as John Wick, but I don’t think he needs to appear in one upcoming spinoff movie. After he seemingly died at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, I thought we may never see Reeves’ iconic character on the big screen again. However, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. Not only has John Wick 5 been confirmed, but Reeves will also appear in the upcoming Ballerina. Anticipation is high for Ballerina since it is the first spinoff movie in the John Wick franchise.

All the John Wick movies have been amazing, so Ballerina has a lot to live up to. Hopefully Reeves’ inclusion will help the upcoming spinoff receive exceptional reviews. Ahead of its June 6, 2025 release, it’s clear that Reeves had a lot of fun filming the spinoff, as he has reportedly already pitched ideas for a sequel to Ballerina. Reeves is clearly pᴀssionate about Ballerina and the franchise as a whole, which is amazing, but I’m hoping this doesn’t mean he will also appear in the Caine spinoff, which will follow Donnie Yen’s character from John Wick: Chapter 4.

John Wick Shouldn’t Appear In The Caine Spinoff

The Caine Spinoff Doesn’t Need John Wick

Including Reeves in Ballerina is probably a smart decision since it will star Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a brand-new character in the franchise. Since Eve has never been seen in any previous John Wick movies, including Reeves in the film will convince more people to watch Ballerina in theaters. Seeing Eve fight John Wick in Ballerina will solidify her as one of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest ᴀssᴀssins in the franchise. However, unlike Eve, Yen’s Caine has already been heavily featured in a John Wick movie.

Caine was one of the main characters in John Wick: Chapter 4, which means that audiences already know him and understand his backstory. Because of this, it would be unnecessary to include John Wick in the upcoming Caine spinoff. Even though Caine was hunting John Wick in the fourth film, he eventually helped him take down the Marquis at the end of the movie. John Wick and Caine kind of went on a journey together in the fourth film, so including the former in the latter’s spinoff would potentially hurt the emotional story told in John Wick: Chapter 4.

The Caine Spinoff’s Story Doesn’t Naturally Allow For John Wick To Appear

The Caine Spinoff Will Likely Be Set After John Wick: Chapter 4

In addition to helping solidify Eve as a major character in the franchise, it also makes sense to include Reeves’ character in Ballerina since it is set between the events of the third and fourth John Wick movies. Since John Wick hasn’t died (or faked his own death) yet, it makes sense for him to be sent after Eve in Ballerina. However, unlike Ballerina, the Caine spinoff will most likely be set after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4.

The Caine spinoff’s timeline hasn’t officially been confirmed, but given the post-credits credits scene of John Wick: Chapter 4, it’s safe to ᴀssume that it will be set after the movie. If this is the case, it would be strange if Reeves’ character appeared in the spinoff before the release of John Wick 5. The fifth film in the franchise will have to explain how John Wick survived the events of John Wick: Chapter 4 and why he chose to go into hiding, and this is something that absolutely should not be explained in a spinoff movie.

Keanu Reeves’ Absence From Caine’s Spinoff Is Better For The John Wick Franchise

The Caine Spinoff Can Focus On Newer Characters

In the post-credits scene of the fourth film, Akira, who is played by Rina Sawayama, is seemingly ready to attack Caine to get revenge for the death of her father, who he killed earlier in the movie. Akira pulls out a knife, but John Wick: Chapter 4 cuts to black before she actually reaches Caine. Sawayama being cast in the Caine spinoff is another reason why it will likely be set after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4.

It is not clear what the interaction between Caine and Akira will look like, but including the latter in the spinoff rather than John Wick allows the franchise to grow beyond Reeves. While John Wick is an amazing character and Reeves is great in the role, giving other characters time in the spotlight is what’s best for the franchise. Therefore, even though I am a huge fan of the character and still want to see more of him, I am hoping that Reeves’ John Wick will not appear in the Caine spinoff.