In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence stormed the action scene with their gritty buddy-cop comedy Bad Boys, where Miami Police Department (MPD) detectives Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence) shot and bickered their way through big drug cases. But despite enjoying strong box office revenues and gaining a loyal following, the Bad Boys franchise was stuck in stasis with only two movies to its name.
Now, almost 20 years after the second movie’s debut, the Bad Boys are finally back in the upcoming Bad Boys For Life that’s set for a 2020 release. It has yet to be confirmed if the third movie is the last, but it’ll surely address some story threads left dangling. Here are 10 Bad Boys questions we’ve waited roughly 17 years to get answers for.
How Much More Of Miami Can Explode?
The Bad Boys movies made Michael Bay the patron saint of explosions he is today, with the first installment also serving as his debut as a blockbuster director. True to Bay’s aesthetic, the Bad Boys films overflow with explosions caused by anything as random as an ice cream truck full of ether.
Now that the third movie will be helmed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah instead of Bay, the amount of Bayhem that will be unleashed is currently up for debate. That, and much of Miami has already been blown up by Marcus and Mike.
Will Marcus Quit The Force?
A major plot point of Bad Boys II was Marcus’ request to be transferred out of the Tactical Narcotics Taskforce (TNT) after getting sick of the dangerous missions he and Mike found themselves in. Marcus may have reconsidered this, but the only logical conclusion to his arc would be to quit the force altogether.
Marcus isn’t just a dedicated father but a cop who isn’t getting any younger. It’d make sense for him to put his personal life ahead of his job, and given his age, this seems even more likely than before.
How’s Marcus’ Anger Management?
Following the events of the first movie and all the firefights in between, both Marcus and Mike were sent to take mandatory therapy. It was here Marcus began managing his anger and other explosive emotions in the hopes of controlling them.
Over the course of Bad Boys II, however, Marcus slowly abandoned the peaceful aura of the mantra “Whoosah” and reverted back to his standard operating procedure of shooting people in the face. Will Marcus’ anger issues resurface, or will he have conquered them by the time of Bad Boys For Life?
How’s Marcus’ Family Doing?
The main difference between Marcus and Mike is that Marcus is a family man, meaning he has more to lose in the line of duty. His children have visibly aged over the course the two movies and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see them as adults in the third Bad Boys.
Luckily for Marcus, his family – excluding his sister, who’s a DEA agent – hasn’t been directly in the line of fire. Seeing them again or at least getting an update would be a heartfelt moment in the upcoming action-packed reunion.
Will Mike Settle Down?
Of the titular pair, Mike is the typical action movie hero. Not only is he a certified badass who can survive many explosive shootouts, but he’s also very popular with the ladies. Thing is, this short-sighted kind of lifestyle isn’t apt for a middle-aged police officer, nor is it healthy or fulfilling to begin with.
Realistically speaking, Mike has to outgrow this juvenile mentality at some point, and this may be the cause of his midlife crisis in Bad Boys For Life. Hopefully, the sequel doesn’t hold back in showing the ramifications of living the fast life.
Did Mike & Syd Get Together?
A source of friction between the Bad Boys was that Mike was dating Marcus’ sister Syd. Though they (supposedly) didn’t do anything outside of eating together in New York, Marcus couldn’t get over his overprotective habits, only giving his blessing when the end credits rolled.
Now that almost two decades have passed after Marcus allowed his sister to date his partner, finding out if the relationship lasted or if it faltered would prove intriguing. Mike isn’t really known for being the committed type, so learning if he changed for Syd or otherwise would be interesting.
What’s The Bad Boys’ Backstory?
It’s easy to infer that Mike and Marcus have known each other for a long time, but neither movie goes further than dropping some hints. The biggest clue given was Marcus’ old yearbook, where his motto with Mike could be seen scribbled on a page.
While this isn’t a necessity since their energetic dynamic perfectly sells their tandem, it would be nice to learn a bit more about the Bad Boys. The upcoming third movie isn’t a prequel, but it could serve a similar purpose by revealing a few more details.
Are The Bad Boys Still Together?
Bad Boys For Life may star Marcus and Mike again, but this doesn’t mean they’ll be partners in the movie’s events. Previously, Marcus seriously considered transferring units, and the conflict between him and Mike was more heated than usual.
It would be safe to assume that at some point, things got really personal and drove the two best friends apart for a long time before the vents of their third adventure. Time will tell if their friendship finally buckled under the life-threatening pressures of their job and their own personal baggage.
Is Marcus’ Butt Okay?
Of all the places Mike could accidentally shoot his partner in, it just had to be his booty. Marcus makes a big deal of his shot-up rear end after the injured nerves turned his sex life flaccid, but his wounded cheek was all but forgotten as Bad Boys II progressed.
This brings the state of his flesh wounds into question – even 17 years after the sequel showed in cinemas – since the side-effects were worse than expected. If there’s no provided answer, then audiences will just have to assume that Marcus’ behind miraculously healed by itself.
Do The Bad Boys Ever Learn The Lyrics?
Despite starring in a series named after Inner Circle’s most popular song and singing said song occasionally, Marcus and Mike don’t know the words of the song “Bad Boys.” Marcus admits that they usually only do the chorus, but this is a poor excuse for not committing their theme song to memory.
Usually, the two would sing the famous chorus to announce their entrance or to cap the movie on a happy note, saying random jargon afterward before bickering again. Hopefully, they memorized their own anthem by the time the third movie rolls in.
