John Wick Theory: Keanu Reeves' Character Only Survives Because Of One Rule

It took four films for bullet-dispensing Boogeyman-killer John Wick to get taken out (as per the final request from Keanu Reeves for "John Wick 4"), but it certainly wasn't for lack of trying from the rest of the assassin world. Why, though? Surely, the killer competition in this world of guns ("lots of guns") is made up of some high-caliber talent. Was Mr. Wick really that hard to extinguish? Well, according to an interesting fan theory, it was all down to a very specific code that even his most notable enemies weren't willing to break.

According to dedicated Wick watcher u/PsychedelicPistachio on r/FanTheories, "There is an unspoken rule that your victim has to be [given] 'a fighting chance' therefore it would [be] less honorable to snipe him from far away, or bomb him or shoot him in the back of the head." The fan added, "They have to be aware of your presence before you try anything lethal." It was here that, understandably, other fans began firing off ideas of their own, making for an interesting debate and an even deeper dive into the history of kills and near-misses made by John throughout his epic saga. 

Backing the idea of making things fair game before going in for the kill, u/Shendare argued the case, saying, "I suppose one way of thinking about it is that they don't need to just kill John Wick. They need to show that they're a better killer than John Wick. Beat him at his own up-close-and-personal game." 

This would explain why so many of John's encounters have been brutal, close-quarter kerfuffles, often ending with mutual respect. That's something that one particular character, Mr. Nobody in "John Wick: Chapter 4," doesn't have until the final act. u/Yog-Sothawethome noted, "That also tracks with the 4th movie and Mr. Nobody. He tries to take out John a few times with a rifle because he's more money motivated than anything else." 

One fan even backed the theory for covering something that became fairly noticeable in the final installment. u/Efrlux12 said, "In fact even in the last movie when the army is going to look for him, it is noticeable that before shooting to kill they give warning shots and then John can cover himself to defend himself."

Ultimately, it takes a final duel to put an end to the suit-wearing super-assassin, and even then, he still wins, but is he out? As suggested by u/Equal-Bad-8489, "He's still alive because you can't kill death." Maybe we will be seeing you again, Mr. Wick.