Summary
Bad Boys: Ride or Dieis missing several major characters from the franchise’s prior entries. The fourth movie in theBad Boysfranchise brings an expected cast and group of characters. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to play Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, while Joe Pantoliano is back as Captain Howard too. While the story has heavy connections toBad Boys II, the film is more so a direct sequel toBad Boys for Life, resulting in several newer additions from the 2020 entry coming back here.
TheBad Boys: Ride or Diecastmight be filled with characters that audiences already are familiar with, but not everyone returns. There are several notable omissions from the film’s ensemble, ranging from newer members to those who were involved earlier on. This does not even includeBad Boys 4recasting Theresa Randle, with Tasha Smith stepping in to play Theresa Burnett in this installment. There is no shortage of characters in the final version of the movie, but the franchise noticeably did not bring back theseBad Boyscharacters to be part of the sequel.
Every Returning Actor In Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
The latest installment in the Bad Boys franchise featured several familiar faces returning for significant roles and cameo appearances.
10Syd Burnett
One of the biggestBad Boyscharacters missing fromBad Boys: Ride or Dieis Sydney Burnett. Marcus' younger sister was introduced inBad Boys IIand played by Gabrielle Union. She was set up to be Mike’s love interest in the film, and there was an expectation that she would be featured in the fourth installment after also being absent from the third.Bad Boys: Ride or Diedoes reference Gabrielle Union’s character, as Marcus mentions that Mike dated his sister during his wedding reception toast.
Audiences have not seen Syd in aBad Boysmovie since 2003, but Gabrielle Union returned to the franchise since then.She headlined aBad BoysTV show spinoff calledL.A.’s Finest, which followed Syd as a cop in Los Angeles. The series ran for two seasons, but it was canceled in 2020, only one month after the second season debuted.Bad Boys IIremains Gabrielle Union’s only movie appearance in the franchise after missing from the fourth film.
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9Julie Mott
The franchise’s original female lead, Julie Mott, is also nowhere to be found inBad Boys: Ride or Die. Téa Leoni made her debut as Julie in the original 1995 action movie.Bad Boysmade Julie the target of drug dealers after she witnessed them kill Max. She only trusted Mike, or really Marcus posing as Mike, and became the duo’s main witness in their investigation. Julie was set up to potentially be a romantic interest for Mike in futureBad Boysmovies.
Téa Leoni not returning forBad Boys: Ride or Dieis not a total surprise. She has not played Julie again since the first movie, soLeoni has now been left out of all threeBad Boyssequels. There has been no mention of what happened to Julie after the first movie, so there is a chance she could return in any capacity moving forward. But,Bad Boys: Ride or Diedoes not bring Julie back to give some clarity on her fate after the original.
8Rafe
Charles Melton’s Rafe is a surprising absentee cast member inBad Boys: Ride or Die. The actor joined the franchise inBad Boys for Life, playing a cocky member of AMMO who frequently irritated Mike. Rafe survived the events ofBad Boys for Life’s ending, so there was an expectation that he would be back in the sequel. And yet, fears that he would not be part of the film after there were no details of his involvement came true.
There is no explanation for why Rafe is not inBad Boys: Ride or Dieprovided in the story. AMMO remains a major presence in the sequel, with Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) both still working for AMMO as Rita (Paola Núñez) is promoted to captain. It is possible that scheduling conflicts prevented Melton from reprising his role, so there is a possibility that he could come back as RafeifBad Boys 5happens.
7Detective Sanchez
Sanchez is another character missing fromBad Boys: Ride or Die. Nestor Serrano played the Miami PD detective in the original movie, as he worked as a partner for Detective Ruiz. Sanchez and Ruiz were positioned as Mike and Marcus' older rivals within the department, but they ultimately worked together when it counted. With original movie characters like Fletcher coming back inBad Boys: Ride or Die, the idea that Sanchez could have appeared was not ludicrous.
Instead of bringing this original movie character back, the sequel went in the opposite direction.Bad Boys: Ride or Dieconfirmed Sanchez and Ruiz diedsometime between the events ofBad Boys IIandBad Boys for Life. The movie confirms that Sanchez and Ruiz worked on Howard’s secret investigation and came out of retirement to do so. Unfortunately, they died one week later in a car crash.
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’s 13 Easter Eggs & References Explained
Bad Boys: Ride or Die has a lot of sly references to the history of the franchise, featuring cameos from other stars and previous characters.
6Detective Ruiz
Just like Sanchez, Ruiz is missing fromBad Boys: Ride or Die. This is explained in the story because both cops die many years before the sequel’s story takes place. Ruiz was last seen in the originalBad Boys, where Julio Oscar Mechoso made his debut as the rival detective.
