Warning: This article contains spoilers for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.Eve has been hailed as John Wick's spiritual successor, but the franchise is still somewhat ambiguous about the character's history.

Despite suggestions that Eve Macarro previously appeared in a minor scene in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Ana de Armas' character is a wholly original one who was created solely for this spinoff property. Eve's backstory is closely entangled with John Wick's Ruska Roma, which indirectly connects her to Keanu Reeves' John Wick himself, but their paths never actually crossed before the events of this spinoff. The ending of Ballerina suggests that Eve may have a strong future in this franchise, but her past is less clear.

The John Wick Franchise Has Suggested John Wick 3's Ballerina Is Retroactively Eve Macarro

The Marketing Suggested That Macarro Was Parabellum's Ballerina

John Wick 3 includes a scene where The Director (Anjelica Huston), while speaking with John, is overseeing an unnamed ballerina's (played by Unity Phelan) brutal rehearsal. When the concept for Ballerina was first announced, audiences assumed that Ana de Armas' character would be the same ballerina who was featured during John's visit to the Ruska Roma. The marketing for the spinoff seemed to lean into this idea, with the trailers strongly referencing the story of John Wick 3 and using much of the same imagery when introducing the figure of Eve Macarro.

Though it was never explicitly said that John Wick 3's ballerina was Eve, the studio's hesitation to debunk the idea fueled plenty of speculation among fans of the franchise. The John Wick movies thrive in their interconnectivity, with spinoffs like The Continental tying very strongly into the overall mythos of this action universe — so it seemed likely that Ballerina would do a similar thing. Unsurprisingly, Ballerina leaves the door open for future John Wick spinoffs, but it stops short of drawing direct parallels between Eve and Chapter 3's dancer.

Ballerina Doesn't Explicitly Confirm That Eve Is John Wick 3's Dancer

The Movie Still Doesn't Quite Say The Characters Are The Same

There are definite similarities between Eve and the dancer from John Wick 3, but the spinoff never confirms that they're the same person. There are countless ballerinas at the Ruska Roma's ballet academy, and Eve interacts with several other young women during her time there, who could just as likely be the dancer from John Wick 3. The main evidence for Eve being the same ballerina is the dance sequence she does while being watched by The Director, which is very reminiscent of the routine seen in John Wick 3 when John arrives at the theater.

Each of the dancers at the Ruska Roma undergoes the same training, they take part in the same dances, and they all have similar tattoos.

But this isn't quite enough evidence to definitively claim Eve is the same ballerina. Each of the dancers at the Ruska Roma undergoes the same training, they take part in the same dances, and they all have similar tattoos that make them blend in with the crowd. It seems like a bit of a stretch to suggest that Macarro was directly involved in the events of John Wick 3 when Ana de Armas is nowhere to be seen and there are countless other women at the institution. Ballerina's fighting style is also very familiar, but that's not enough to identify Eve without a doubt.

Ana de Armas' Eve Can't Be John Wick 3's Ballerina Thanks To This Decision

Parabellum's Dancer Has One Distinctive Marker

In fact, one small detail in Ballerina that seemingly confirms Eve is a different character from the previous dancer. The two women have different tattoos; both have images of a flying bird across their backs and shoulders, but the writing on Eve's back is clearly different from the words tattooed on John Wick 3's dancer. It's shown throughout Ballerina (even in the trailers) that Eve's tattoo reads "lux in tenebris," which is Latin for "light in darkness." These words represent Eve's journey of vengeance and perseverance in the film as she tracks down those responsible for her father's death.

Conversely, the tattoo of the dancer in John Wick 3 reads "si vis pacem, para bellum," Latin for "if you want peace, prepare for war." This phrase is symbolic of John's journey throughout this installment, as he's forced to fight his way through the dark underworld of New York City in order to find the peace that he's been seeking since the first movie. These differing tattoos are the most indisputable evidence that Eve isn't the character whom John sees during this scene of his own movie.

If this weren't proof enough, the fact that Eve encounters John Wick during the first act of Ballerina and neither character seems to recognize the other essentially solidifies the idea that Eve isn't the same dancer. While it's possible that John didn't clearly see Eve's face, it’s very unlikely that Eve wouldn't have noticed or forgotten John from the audience if they'd been in the same room that same day.

Eve Macarro Not Being The Ballerina From John Wick 3 Is Better For The Franchise

There's No Reason To Retroactively Change This Detail

Ultimately, it really doesn't matter whether Eve is the same dancer from John Wick 3, because it adds nothing to the story of either project. In fact, it's much more rewarding from a storytelling perspective if Eve truly is a new character whom we haven't seen John encounter before. Eve's story connects with John Wick's in a profound way, as they're both fighting for justice and vengeance. This is why John spares Eve during Ballerina's final act, and the whole interaction would feel much less special if the two characters had a more extensive history.

John Wick 3's dancer is such a minor character that retroactively turning her into Eve Macarro would add nothing to the story; this isn't the right way to enhance her narrative.

It's the fact that Eve is a stranger to John Wick, whom he decides to protect anyway, that makes their encounter so impactful. John Wick 3's dancer is such a minor character that retroactively turning her into Eve Macarro would add nothing to the story; this isn't the right way to enhance her narrative. If Ballerina continues with more sequels, and Eve is cemented as a fan-favorite character, audiences will ultimately be glad that her introduction was so well-crafted and purposeful rather than a cheap, forgettable moment two films earlier.