Summary:
- Ballerina reveals a powerful, ancient Cult threatening the High Table’s dominance in John Wick.
- Eve’s Revenge uncovers dark family ties and a secret faction led by the ruthless Chancellor.
- The Cult’s influence is vast, setting the stage for future John Wick universe conflicts.
Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off, introduces a deadly new faction to the franchise’s assassin-filled world, a shadowy organization known only as the Cult. Centered around Ana de Armas’ character Eve Macarro, the film portrays a personal revenge mission while revealing an ancient group that challenges even the dominance of the High Table.
So, who exactly is behind the Cult? What do they do? And how do they fit into the John Wick universe? Here’s a complete breakdown of everything we know so far about the Cult in Ballerina.
Table of Contents
The Cult’s Origins and Role in Ballerina
The Cult makes its presence known early in the film. In the prologue, a young Eve is living a peaceful life with her father, a former Cult member who defected from the group years ago. But that peace is short-lived as Cult assassins break into their house. Although Eve and her father manage to fight them off, he eventually succumbs to his injuries. That violent encounter is the starting point of Eve’s long quest for revenge, which takes form over the next 12 years.
As the story unfolds, Eve learns that her connection to the Cult runs deeper than she ever imagined. Her father was not the only one. Her mother and sister Lena were Cult members too. The Cult is led by a cold, manipulative leader known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) and is based in the cold European town of Hallstatt, where all who live there are committed to the Cult’s code. It is there that Eve learns painful truths about her past and faces the higher-ranking members of the group head-on.
How Powerful Is the Cult Compared to the High Table?
What makes the Cult so strong isn’t its numbers or influence; it’s in its legacy. The organization is rumored to be more than a thousand years old, potentially making it as old as or even older than the High Table itself. While the High Table is ruled by a strict code and visible hierarchy of crime families, the Cult functions in secret. It doesn’t follow any shared code, and its loyalty lies solely with its internal ideology and leadership.
While the Cult does not officially serve the High Table, it hasn’t been cast out either. Its members are permitted to stay in the Continental hotels. This uneasy arrangement is explained by Winston, who reveals that the High Table does so in order to keep the Cult within their sight. The Director of the Ruska Roma also acknowledges the Cult’s unpredictable nature and potential threat, a fear validated when the Chancellor threatens to go to war with her group.
Eve’s Battle with the Cult
Eve’s mission leads her to a face-to-face battle with the Cult’s hierarchy. She learns upon arriving in Hallstatt that her long-lost sister Lena is alive and still dedicated to the group. Their emotional reunion is cut short when the Chancellor orders an ambush that results in Lena’s death. This betrayal propels Eve into the final act of vengeance, driving her to the final phase of her revenge.
With John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) help, Eve takes on the Cult’s forces in a fierce, high-stakes assault. They manage to kill most of them, and Eve ultimately kills the Chancellor. But that victory doesn’t equate to the defeat of the Cult. Its deeply rooted, secretive structure means taking out one figurehead won’t bring the entire organization down.
Winston, the owner and manager of the New York Continental Hotel, also tells Eve that she might have cut the snake’s head, but the body still lives, and they will be looking for her. In fact, in the final moment of the film, the Cult is already back in business, having put a $5 million bounty on Eve’s head, suggesting that her battle with them is far from over.
What’s Next for the Cult?
The Chancellor’s death creates a power vacuum, and the identity of the Cult’s new leader remains a mystery. This opens the door for future Ballerina films and even possible future John Wick crossovers to explore the Cult’s internal workings, origin story, and hierarchy. The other hanging thread is Eve’s mom, a former Cultist whose fate remains uncertain. Her absence in the film could mean that she will play a central role in whatever is to come next.
Whereas the High Table has long been the dominant force in the John Wick universe, Ballerina establishes the Cult that operates with different rules, or none at all. It might lack the same visible influence or global network as the High Table, but its ancient origins, ideological zeal, and ruthless leadership render it equally dangerous, if not more.
Introducing a new organization expands the John Wick universe even further. With John seemingly ending his ties to the High Table in Chapter 4 after that final duel, and now getting involved with the Cult by helping Eve, this mysterious group could very well become the next big force in the franchise. As Eve continues her path forward, she may find herself caught between two of the deadliest factions the franchise has ever seen.
While you’re curious to learn more about the new organization, The Cult, it’s a good idea to revisit the John Wick franchise to refresh your memory and catch hidden details you might have missed the first time.
