Ballerina ending explained: Is John Wick in the new action movie? Is there a post-credits scene?

Ballerina is now in theaters, bringing us a new installment in the world of John Wick. Instead of the Baba Yaga, this movie focuses on Eve Macarro, a member of the Ruska Roma who's out for revenge against the people who killed her father – if only she knew who they were and how to find them. It's an action-packed film with a few familiar faces in its midst, too, so you might have some questions about how everything goes down in that explosive final act.

We unravel everything there is to know about the Ballerina ending explained below to answer all your questions but, as you might expect, there are major Ballerina spoilers ahead. Turn back now if you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to know what happens!

Ballerina ending explained *spoilers*

Ballerina's final act kicks into gear once Eve arrives in Hallstatt, the town in Austria where the Chancellor's cult is based. There are some big revelations: we find out that Daniel, the man she met at the Continental in Prague, is the Chancellor's son, making Daniel's daughter Ella his granddaughter. We also discover that Eve was born in Halstatt and her dad ran away with her when she was very young, leaving her older sister (who is alluded to in the opening scene) behind as he believed it was too late for her. Eve's sister is the one who delivers that news to her, but she dies soon after when the Chancellor orders for them both to be killed. Eve survives the grenade attack, however, and tells the Chancellor that this will only be over when he's dead.

The Chancellor then contacts the Director at Roma Ruska HQ and calls for war. The Director bargains with him and says she'll send someone to kill Eve in order to keep the peace – and that someone just happens to be John Wick. The pair come face-to-face and John gives Eve a choice: be killed, or leave. She says she isn't leaving and starts to shoot at him and implores him to let her finish the job. He relents, and gives her until midnight.

The Chancellor orders every resident of Halstatt to "hunt the outsider" and Eve does battle with the townspeople. The final major set piece of the movie sees her go up against one of the Chancellor's soldiers with a flamethrower each, which serves Eve well until it runs out of gas. With her opponent still going full throttle, she changes track and comes at him with a hose. She manages to knock him over, but he gets back up again and it doesn't look good for Eve – that is, until none other than John Wick snipes him down.

The Chancellor pulls up in a car and confronts Eve, telling her that she can't save Ella and she can't change fate. She interrupts him by shooting him dead, and Ella is reunited with Daniel, who's recovering in a hospital bed.

Eve returns to New York and checks into the Continental, and Winston warns her that the Chancellor's cult will be looking for her. Meanwhile, at the Ruska Roma's headquarters, the Director finds a ballerina music box on her desk.

Speaking of ballet, Eve goes to see her former classmate Tatiana perform in Swan Lake, when suddenly a message pings through on her phone: there's a bounty on her head for $5 million.

Is John Wick in Ballerina?

Yes, John Wick is in Ballerina – and it's a little more than a cameo, too. We first see him visiting the Ruska Roma at the start of the movie to ask the Director for help, in a scene that'll be familiar to anyone who's also seen John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. As he's leaving, however, Eve confronts him and asks him how she can start doing what he does. He tells her that she can still leave, but she asks why he didn't. John says he's working on it.

He reappears in the movie's final act, when the Director sends him to kill Eve to stop her tirade against the Chancellor. He's reluctant to finish the job, though, and actually ends up helping Eve take down the Chancellor instead.

Who is the group that killed Eve's father?

In the movie's opening scene, 12 years before the main events of the film, we find a much younger Eve's life turned upside down when her home is attacked by armed men looking for her father – and for her. Eve manages to escape after her father blows up the house with the men inside it, but he dies from his injuries.

The only identifying feature Eve has for anyone in the group is an X tattooed on the inside of their wrists, a mark that she finds on another target over a decade later. When she asks the Director what it means, she won't tell her, and says the Ruska Roma has a pact with that particular group that means they don't interfere in each other's business.

Of course, Eve ignores her and, with Winston's help, tracks down a member staying at the Continental in Prague: Daniel Pine. Other members of the same group (which, Eve finds out, is more of a cult) want him dead and are trying to get to his young daughter Ella, however, and he's seriously injured before he can tell her where to find the rest of the group. Thanks to the help of a weapons store clerk, though, Eve discovers their base is in Halstatt, Austria.

Once she's there, she learns that their leader, the Chancellor, is Daniel's father – and the man who killed her own father. Eve's parents were part of the cult, but her father managed to escape with her when she was a young child. The cult killed him as punishment and wanted Eve so they could bring her back.

Is there a Ballerina post-credits scene?

No, there isn't a Ballerina post-credits scene. This tracks for the rest of the John Wick franchise, as only the fourth movie has any action after the credits start to roll. That means you won't miss anything if you head off as soon as the movie finishes.

Will there be a Ballerina 2?

The ending of Ballerina certainly leaves room for a potential sequel. Eve may have killed the Chancellor, but the rest of the cult will still want to track her down for revenge. Plus, there's now a massive bounty on her head. However, Ballerina 2 hasn't been greenlit yet, so you'll have to watch this space to see if Eve will ever return to our screens.

Ballerina is out now in theaters. For more on the movie, check out our Ballerina review.