Warning: Major spoilers below for Bad Boys: Ride or Die!Even though nobody appears to have noticed, there is a key supporting player missing from Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Not every movie series can take an almost 20-year break and come back strong, but the Bad Boys movie franchise is no ordinary series. The 1995 original made Will Smith a movie star and marked Michael Bay’s directional debut, while 2020’s belated Bad Boys for Life revived the franchise after a 17-year gap, and proved there was still an audience for the misadventures of Miami detectives Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence).

Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s cast features most of the franchise’s core ensemble returning, with Mike and Marcus forced to go on the run to clear the name of their late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano). Ride or Die has been a major box-office success during a summer blockbuster season in dire need of one, and there is clearly still an appetite for more. Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s ending leaves room for another outing, even if it feels like Mike and Marcus should be inching closer to retirement at this stage.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Quietly Dropped Charles Melton’s Rafe

Charles Melton’s Bad Boys for Life character is missing in action in the fourth adventure

Bad Boys for Life was a great example of a legacy sequel that understood what viewers loved about the originals while knowing what new ingredients to add. This sequel saw Mike and Marcus forced to team with AMMO (AKA Advanced Miami Metro Operations), a team of younger, hipper detectives consisting of Vanessa Hudgens’ Kelly, Alexander Ludwig’s Dorn and Charles Melton’s Rafe. Naturally, there is some early tensions between the old and new school, but by Bad Boys for Life’s finale, they all learn to work together.

While Ludwig and Hudgens’ characters return for the new film (and have entered into a secret romance), Melton’s Rafe is entirely absent from Bad Boys: Ride or Die, nor is he mentioned. In a sequel that features numerous callbacks to past entries – including the surprise return of John Salley’s hacker Fletcher from the first two films – Rafe’s disappearance from the latest adventure feels a little strange.

Even an offhand mention stating Rafe had transferred out of Miami could have easily explained his absence, but Bad Boys: Ride or Die opts not to address him at all. Rafe was a fun addition to the third movie, with his cocky attitude mirroring that of Smith’s Mike from the first two outings. It’s a pity his character doesn’t return for Ride or Die – and that the film doesn’t even attempt to explain why.

Why Charles Melton May Have Missed Out On Bad Boys 4

How far is Riverdale from Miami anyway?

Curiously, neither Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s filmmakers nor Melton himself have explained why Rafe didn’t return. It’s possible scheduling issues were to blame, but it’s a question that has yet to be answered. One possible explanation is that Melton was busy filming the final season of Riverdale when Ride or Die was shooting, which overlapped somewhat in 2023.

There’s also a chance Rafe was simply never intended to be part of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, since the film already has to service many characters. Melton’s acting career is on the rise thanks to projects like 2023’s May December, and he’s next set to appear in Alex Garland’s Warfare, alongside Cosmo Jarvis and Will Poulter. Audiences can look forward to seeing more from Melton in the near future, regardless of his Ride or Die absence.

Rafe Wasn’t Essential To Bad Boys: Ride Or Die

Bad Boys 4 didn’t suffer from a lack of Rafe

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the lack of Melton’s Rafe in Bad Boys: Ride or Die is that most viewers haven’t seemed to notice. The cast is stacked with newcomers and familiar faces, and it’s hard to picture where Rafe would have figured into the plot. Rafe feeling like a mirror image of a young Mike could have been an intriguing angle to explore, but considering Mike’s son Armando (Jacob Scipio) plays a big role in the fourth film, Rafe may have felt surplus to requirements in that regard.

Hudgens’ Kelly and Ludwig’s characters also had clearly defined roles within AMMO as the weapons specialist and techie respectively, whereas Rafe’s area of expertise was more nebulous. Melton is a charismatic performer, but if it was decided that Rafe wouldn’t have much to do in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, then letting the character sit the story out was a smart move. There also remains the possibility he could return for Bad Boys 5, a sequel that is looking very likely following Ride of Die’s financial tally.