The explanation thatRuiz and Sanchez died off-screenmakes more sense with Ruiz specifically. Julio Oscar Mechoso passed away in 2017 in real life. The franchise would have had to recast Ruiz to bring the character back in the later sequels. SinceRuiz was already absent fromBad Boys II, what happened to him after the original movie was a mystery. Now,Bad Boys: Ride or Dieconfirms his and Sanchez’s fates, electing to kill both characters instead of potentially replacing Mechoso.
5Detective Mateo Reyes
Bad Boys IIintroduced Mateo Reyes as another Miami PD detective, with Yul Vazquez playing the role. Reyes and his partner were more helpful to Mike and Marcus than Sanchez and Ruiz, going as far as to work with them to take down Johnny Tapia.Yul Vazquez did not return inBad Boys for Life, so his absence fromBad Boys: Ride or Die’s endingwas somewhat expected.
Although there is no mention of Reyes inBad Boys: Ride or Die, a return could have made sense. The main story includes connections toBad Boys IIand the investigation that Reyes was part of. Mike and Marcus could have reunited with their former colleague to try and clear Howard’s name and take down the new villains. Instead, Mateo Reyes is completely forgotten about, with his fate left unknown and for another movie to potentially address.
4Detective Marco Vargas
Jason Manuel Olazábal’s Marco Vargas is also a missing character inBad Boys: Ride or Die. The Miami PD detective was Reyes' partner inBad Boys II. He also worked with Mike and Marcus to take down Tapia’s operation, traveling to Cuba to get the job done. There was no mention of him inBad Boys for Life, but he could have come back inBad Boys: Ride or Diebased on the story to give his colleagues some help once more.
Without any return for Vargas or Reyes,what happened to the detectives afterBad Boys IIremains a mystery. It would have been great to see either of the characters return in the 2024 movie to provide audiences with some sort of update on their lives. This could have included working with Mike and Marcus or being targets of McGrath if they, too, had any knowledge of Howard’s investigation and his findings.
3James Burnett
Marcus Burnett’s son, James, is also missing fromBad Boys: Ride or Die. Cory Hodges played Marcus' son in the original movie. James was last seen inBad Boys IIas part of the Burnett family meals, but there is no actor credited as playing him. James was strangely missing fromBad Boys for Life, meaninghe missed his own sister’s weddingas Megan and Reggie got married. He is shockingly also absent fromBad Boys: Ride or Die.
James Burnett’s absence from the fourthBad Boysmovie is so surprising because of Marcus' story. He has a heart attack early on and is then surrounded by friends and family once he is released from the hospital. Not only does James not come and visit his father at any point, but there is also no acknowledgment that he even exists. What happened to Marcus and Theresa’s son is truly a mystery.
2Quincy Burnett
Bad Boys: Ride or Dieis also missing Marcus' other son, Quincy. Scott Cumberbatch played the kid in the original two movies, although his role was quite small. He also did not return inBad Boys for Life, missing out on important family events in the process, such as the birth of his first nephew. This trend continues bynot being around to visit Marcus in the hospital, at least as far asBad Boys: Ride or Dieshows.
The complete absence of both Marcus and Theresa’s sons in the recent films is unusual. Marcus has always been portrayed as a family man and a father who loves his children. It is possible that Quincy and James no longer live in Miami, but their not being present for such major life events is odd. The fact that Megan has had at least a small presence inBad Boys 3and4makes the sons' omissions more glaring.
1Nancy McKenna
Played By Jessica Alba In L.A.’s Finest
Bad Boys: Ride or Diedoes not bring Jessica Alba’s Nancy McKenna into the fold either. Alba was the co-lead opposite of Gabrielle Union in the spinoff showL.A.’s Finest. Her character, Nancy McKenna, is aformer criminal who becomes an LAPD detective and partner for Syd. The duo worked together on different cases over the course of the show’s two season run. However, Alba has yet to be given a chance to bring Nancy McKenna to the big screen.
John Salley returned as Fletcher for a few episodes of L.A.’s Finest before his Bad Boys: Ride or Die cameo
The absence of Jessica Alba fromBad Boys: Ride or Dieis understandable. The movie would only have brought her aboard if Gabrielle Union had also returned. Most audiences have not seenL.A.’s Finest, soNancy McKenna would be an entirely new character for many. Since she does not have any existing ties to the main characters ofBad Boys: Ride or Die, there was no need for her to appear. Maybe that will change in a sequel.
