Summary

Ballerina contributes more to the John Wick universe than just action, expanding its lore significantly.
The cult of assassins in Ballerina adds a new, fitting element to the franchise's underworld, enhancing its depth.
Norman Reedus' character in Ballerina sets up the potential for future conflicts with the remaining cultists, adding intrigue.

Ballerina pulled off something great for the John Wick franchise, and it has nothing to do with the spinoff's action. Despite John Wick: Chapter 4 attempting to bring the franchise to a close, the series Keanu Reeves helped spawn has been searching for ways to continue. Plans for John Wick 5 have reportedly been discussed, but spinoffs have been the proposed path for the series, which started with The Continental miniseries telling Winston's backstory in 1970s New York.

Ballerina is the most recent outing in the John Wick universe. It stars Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a trained Ruska Roma assassin who goes rogue in an attempt to stop the cult of killers that orphaned her. Reeves reprises his role as Wick, helping to tie the film into the universe, with Ian McShane and Lance Reddick, in one of his final roles, once again playing Winston and Charon. Eve even proves she can hold her own, squaring off against Wick in Ballerina. However, beyond the action Ballerina nails, it helps the John Wick universe in one crucial aspect that it needs to move forward.

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The One Thing Ballerina & The Continental Prove About The John Wick Spinoffs

Ballerina and The Continental are distinctly different projects, but they help prove one crucial thing about the John Wick spinoffs.

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By Timothy McClelland

Ballerina Succeeded For The John Wick Universe With More Than Just Action

Ballerina delivers the action fans of the franchise have come to expect. Eve endures similar training as John Wick, even learning from Anjelica Huston's Director. Eve is a skilled marksman, her martial arts skills hold up against Wick, and she's proven capable of quick environmental improvisation during combat. Ballerina even features unique fight sequences, with Eve using ice skates and a flamethrower to deadly effect. However, beyond the thrills it features throughout its action set pieces, Ballerina helps expand John Wick's lore.

When the first John Wick movie debuted, it established a unique underworld with hotels like the Continental and a gold coin payment system. The world and lore surrounding the underworld have been fleshed out throughout the films, with interesting elements helping to bring it to life. The High Table was introduced as a ruling body over the criminal underworld, characters like The Adjudicator helped show their management system, and details like irrefutable blood markers have all been fantastic additions.

The Continental shed light on Winston's backstory, showing how he took control of New York's Continental. However, it failed to add any distinctly new elements to the world of John Wick. The plot of Ballerina adds something that stands out, which feels at home within the universe. Ballerina introduces a new story element that could continue helping the John Wick spinoffs thrive via the villains Eve finds herself up against.

The Mysterious Cult Of Assassins In Ballerina Is The Perfect Way To Expand John Wick's Lore

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The underground world of crime painted within the John Wick films feels simultaneously grounded and grandiose, allowing an intricate system to thrive within society without the knowledge of everyday people. Ballerina navigates the universe established by Reeves' action franchise, adding something new with the cult of assassins Eve is after.

The cult doesn't have an exact location, but whispers aid Eve in learning that it is ruthless and identifiable through brands on its members' wrists. Huston's Director has kept peace between the Ruska Roma and the cult for years, knowing they are more trouble than they are worth, as their vicious ways strike fear into even seasoned underworld figures. When Eve does find the cult's location, it's revealed that they have control of an entire town, and no matter the job, the worker is a skilled fighter and marksman, posing a disturbing threat for her to fight through.

The Chancellor, played by Gabriel Byrne, is shown to have little emotion and is willing to sacrifice family and even children to ensure the survival of their beliefs and way of life. While this feels overly heinous, the cult does fit well into the world of John Wick, adding to elements like the Continental, which shouldn't be a place that could exist, and adds the idea of a town inhabited by a killer cult of assassins. With organizations like the Ruska Roma already fueling the plot, the cult in Ballerina feels like a welcome addition to the universe that is appropriately fleshed out from the already-established world of John Wick.

The Cult Could Return In More John Wick Movies, And Norman Reedus's Daniel Pine Is Still Around

While Eve's story sees numerous elements of the cult in Ballerina stomped out, that doesn't mean they couldn't continue to pose a threat in upcoming projects. With an organization that operates like the movie's cult does, they likely have people, and potentially even other towns, spread out around the world. The final moments of Ballerina also leave Eve on the run, setting her up to be in direct conflict with many people, and the remaining cultists could want revenge.

One of the most significant aspects set up by Ballerina is Norman Reedus's Daniel Pine. The character plays an important, albeit minor, part in the story, acting as a cult member seeking to break away, much like her father did. With Eve's war against the cult and Pine's continued survival, he could easily return for a Ballerina sequel, with the remaining cultists out for him. Given his star power, it also feels odd to limit Reedus' role to something almost as small as Reeves', with director Len Wiseman confirming through Entertainment Weekly:

I cast Norman Reedus because I have plans for him.

Whatever the plans for the John Wick universe ultimately end up being, future installments can learn a lesson from Ballerina's cult (as weird as that sounds). By adding something new to the fantastical elements of the world that still feel at home in John Wick, future outings can help the franchise grow with lore and action like Ballerina.

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