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https://nerdist.com/article/john-wick-chapter-4-post-credits-scene-explained/
John Wick: Chapter 4 gave us more than just a great ending to a tremendous film. It also gave us an unexpected post-credits scene that reinforced one of the franchise’s most important themes. What happened and what does it mean for the characters involved? Here’s everything you need to know about that moment and why it was so much bigger than just two people.
What Happens in the John Wick: Chapter 4‘s Post-Credits Scene?
The origins of John Wick: Chapter 4‘s post-credits scene began near the start of the film when Donnie Yen’s Caine was forced to participate in the attack on the Osaka Continental. That eventually brought him into a direct showdown with his old friend and the hotel’s manager, Hiroyuki Sanada’s Koji.
After killing countless High Table soldiers, a wounded Koji was attempting to flee with his injured daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama). Before they could escape, they encountered a waiting Caine. Despite both his condition and Caine’s pleas for him to walk away, Koji remained loyal to John Wick. He chose to stay and fight. Forced into battle, Caine struck Koji, leaving the manager weakened further. But the brave warrior believed he was protecting his daughter and attacked even after Caine insisted he did not want to kill him. Ultimately, Koji forced Caine to do just that.
When Akira then went to attack Caine herself, he told her not to and implored her to “live.” However, before he walked away he told Akira he would hear her coming if she ever sought revenge against him. Akira then made her way onto a train where she found John Wick. Before the two departed she told John to kill the man who murdered her father. If he did not she promised she would, despite Caine’s warning.
Akira attempted to make good on that plea during John Wick: Chapter 4‘s single post-credits scene. With Caine and his daughter now safe from the High Table, Caine no longer had to stay away from his child. So, happy and free of service, he was walking with flowers to meet his daughter in a crowded public square. Whether this was their first reunion since Caine’s duel with John Wick isn’t clear, but it certainly felt that way. It also appeared that despite the skilled hitman’s incredible awareness of his surroundings and any danger, he was unaware Akira was waiting in that crowd to kill him.
Before his big duel with John Wick it seemed impossible anyone could sneak up on Caine. But content with his new life in a way he hadn’t been before, Caine seemed vulnerable in a way he hadn’t been before. With no High Table to worry about and a daughter to make up lost time with, Caine had other things to think about rather than living in fear and being on the lookout for enemies. If there was every a moment for Akira to kill him it was then. Did she, though? We saw her take out a smaller dagger and move in for the kill, but the scene ended before we actually saw what happened when they met. The movie ended with the question of Caine and Akira’s fates unanswered.
What the Chapter 4 Post-Credits Scene Means for Caine and Akira’s John Wick Futures
It’s very possible Akira killed Caine right then and there. She had the advantage of choosing the time and place of her assassination attempt, along with a righteous anger to keep her focused. Meanwhile, the easy-going Caine seemed distracted and unprepared for a sneak attack. But despite having given the High Table his eyes, Caine remained as formidable as any hitman on the planet. He’s the franchise’s only real equal to John Wick. If anyone could instantly realize what was happening and save himself—even from someone as dangerous as Akira—it was Caine. In fact, he might very well have killed her with her own knife instead. They might even have both died during the ensuing fight. In that case neither of them has a future in the franchise.
But it’s just as likely—maybe even more probable considering how incredible both newcomers were in Chapter 4—they both survived the encounter. Caine didn’t want to kill Koji in the first place and let Akira go even though he knew she’d want vengeance against him. And Caine only attacked the Osaka Continental because he was protecting his own daughter from the High Table, something he no longer has to worry about. If he managed to stop Akira in that public square he might have let her go again, allowing both of them to return for future projects in the franchise. After seeing both Yen and Sawayama’s performances in the film, that would be the best decision for everyone who loves the world of John Wick.
Whether or not one, both, or neither of them survived the post-credits scene doesn’t change what that moment ultimately means. The fact Caine could be free of the High Table but not his past is a reminder of one of John Wick‘s most important themes.
How the Post-Credits Scene Adds to a Major Theme of the John Wick Franchise
“Actions and consequences.” Through four movies everyone in the criminal underworld—whether below, at, or even above the High Table—has had to accept that their way of life comes at a great cost, both in this world and the next. Every decision they make leads to a new problem, and the more significant the action the more significant the consequence. It’s why John Wick was never going to be free of his past until he died. He could kill all 12 members of the High Table, but like a hydra more would pop up to replace them. Just as every corpse he left in his global rampage created new enemies who wanted him dead. You simply cannot live a life of sin without accruing a heavy burden along the way. Not anymore than you can kill the past. It stays with us always.
That was true of Caine, too. It didn’t matter how justified he thought he was in protecting his innocent daughter at all costs. He couldn’t do that without consequences. Being free of the High Table doesn’t mean you are free from the hate and grief you created in service. And Caine’s freedom and his child’s safety involved killing a father with his own family.
