Over the course of nearly three decades, Bad Boys has been one of the Hollywood’s most popular action franchises. The first two films by director Michael Bay got the ball rolling in 1995 and 2003. The franchise has since been handed off to a new pair of hands in 2020 with Bad Boys For Life.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the new directors, have given the brand a larger scope and more contemporary components. These days, the legendary police officers are heroes who do more than just keep an eye on low-level criminal activity. Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth movie, succeeds in adding even more layers that combine to form a larger story. Fans are understandably interested in learning whether there is a post-credits sequence hinting at a sequel in the fourth film.
Bad Boys 4 Does Not Have a Post-Credits Scene
What Bad Boys: Ride or Die Is About
Bad Boys: Ride or Die connects to the aforementioned Mike and Armando sequence. It turns out, Armando killing Captain Howard in Bad Boys For Life wasn’t just to help Isabel’s cartel maintain its place in the drug trade. It was part of a mission handed down by the larger cartel — a mysterious cabal who had been operating in the shadows in the previous films. The cabal plants evidence in this movie that Captain Howard was one of their agents to sully his name. They wanted to hurt his reputation because he was holding his own personal investigation. He was inching closer to finding the moles within the Miami Police Department, and spies that the cartel had in the American security and political systems.
Similar to Marvel’s Hydra, the cartel in the Bad Boys series penetrated every branch of homeland security, including the FBI and DEA. As a result, in this intense chapter, they elevated James McGrath, a former DEA agent, to the position of chief general. In this film, Howard’s reputation is being cleared by Mike and Marcus, played by Martin Lawrence. The secret is Armando, since he knows who McGrath is. As a result, they attempt to free him from jail once a hit has been placed. After being falsely accused of being fugitives, the three wind up with bounty on their heads, demonstrating the strength and influence of this covert organization. Mike and Marcus don’t get scared very often, so this is an unusual occurrence.
As the story progresses, Armando, Mike and Marcus have to kill many enemies, evade bounty hunters, and find people they can trust. It has the energy of the Mission: Impossible and James Bond movies, where agents get burned and hunted by their own allies. Thankfully, the titular Bad Boys reunite with their tactical unit, AMMO, which consists of Vanessa Hudgens’ Kelly (a weapons and explosive expert) and Alexander Ludwig’s Dorn (a technological and hacking expert). They have spies they can rely on, but the price on their heads complicates things.
Luckily, they get supplemental assistance from the new captain, Rita Secada, to bring McGrath’s team down in Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s ending. They clear their names, as well as Howard’s. Most of all, they protect their families. This franchise has always hinged on that theme. Mike had to dig deep to rescue his wife, Christine, which allows him to finally understand why Marcus has suffered from anxiety all these years. It’s not easy going to war when loved ones can be used as hostages and pawns, or knowing they could be grief-stricken if the heroes don’t make it back home. This maturation makes Mike and Marcus’ brotherhood stronger.
How Bad Boys: Ride or Die Sets Up a Sequel
Bad Boys 5 could change the setting. Miami has always been the location, but it’s overdone as a base. The plot even suggests the real villains are elsewhere, meaning Mike and Marcus will have to team up once more to figure out who is running the drug trade, controlling the borders, and funneling resources to stymie their job. AMMO can hire recruits and be the shadow ops team operating domestically in Miami, while Mike and Marcus can take the mission internationally to the Americas or Europe to break the cabal. This gives the property a global flavor which is sure to bring in more money from other markets. It won’t be easy, however.
Marcus has to stop his unhealthy eating habits. Mike experiences panic episodes as well, which makes both of them susceptible. That’s the reason a sequel to Bad Boys: Ride or Die needs to step up and/or broaden the alliance.There are currently more paths and characters in Bad Boys 4 that can be used to grow the alliance. Mike is happy that he can release Armando since Judy, a U.S. Marshall, is Howard’s daughter. After making amends, Armando is instructed to begin a new life, although he is still a highly useful asset. While Armando is able to run point once more with Mike or Marcus, Judy is able to work in America. He’s the more elusive outlaw with numerous dubious underworld links.
Armando can even partner up with Reggie, Marcus’ son-in-law. Reggie has been comedy relief in the franchise, but he finally gets to cut loose as a Marine. He protects Marcus’ family when the man isn’t home by killing many assassins similar to John Wick. Reggie has Marcus and Mike’s respect now, so he could form a new version of the Bad Boys with Armando. Together, Armando and Reggie can roll as a new dynamic duo akin to Marcus and Mike, or work with AMMO to take the franchise into the future with the next generation. Reggie would have his own military connections to bring to the table as well.
Last but not least, Rita will be crucial moving forward. She had to kill her politician boyfriend, Adam Lockwood, as he was part of the cabal. Thus, she can’t trust anyone. It’ll make her job tougher moving forward, but she will have to use her diplomacy and ambassadorship to discern which other politicians and security chiefs are corrupt. Howard kicked the hornet’s nest and paid the ultimate price, so this would test Rita’s resolve. As brave as she is, she is stressed by how large the conspiracy has gotten, and Judy can also factor in to ease the strain. Ultimately, the Bad Boys 4 box office intake suggests audiences want more, so it makes sense for Sony Pictures to make another sequel to further explore the intricate web of lies laid out in the fourth film.
