How many people did John Wick kill in the four movies? Details explored ahead of Ballerina

A still from John Wick Chapter 4 (Image via Lionsgate)

While it seemed like the end for Keanu Reeves' iconic John Wick in the fourth and final film in the franchise, the feared killer will appear again in the upcoming franchise spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas in the leading role. Reeves himself confirmed the appearance, much to the excitement of fans across the world. Ballerina's setting between the third and fourth John Wick films makes it possible for Reeves to be a part of it.

Like the John Wick movies, Ballerina is also expected to be violent and dangerous, which is now a trademark of the franchise. In fact, the first four films by Chad Stahleski are so violent that John Wick himself kills nearly 500 people over the duration of the original franchise. Even before the fourth and final film, Wick had killed almost 300 people, as per GeekTyrant.

This means that the character averaged nearly a kill a minute throughout the four films, and he might not be done. Though we know Wick's role in Ballerina will be limited, we have no confirmation that there will be any violent scenes including the famed hitman. Rather, it would be incomplete to have Wick and not have violence around.

What is John Wick's exact kill count?

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The report from GreekTyrant claims to have an exact kill count for the four movies starring Keanu Reeves as the infamous Baba Yaga. The character killed 77 people on screen in the first film, 128 people in the second film, and then slightly dropped to 94 kills in the third film.

The fourth film was arguably the most violent and saw a constant surge of violence from the very start. The last film featured a staggering 140+ deaths at the hands of Wick.

This means that the character has killed over 439 people in the four films, which is an extremely high average for any film character, especially one without superpowers or magic.

Why did the high killing rate work for the John Wickfranchise?

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As per reports, the John Wick films weren't always meant to be this aggressive and violent, with the original script featuring much fewer on-screen murders. However, Chad Stahelski decided to up it significantly, making a film that was surrounded by intense action scenes in every nook and cranny. In an interview with ComicBook, Stahelski revealed that the original script included the deaths of only three people.

Thankfully, this worked out very well, and the film and its approach to violence became a huge hit. This was partially because the well-choreographed action sequences felt very intriguing, and the fact that the film did not hold back from constant deaths gave it quite a fresh outlook.

Moreover, Wick's journey fighting through layers and layers of armed men made the film feel like a videogame, one element that has been used by Stahelksi and his team throughout the four movies.

Moreover, following one single guy surviving the odds and killing hundreds of people gave the film a surrealistic edge, which is still hard to beat. Throughout the often unrealistic fight sequences, nothing ever felt out of place in the Wick universe, hinting at the conviction with which the filmmakers built the tale.

So despite killing nearly half a thousand people, Keanu Reeves' character may have more left in him in his next appearance in Ballerina. The film was pushed back by a full year and is now set to premiere on June 6, 2025.