Keanu Reeves recently appeared on an episode of The Late Show to discuss his upcoming film Bill & Ted Face the Music. During the interview, talk show host Stephen Colbert asked Reeves who would win if Neo and John Wick – two protagonists of beloved action franchises, both played by the actor – had a fight.
The question is a valid one, as both The Matrix and the John Wick series feature fantastic action sequences that either revolutionized or revitalized dying genres upon release. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the source material, Neo is a hacker who discovers that his reality is actually a computer-generated simulation which he then learns to control, while John Wick is an ex-hit man who should never, ever be messed with.
Reeves is a likeable individual who’s played tons of iconic roles over the years. Needless to say, fans – Colbert included – wonder which of the two skilled fighters would be able to best the other. Unfortunately, however, Reeves’ answer may have been a little disappointing. “Well, number 1,” the actor said, “they wouldn’t fight.”
When Colbert heard this, he tried to lure the hesitant star into producing a satisfying answer. “What if Neo accidentally killed John Wick’s dog?” he asked, referring to the inciting incident of Wick’s first film, in which his dog’s death puts the entire revenge plot into motion. Reeves, however, stood by what he said before.
“Maybe John Wick would help Thomas Anderson [Neo’s real name] out in the real world, against the machines,” Keanu Reeves said. While the actor didn’t give his personal take on this legendary match-up, he did still offer fans an inkling of a crossover. Plus, it’s important to remember that Wick is, at the end of the day, “a lover and not a fighter.”
Tell us, though, who do you think would win if the two characters fought? Let us know down below.