It’s been a month since Ballerina was released onto the 2025 movies schedule, and while I had a good time watching the John Wick spinoff like many film critics did, it never quite reaches the heights of the main film series. One of the reasons for that is because, as my colleague Hugh Scott pointed out, it screws up the John Wick timeline in a major way. Thankfully, a deleted Ballerina scene has resolved this plot issue, though now a new question has taken its place in my head.
Before I get into those questions, though, watch the deleted scene for yourself below, courtesy of IGN:
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This Deleted Scene Clears Up John Wick’s Role In Ballerina’s Second Half
ahead of John Wick: Chapter 4. We’re reminded in the spinoff how in Chapter 3, Keanu Reeves’ character had his “ticket punched” by Anjelica Huston’s Director, head of the Ruska Roma. Meaning, in exchange for safe passage to Casablanca, John’s ties would be forever severed from the crime syndicate that raised him and Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro. That’s why it was strange when John resurfaced in the second half of Ballerina to kill Eve on behalf of The Director, as he wasn’t supposed to be affiliated with her anymore.
Ian McShane’s Winston shot John on the New York Continental’s rooftop, and the skilled assassin ended up falling off the building. Winston did this so as a way to publicly declare his allegiance to the High Table and secretly make sure John wasn’t actually killed (he only shot at the bulletproof parts of the character’s suit). Nevertheless, between that and all the other injuries he sustained in Chapter 3, John was in rough shape and only survived because he was taken to The Bowery King’s underground hideout.
At the beginning of John Wick: Chapter 4, it seems as though John Wick had been recuperating in New York City the entire time since Chapter 3 ended, but Ballerina showed us he was well enough to carry out at least one mission across the globe. Or maybe it was two, as apparently John needed to get somewhere else before The Director interrupted his journey? Where was it, and what did it have to do with his recuperation or vendetta against the High Table?
Maybe another deleted Ballerina scene will answer this question, but I’ll be ok if it doesn’t. I’m just glad the major plot issue I was thinking about after seeing Ballerina in a theater has finally been resolved. If only this scene had actually been included in the movie.