Warning: Major spoilers for The Expendables 4 below!
With The Expendables 4, Sylvester Stallone came real close to breaking a rule he’s held onto for 45 years and counting. The Expendables began with great promise, with the Stallone-created saga’s mission statement being to unite the most iconic action stars of all time. Sadly, the movies never quite lived up to their potential, as the bigger names – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, etc – often only made guest appearances, while the action sequences themselves were underwhelming and too reliant on CGI.
Following the negative reception that greeted the third entry in 2014, it was hoped The Expendables 4 would redeem the series. That didn’t prove to be the case, and while The Expendables 4’s ending teased there could be more adventures to come for Stallone’s titular team, they won’t be returning anytime soon. The sequel also made the odd choice to lessen the role of Stallone’s Barney in favor of newcomers like Megan Fox and 50 Cent. This is due to a major plot twist that happens during the first act, which doesn’t end up working in the movie’s favor.
Expendables 4 Almost Broke Stallone’s 45-Year Refusal To Die Onscreen
In recent years, Stallone has been retiring some of his most famous characters like Rambo and Rocky. While this led to inevitable rumors those characters would die, by the close of both Creed 2 and Rambo: Last Blood, they’re still in the land of the living. When it was announced that the star was taking more of a supporting part in Expendables 4, this again led to speculation about Barney’s fate – which seemed to be confirmed when he “dies” in a fiery plane crash during the movie’s first mission.
There’s no need to panic, however, as the ending reveals Barney faked his death to lure a terrorist out of hiding. This isn’t the biggest shocker, as the fourth entry did a poor job of convincing viewers Barney was truly dead. A look at Stallone’s filmography also reveals that, whether by accident or design, he hasn’t played a main character who has died since 1978’s F.I.S.T.
The title character was originally supposed to die in Rocky V until the studio vetoed that plan, and Stallone also filmed a death scene as Rambo for First Blood that was later cut. In a flashback sequence in 2022’s Samaritan, Stallone played super-powered twins, with one being a hero and the other a villain. While the heroic twin (apparently) perishes in a fire, not only was he not a main character, he didn’t even have any dialogue.
Expendables 4 Should Have Killed Barney Ross
In that sense, Stallone’s 45-year streak remains unbroken. Even though it feels obvious Barney isn’t dead, the only time Expendables 4 elicits any emotion is during the character’s memorial. While it’s sad no past Expendables cameoed for Barney’s funeral – like supposed best pal Trench (Schwarzenegger) – there’s still a certain power to seeing his team mourn for him. There are reports the sequel was conceived with the notion of killing Barney for real before Stallone pushed back on that idea, but on reflection, the story should have committed to this.
The action icon appears to be stepping back from the genre, and it’s even possible Expendables 4 could be his last true action film. If that’s the case, the sequel should have been crafted around this idea, with Barney dying a hero’s death and his team reuniting to avenge him. This would have ended the series – at least in its current form – on a strong note, and given it a meta-element as Stallone’s retirement from the genre he built his career around. Instead, Barney’s “death” is just a silly plot contrivance that fooled nobody.
Will Expendables 5 Happen?
The Expendables 4’s budget is said to be $100 million, but thanks to poor reviews and word of mouth, it will be lucky to gross back half of that in theaters. The sequel is, simply put, the worst of the franchise to date and may have killed any enthusiasm for more entries. A fifth outing doesn’t appear to be on the cards now, and if it does happen, there will need to be some creative retooling.
It might be better to give audiences a break following The Expendables 4 and bring it back again in another decade. At that point, it could be a legacy sequel with one or two returnees – like Statham’s Christmas – alongside franchise newcomers (Keanu Reeves, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, etc), or a total reboot. There’s also the option of a low-budget, STV continuation, which might actually work to the franchise’s benefit.
