John Wick 4 should definitely be a prequel.

Set sometime in the early 80s, young Johnny discovers a Soldier of Fortune magazine and immediately sets off to discover the wonderful world of assassination, but his blue-collar parents are immediately against the idea drilling into his head he’ll never make it, find a real job working at the construction plant like everyone else in town.

Across town, Tommy’s dad Hauser, a "former" Army Ranger who wears WAAAAY too much moto shirts and medals, runs the most elite survival school in the middle of small-town nowhere from skills he “acquired” in The ‘Nam that he never really fought in, where Tommy is the lead teenage student. Tommy finds out little Johnny wants to be an assassin so he teases and bullies Johnny and ultimately ends up in a fight where Johnny gets the ever-loving **VOTE IN NOVEMBER** kicked out of him behind a bowling alley.

A lone janitor named Harry who lives in the bowling alley basement finds Johnny and brings him back to health. It turns out the janitor is a disillusioned former Air Force “Special Forces Soldier” who was part of a black ops unit running in the jungles of Laos and Cambodia and lost his Vietnamese wife and adopted kids in 'Nam to "friendly forces" which Johnny learns from pictures of him on the wall, begs him to teach him all he knows. Harry refuses. The next day Harry sees Tommy bully Johnny in front of his dad and steps in the middle of everything. Hauser is ultimately humiliated by Harry who uses Hauser’s own body weight to throw him to the ground repeatedly without really harming him. Harry realizes that Johnny needs his help and finally agrees to train him. Along the way Johnny meets Peggy who sees him training and they start up a relationship.

One day Tommy runs into them both and immediately attacks Johnny because *PLOT TWIST* Peggy is really Tommy’s sister! Well….it turns out all of Harry’s training pays off and Johnny holds his own in a fight. Hauser sees this just as Harry shows up and gets in between them to which Hauser immediately challenges Harry and Johnny to enter a secret assassination tournament. Harry agrees and starts Johnny’s hardcore training regiment.

*INSERT TRAINING MONTAGE!!!*

*MORE TRAINING MONTAGE!!!*

*EVEN MORE TRAINING MONTAGE!!!*

Finally, it’s the day of the competition, and as expected Tommy pulls ahead first. Johnny has to use all his wits to take the lead.

Meanwhile, Tommy gets hurt and is about to be taken out but Johnny shows up to save the day and takes Tommy along with him to the finish line where the ENTIRE town(huh?) is waiting and cheering. Hauser shows up and is immediately grateful for Johnny’s help. Tommy apologizes for being such a jerk and shakes Johnny’s hand in mutual respect where he immediately starts making out with Peggy in front of her parents who are all smiling and high fiving each other.

Right at that time Winston shows up and declares that Johnny is the winner and is invited into a secret organization of assassins which he accepts. Johnny’s parents see the whole thing and tell Johnny they regret everything they ever told him and they were SOOOO wrong and never should have told him not to follow his dreams because they never made their dreams come true. As the movie ends Johnny looks out into the crowd and spies Harry who gives him a BIG thumbs up so Johnny smiles and does a Flash Gordon jump and the movie ends with Johnny in midair yelling with glee!

That's basically the Karate Kid. It's been done.

Or "Iron Eagle", or "No Retreat, No Surrender", or "Rad", or "Thrashing", or "Footloose", or "Best of the Best", or "King of the Kickboxers", or "Bloodsport", or every "Rocky" movie...or just about every 80s teen movie there is. So it should be no surprise that a prequel set in the 80s would follow suit!