We might have rooted for John Wick and Caine because they were good people within the world they inhabited. But that didn’t make them good people. They were both merchants of death and they knew what that meant. Each believed themselves doomed to eternal damnation for their actions. They also knew that damnation would likely begin when an enemy killed them. How could it not? The more people you hurt the more enemies you create. They become the living embodiment of the past you can never escape, same as the ones you love—whether a child, a wife, or a friend—stay with you always.
John Wick couldn’t overcome what he’d done in life anymore than Caine could. Everything we do, no matter the reason we do it, ha consequences. And if Akira really did avenge her father, someday she’ll have to face the consequences of her actions, too.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4’s Post-Credits Scene Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
John Wick: Chapter 4 gave us more than just a great ending to a tremendous film. It also gave us an unexpected post-credits scene that reinforced one of the franchise’s most important themes. What happened and what does it mean for the characters involved? Here’s everything you need to know about that moment and why it was so much bigger than just two people.
What Happens in the John Wick: Chapter 4‘s Post-Credits Scene?
The origins of John Wick: Chapter 4‘s post-credits scene began near the start of the film when Donnie Yen’s Caine was forced to participate in the attack on the Osaka Continental. That eventually brought him into a direct showdown with his old friend and the hotel’s manager, Hiroyuki Sanada’s Koji.
After killing countless High Table soldiers, a wounded Koji was attempting to flee with his injured daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama). Before they could escape, they encountered a waiting Caine. Despite both his condition and Caine’s pleas for him to walk away, Koji remained loyal to John Wick. He chose to stay and fight. Forced into battle, Caine struck Koji, leaving the manager weakened further. But the brave warrior believed he was protecting his daughter and attacked even after Caine insisted he did not want to kill him. Ultimately, Koji forced Caine to do just that.
When Akira then went to attack Caine herself, he told her not to and implored her to “live.” However, before he walked away he told Akira he would hear her coming if she ever sought revenge against him. Akira then made her way onto a train where she found John Wick. Before the two departed she told John to kill the man who murdered her father. If he did not she promised she would, despite Caine’s warning.
Akira attempted to make good on that plea during John Wick: Chapter 4‘s single post-credits scene. With Caine and his daughter now safe from the High Table, Caine no longer had to stay away from his child. So, happy and free of service, he was walking with flowers to meet his daughter in a crowded public square. Whether this was their first reunion since Caine’s duel with John Wick isn’t clear, but it certainly felt that way. It also appeared that despite the skilled hitman’s incredible awareness of his surroundings and any danger, he was unaware Akira was waiting in that crowd to kill him.
Before his big duel with John Wick it seemed impossible anyone could sneak up on Caine. But content with his new life in a way he hadn’t been before, Caine seemed vulnerable in a way he hadn’t been before. With no High Table to worry about and a daughter to make up lost time with, Caine had other things to think about rather than living in fear and being on the lookout for enemies. If there was every a moment for Akira to kill him it was then. Did she, though? We saw her take out a smaller dagger and move in for the kill, but the scene ended before we actually saw what happened when they met. The movie ended with the question of Caine and Akira’s fates unanswered.
What the Chapter 4 Post-Credits Scene Means for Caine and Akira’s John Wick Futures
It’s very possible Akira killed Caine right then and there. She had the advantage of choosing the time and place of her assassination attempt, along with a righteous anger to keep her focused. Meanwhile, the easy-going Caine seemed distracted and unprepared for a sneak attack. But despite having given the High Table his eyes, Caine remained as formidable as any hitman on the planet. He’s the franchise’s only real equal to John Wick. If anyone could instantly realize what was happening and save himself—even from someone as dangerous as Akira—it was Caine. In fact, he might very well have killed her with her own knife instead. They might even have both died during the ensuing fight. In that case neither of them has a future in the franchise.
But it’s just as likely—maybe even more probable considering how incredible both newcomers were in Chapter 4—they both survived the encounter. Caine didn’t want to kill Koji in the first place and let Akira go even though he knew she’d want vengeance against him. And Caine only attacked the Osaka Continental because he was protecting his own daughter from the High Table, something he no longer has to worry about. If he managed to stop Akira in that public square he might have let her go again, allowing both of them to return for future projects in the franchise. After seeing both Yen and Sawayama’s performances in the film, that would be the best decision for everyone who loves the world of John Wick.
Whether or not one, both, or neither of them survived the post-credits scene doesn’t change what that moment ultimately means. The fact Caine could be free of the High Table but not his past is a reminder of one of John Wick‘s most important themes.
How the Post-Credits Scene Adds to a Major Theme of the John Wick Franchise
“Actions and consequences.” Through four movies everyone in the criminal underworld—whether below, at, or even above the High Table—has had to accept that their way of life comes at a great cost, both in this world and the next. Every decision they make leads to a new problem, and the more significant the action the more significant the consequence. It’s why John Wick was never going to be free of his past until he died. He could kill all 12 members of the High Table, but like a hydra more would pop up to replace them. Just as every corpse he left in his global rampage created new enemies who wanted him dead. You simply cannot live a life of sin without accruing a heavy burden along the way. Not anymore than you can kill the past. It stays with us always.
