Bad Boys 4 Verifies Sanchez & Ruiz Died Following Bad Boys II
Bad Boys: Ride or Die makes clear that Detectives Ruiz and Sanchez are deceased already. Mike and Marcus came over this material from one of Captain Howard's videos. He says he summoned Ruiz and Sanchez from retirement to assist him work his secret case years ago. Howard claims he hired them nine years ago from the time the video was filmed, before the events of Bad Boys for Life took place. Then the former police captain attests to Ruiz and Sanchez's automobile crash death one week later.
Ruiz and Sanchez passed just a few years following the events of Bad Boys II, according to the indicated chronology. That film came out in 2003; Howard's video was shot no later than 17 years later. This implies Ruiz and Sanchez passed away somewhere about 2011. Ruiz and Sanchez retired eight years after assisting in the stop of Johnny Tapia, only to un-retire to look into the matter once again and die a week later based on the facts given in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Featuring Cameos from Other Stars and Previous Characters, Ride or Die has several sly references to the history of the Franchise.
Although Ride or Die had lots of death, the film also killed two important franchise characters off-screen. Among the Bad Boys' entries, the fourth one contains many parallels to earlier movies. This contains Bad Boys: Ride or Die including several returning actors from past releases. Along with the younger characters brought in for Bad Boys for Life, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are expected returns. Other original franchise characters, though, including Captain Howard and Fletcher have duties to perform.
Through a sequence of video recordings meant for Mike and Marcus, Captain Howard returns in Bad Boys: Ride or Die detailing his covert work to expose corrupt members of Miami's political and law enforcement systems. Though he dies soon after returning, Fletcher returns as part of Mike and Marcus' quest for answers. By the time the ending of Bad Boys: Ride or Die ends, Fletcher's death is the largest that occurs on-screen involving known individuals. Two other original franchise characters were also slain off-screen, though.
Deaths of Sanchez & Ruiz Clarify Their Absence in Bad Boys 3 and 4
At first, it was perplexing not to see Sanchez and Ruiz in Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. They vanished from Bad Boys for Life without a word or explanation for what or why. Now, Bad Boys: Ride or Die validates this as Sanchez and Ruiz are deceased at this junctural juncture.
Still, getting Sanchez and Ruiz back together for these sequelues would have been challenging. Two years prior to Bad Boys for Life starting production, Ruiz's actor Julio Oscar Mechoso passed away in 2017. Ruiz would have had to be recasted to bring the character back, something never done until Bad Boys: Ride or Die recast Theresa Randle. Although Nestor Serrano might have come back for either sequel on his own, Bad Boys: Ride or Die chose to have Ruiz and Sanchez's arcs conclude together.
The Franchise: The Bad Boys
Comprising Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, the popular action comedy series The Bad Boys is First showing in 1995, the movie had successors in 2003 and 2020. Strong performances by Smith and Lawrence, humorous events, and action-packed scenes abound in the series.
The most recent addition to the series, Ride or Die, 2023 is bad boys. Both monetarily and creatively, the movie has been successful; many viewers have praised its action scenes, humor, and nostalgic references to the prior movies.
