Bad Boys 4 Completely Changes Captain Howard's Death With Major Retcon (2024)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die makes the death of Joe Pantoliano's Captain Howard a major part of the story, but completely reframes the motive behind it. Many were surprised to see Pantoliano among the cast of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, considering Howard's fairly unambiguous demise during the third film. Alongside leading men Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Pantoliano is the only actor to have appeared in every entry in the Bad Boys movie franchise. While the death of Howard was a shocking moment in the third entry, it served a narrative purpose.

Howard filled the role of the angry Captain typical of most cop movies, but Pantoliano brought both humor and heart to what could have been a one-note character. Bad Boys for Life underlined his love for his "bad boys" Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence), but Captain Howard's death at the hands of Mike's son Armando (Jacob Scipio) raised the stakes. Bad Boys for Life made Howard's death look like a revenge scheme on Armando and his mother's part, but Ride or Die reveals there was far more to it.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Changed The Motivation Behind Captain Howard's Death

Howard's Bad Boys for Life death was due to a secret corruption investigation

The third film saw Mike being tormented by former lover Isabel (Kate Del Castillo), and the son he never knew he had. On the surface, Howard's shock demise was another way for them to hurt Mike, but when the Captain is posthumously accused of corruption, Mike and Marcus learn this wasn't the case. From speaking with Armando in prison, Mike and Marcus learn Howard was greenlit for assassination due to his investigation into links between the cartels, the police and the FBI.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die's chief villain, James McGrath (Eric Dane), is a former DEA agent who worked with the cartels for years following 9/11; in exchange for helping them bring drugs into America, the cartels helped keep the borders secure. Howard learned of this Faustian pact but kept Mike and Marcus out of the loop when two other cops he put on the case turned up dead. The Captain kept his investigation open, but McGrath eventually ordered Isabel and Armando to silence Howard when he got too close to the truth.

Captain Howard's Death Is Tied To Bad Boys II Now

McGrath has been in the shadows for most of the Bad Boys franchise

Captain Howard makes several brief appearances throughout Bad Boys: Ride or Die, mostly in the form of video messages he recorded before his death. These are intended to put Mike and Marcus on the right path while warning them not to trust anybody else in the department. This proves sound advice, since they are soon framed for murder and forced to go on the run. In addition to adding more context to the events of part three, Ride or Die even links Howard's murder back to the events of Bad Boys II.

The Captain's suspicions about corruption in the force are due to a failed drug raid, but after digging further, Howard discovers links that back to the Haitian Zoe Pound gang from the second film. This suggests that McGrath was working with that entry's antagonist Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla), helping his cartel bring huge quantities of ecstasy into Miami. If so, this makes McGrath one of the overarching villains of the entire franchise, even if he went unseen until Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

Bad Boys 4 Changed Captain Howard's Death So He Could Return

Ride or Die makes Howard's murder a huge part of the story

Rather than being a cheap death to surprise viewers, the impact of Howard's murder has continued to linger within the Bad Boys series. The Captain's final speech to Mike about reflecting on where his life was going had a profound impact on the detective, with the former bachelor even getting married when Ride or Die begins. Despite pulling the trigger on Howard, Mike doesn't blame Armando for his death and is working to build a relationship with his son.

Ride or Die smartly makes Howard part of the story via his video messages, giving the story some personal stakes. This made expanding on the motives behind his death a must, which also reframed the events of Bad Boys for Life. Mike and Marcus also have several dreams/visions of their late boss, whose ghostly words inform their actions. It wouldn't have felt like a proper sequel without Pantoliano's Howard, though how a potential Bad Boys 5 will deal with this is unclear.

While his death stung, the fourth installment was right not to try and undo his demise. Armando must carry the guilt of having killed a good man, while the impact of it weighs on every character, including Howard's U.S. Marshal daughter, Judy (Rhea Seehorn). Even though Bad Boys: Ride or Die is arguably the funniest outing of the saga so far, the Captain Howard story gives it an emotional grounding.

Source: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes

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Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the fourth installment in the action-comedy film series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The series centers on hard-boiled Miami detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett, who take on dangerous drug kingpins and thwart dangerous schemes as they attempt to stop the circulation of illicit drugs in their city.

Director

Adil El Arbi , Bilall Fallah

Release Date

June 7, 2024

Studio(s)

Columbia Pictures , 2.0 Entertainment , Don Simpson Films , Jerry Bruckheimer Films , Westbrook Studios

Writers

Chris Bremner

Cast

Will Smith , Martin Lawrence , Vanessa Hudgens , Alexander Ludwig , Paola Núñez , Eric Dane , Ioan Gruffudd , Tasha Smith

Franchise(s)

Bad Boys

prequel(s)

Bad Boys , Bad Boys 2 , Bad Boys for Life