That was true of Caine, too. It didn’t matter how justified he thought he was in protecting his innocent daughter at all costs. He couldn’t do that without consequences. Being free of the High Table doesn’t mean you are free from the hate and grief you created in service. And Caine’s freedom and his child’s safety involved killing a father with his own family.
We might have rooted for John Wick and Caine because they were good people within the world they inhabited. But that didn’t make them good people. They were both merchants of death and they knew what that meant. Each believed themselves doomed to eternal damnation for their actions. They also knew that damnation would likely begin when an enemy killed them. How could it not? The more people you hurt the more enemies you create. They become the living embodiment of the past you can never escape, same as the ones you love—whether a child, a wife, or a friend—stay with you always.
John Wick couldn’t overcome what he’d done in life anymore than Caine could. Everything we do, no matter the reason we do it, ha consequences. And if Akira really did avenge her father, someday she’ll have to face the consequences of her actions, too.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4’s Post-Credits Scene Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
Historical stories of Black wealth tend to be few and far between. Most know of the story of the self-made millionaire Madame C.J. Walker, and amazing as that story is, it seems to be the only mainstream historical story about Black women and wealth. Walker’s story is often portrayed as the exception to the rule — the one unique story out of 100+ years of African American history. Yet, she is not the only Black woman to defeat the odds and gain capital.
Bridget Mason, known as Biddy Mason, is a Black woman who, at one point in time, was one of the wealthiest people in Los Angeles, California. Her life is one of the greatest examples of perseverance and the power of community.
Biddy Mason’s journey from enslavement to freedom
Born into slavery on a plantation in Hancock County, Georgia, on August 15, 1818, Mason took on various jobs and responsibilities. She was a house servant, cattle herder, midwife, and plantation worker. Yet, despite her many roles, she never earned the full respect she deserved. When her enslavers moved across the country to California, Mason had to walk behind the caravan for seven months.
As treacherous as the journey was, it would ultimately be the stepping stone to her freedom. When Mason and her three children arrived in California, it was declared a free state, meaning any enslaved person could become free upon entering the state.
However, Mason didn’t gain her own and her family’s freedom immediately since their enslaver denied them their freedom and kept their imprisonment a secret. Fortunately, Mason met and often spoke with freed Black people who informed her that she could be free.
It was a turn of events that catapulted Mason into taking action. When Mason’s enslaver wanted to move to Texas, she knew that she would never have a chance for freedom if she followed.
Thus, Mason fought for her freedom by suing her enslaver in the 1856 court case Mason v. Smith. Unable to attend court, she had representation during her court date. Different sources tell how this day passed, but the judge presiding over her case took the time to meet with Mason privately to hear her story. Shortly after, the judge granted Mason and her family their freedom.
How Biddy Mason gained her wealth
As a free woman, Mason did not take this opportunity for granted. Because of her midwife experience, she studied nursing and became a midwife and nurse to Dr. John Strother Griffin, a Los Angeles physician. She assisted hundreds of mothers of different races and social classes through her work. She was even renowned for her herbal remedies.
In addition to her healing work, she focused on saving money and living frugally. After years of hard work and savings, she had enough money to buy property in Los Angeles. She built small homes and rented them out to establish an additional income source. She did this for 18 years, and at 66, she sold part of her land and built a commercial building where she lived on the second floor with her family and rented out the rooms on the ground floor.
Throughout her lifetime, she became a real estate mogul, continuously buying different properties that increased in value over time. In the early 1890s, Mason’s properties were only one block from the financial district in Los Angeles. Over her lifetime, she accumulated around $300,000 and was at one point the wealthiest African-American woman in Los Angeles.
Leaving a legacy
What is more inspiring than how Mason gained her wealth is what she did with her money. Mason believed in giving back to the community. It was in 1872 that she and Charles Owen, her son-in-law, founded and financed the First African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In addition to founding the church, she helped develop an elementary school for Black children and a traveler’s aid center. Mason, also known as Grandma Mason, gave back to the community until she passed away on January 15,1891. She was laid to rest in an unmarked grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights.
Nearly a century after her death, her contributions to the Los Angeles community were recognized when she was given an official tombstone during a ceremony honoring her life. In addition, November 16, 1989, was declared National Biddy Mason day, and in her honor, a memorial wall was built on Spring street in Los Angeles.
In 2013 the Biddy Madison Foundation was established to help serve the foster youth in the community. Her story continues to be shared with children in the book Biddy Mason Speaks Up by Arisa White and Laura Atkins.
Madison was a hard-working and selfless woman who never stopped fighting for what she deserved. Her legacy of wealth and kindness serves as an inspiration to everyone.