The One Massive Character Retcon Bad Boys 4 Must Avoid Making

Summary Bad Boys: Ride or Die must avoid retconning Captain Howard's death to maintain narrative integrity.

Resurrecting Howard would undermine the redemption arc of Armando and lessen the impact of Bad Boys for Life.

Mike is taking Howard's advice to heart in the sequel by getting married and seeking a connection with his son.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die needs to avoid making a huge retcon just to appease fans of the series. In terms of consistency, the Bad Boys movie franchise is a strange case. Despite the original being a big hit that launched the movie careers of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, it took eight years for them to reunite with director Michael Bay for a sequel. For a long time, it appeared the franchise had tapped out at two installments, but after a 17-year wait, the third entry Bad Boys for Life arrived in 2020.

Not only that, but the belated installment was a surprise critical and commercial success. Bad Boys for Life's ending left Smith's Mike and Lawrence's Marcus in a good place, since it both set the stage for another entry while acting as a satisfying finale in its own right. A quick look at the box-office receipts convinced Sony the titular characters had at least one more ride left and placed Bad Boys 4 into development. This fourth chapter sees Mike and Marcus going on the run while trying to clear the name of their deceased Captain.

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Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Can't Reveal Captain Howard Is Still Alive

Howard's shock death in Bad Boys for Life underlined the stakes

Beloved character Joe Pantoliano has been stealing scenes for decades in everything from Midnight Run to The Matrix and The Sopranos, and his work in the Bad Boys series is no different. His character Captain Howard is almost a parody of the stereotypical angry captain from every 1980s cop movie, but Pantoliano still brought some warmth and humanity to the part. Howard's death in Bad Boys for Life came as a shock to audiences, with the captain taking a bullet to the neck from Armando (Jacob Scipio), who is later revealed to be Mike's secret son.

Trailers for Bad Boys: Ride or Die confirm both Armando and Howard are returning, with the latter being posthumously framed for corruption. Mike and Marcus set out to clear his name, with Armando also seeking redemption by helping them in their quest. The sequel suggests there was more to Howard's assassination than Bad Boys for Life revealed, with the captain's own past playing a role. While it's nice to see Pantoliano back in the form of a video message, Bad Boys: Ride or Die must resist the temptation to resurrect Captain Howard.

Related 6 Most Exciting Things To Expect From Bad Boys 4 As the fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise draws closer, there are many characters, plot points, and revelations that fans should expect.

First of all, it would be tricky to undo his demise, considering Mike was right there when Howard was shot and held his bullet wound as he died. Ride or Die could still find a way to reframe this, explaining Howard had to fake his death, or it was all an elaborate ploy by the sequel's shadowy new villains to take him out of commission. Even the best writers in the world would struggle to make this plausible, however.

Resurrecting Howard Would Ruin Armando's Bad Boys Redemption

Bringing the captain back would betray Bad Boys for Life's narrative

Bad Boys 4 is said to be aiming for a more comedic tone than the third installment, but Howard's death will still cast a shadow over the sequel. Mike and Marcus were close with Howard, so having them chum around with his killer will generate some tension. There might be a temptation to reveal Howard wasn't killed in Bad Boys for Life after all for this very reason, but this would be a major mistake. Not only would resurrecting Howard lessen the impact of his death in Bad Boys 3, it would undercut Armando's redemption in the next entry too.

Bad Boys star Jacob Scipio joined another famous action franchise in 2023 thanks to his role in The Expendables 4.

The final scene of the third film found the imprisoned Armando living with the guilt of his misdeeds, with Mike then offering him a chance to gain redemption. Armando will need to work hard in Bad Boys: Ride or Die to earn forgiveness for Howard's death, but the point is that he has to put the work in. Having Mike, Marcus and Armando unite to restore Howard's good name, just to reveal the late captain has been alive the whole time, would be a cheap reveal.

Bad Boys 4 Will Honor Captain Howard's Wish For Mike

Mike is taking Howard's life advice in Ride or Die

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In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike appears to be taking Howard's advice to heart; it's confirmed that he gets married to Melanie Liburd's character during the story, and is trying to connect with his son.

Bad Boys for Life saw Mike undergoing some enforced growth, where he had to acknowledge his age and mortality after surviving a shooting. He spends most of the movie seeking revenge for this, seemingly with no real thought about the danger he is placing himself in. Just before Howard's death, he tells Mike a story about a Buddhist parable involving a man being led around by his horse, instead of the other way around.

The key theme of this rambling tale is that Howard wanted Mike to think about where he was headed in life, instead of being led around by his own ego and traumas. In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike appears to be taking Howard's advice to heart; it's confirmed that he gets married to Melanie Liburd's character during the story, and is trying to connect with his son. It wouldn't be a shocker if the sequel even closed with Mike retiring from the force - even if that jeopardizes a potential fifth movie.

The first three Bad Boys movies are available to stream on Starz Apple TV Channel.