John Wick Breaks An Origin Story Movie Rule (& That's Why It's Great)

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The John Wick franchise has avoided a standard origin story from its title character, which has been a great advantage to the series. The first trendsetting John Wick was a major sleeper hit in 2014 and kickstarted a new phase of Keanu Reeves' career. The success of John Wick led to two sequels, with John Wick: Chapter 4 on the way and a spin-off TV series titled The Continental also in the works.

In the series, Reeves' John Wick is introduced as a seemingly unassuming man. After an attack on his house that leaves his beloved dog dead, John embarks on a revenge mission, and his attackers come to learn the terrifying truth about him. Far from being just another guy living in an affluent Long Island neighborhood, John is actually a retired assassin. Not only that, but he's among the most legendary hitmen in the world, known by the nickname "Baba Yaga" or "The Bogeyman."

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While the John Wick series never hid his assassin past from audiences in its marketing, the franchise has still played things close to the vest on John's background. Not only did John's debut go a very different route from an origin story, but the films have avoided explicit details about him beyond what is necessary. Far from being a hindrance on John's character development, this has actually been one of the great strengths of the John Wick franchise.

The first John Wick is the complete inverse of an origin story. When the film begins, John is already retired from the assassin game and just trying to live a quiet life with his wife. The audience isn't told what led John to leave his assassin life behind, but the losses of his wife and his dog reawaken the killer he was. Unlike most world-building franchise