Wesley Snipes’ character died at the end of Demolition Man, but there could be a way for him to return in Demolition Man 2. The sequel to the 1993 science fiction movie was recently confirmed to be in development by the star of the original film, Sylvester Stallone. In response to a fan question on Instagram, Stallone said that Demolition Man 2 is in the works at Warner Bros. and in its current state, the project looks “fantastic“.
The original Demolition Man told the story of Stallone’s John Spartan, a police officer who was embroiled in a conflict with a dangerous criminal named Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). After Spartan was accused of a crime he didn’t commit, both were placed in a cryogenic prison. Decades later, Phoenix escapes from confinement, and Spartan is thawed out to deal with him. Spartan awakens to find himself in a highly advanced, peaceful society that’s depending on him to capture Phoenix. The movie culminates in a final battle between Spartan and Phoenix. In the end, Phoenix is killed, and Spartan looks to build a new life in the future with Huxley (Sandra Bullock).
With Demolition Man 2 happening, it’s worth wondering if the movie’s main antagonist, Phoenix, will be making a comeback in some way. Obviously, the biggest obstacle to Snipes’ return is that Demolition Man left no question that the villain is dead. After Spartan froze him with the same technology that was used on them in the beginning of the movie, Spartan slammed into his body, causing it to break into pieces. Phoenix’s head shattered after hitting the ground. While Phoenix’s fate was clear, the fact that Demolition Man exists in a futuristic, sci-fi world could provide the writers with the means to insert him into the story.
![How Demolition Man 2 Can Bring Back Wesley Snipes](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Demolition-Man-Snipes-V-Stallone-Cropped.jpg)
In the case of Phoenix, the most obvious way to bring the character back may also be the best way: cloning. This technology wasn’t set up or introduced in Demolition Man, but it’s something that could be added in the time skip between the first movie and the sequel. A new enemy, or perhaps a group of villains, could use science to create a clone from Phoenix’s DNA. As for why anyone would want to do this, it’s important to point out that Phoenix turned this Utopian society upside-down with his violent methods. A new character may want that to happen again, and may feel that Phoenix himself is the person best suited to accomplishing this.
Phoenix’s return could end up being the reason why Stallone’s character is brought back into action. This sort of storyline would mean Demolition Man 2 would end up revisiting the main theme of the first movie, which was the intense rivalry between Spartan and Phoenix; it was a rivalry that managed to transcend time. The sequel could go down this road by having Spartan set off to find and defeat Phoenix for a third time. Of course, Phoenix being the villain again doesn’t mean the sequel has to be a repeat of the first movie’s story. Since the gap between the first movie and Demolition Man 2 could end up being thirty years, Spartan and Phoenix may be fighting it out in a world that’s not at all like the backdrop of the original Demolition Man.