Bad Boys 4 ending explained: Who dies in the new movie?

Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth outing for Hollywood’s favorite cop duo, is now in theaters. If you’re keen to skip to the end, here’s who dies in the new movie, and everything that happens in the Bad Boys 4 ending.

The latest action movie in the Bad Boys franchise sees the return of Miami’s finest Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) as they deal with their greatest challenge yet.

While the pair has always been on the right side of the law, Bad Boys 4 flips the script as Marcus and Mike find themselves on the run after they were named the main suspects in a string of murders and a money laundering scheme.

While this is not the end of the the Bad Boys legacy, the movie’s final moments wrapped up a lot of loose ends along with showcasing some notable deaths. So, let’s break down the movie’s ending and reflect on those lost in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Warning: major spoilers ahead!

Bad Boys: Ride or Die ending explained

The film’s climax sees Marcus, Mike, and the gang causing chaos in an alligator-infested theme park as they try to rescue Christine and Callie, who has been taken hostage.

The main plot of the new movie centers on Marcus and Mike trying to clear the name of their former boss, Captain Conrad Howard, who was murdered by Armando Aretas, Mike’s estranged son, in Bad Boys for Life. The Miami P.D., with help from the FBI, started to come down on Howard after millions of dollars were linked to his accounts and Cartel members pointed to him as a major dirty cop.

Head of Miami P.D. and Mike’s ex-girlfriend Captain Rita Secada (Paola Núñez) along with her boyfriend and potential mayoral candidate Lockwood (Ioan Gruffudd) provide assistance to prove Howard’s innocence after some pushback from the duo.

Their investigation leads them to the secret that got Howard killed: he had dug up a ton of dirt on high level government officials that proved they were working with the Cartel to smuggle drugs, money, and guns into the country.

Armando then tells Marcus and Mike that he could identify the man who ordered the hit on the captain but, before he can give them a name, all three men become wanted fugitives when the movie’s mysterious bad guy frames them for breaking Armando out of prison.

While on the run, the pair join forces with AMMO experts Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) who were hiding all the files Howard was going to use to expose corruption at Miami P.D. Using this information, Armando eventually identifies the main villain as James McGrath (Eric Dane), a former DEA officer turned Cartel mercenary.

It’s also revealed James was always one step ahead of the duo and their team because Lockwood had been feeding him information in exchange for gaining more political power by using the Cartel’s drug operations.

James makes one last attempt to get Marcus and Mike to give up all of Howard’s information by kidnapping Mike’s new wife Christine and Howard’s granddaughter Callie. The two hostages are then brought to an abandoned alligator-themed amusement park, where things get really messy.

Who dies in Bad Boys: Ride or Die?

James McGrath and Lockwood are the only characters who die in the Bad Boys 4 ending.

The last chunk of the movie takes place in the theme park as Marcus, Mike, Rita, Armando, Kelly, and Dorn break into the place with a stockpile of weapons. The group also bring Lockwood along on this mission as bait in order to lure James out of hiding.

Naturally, everything goes south pretty quickly, but Rita ends up thwarting Lockwood’s two attempts at escaping the island. She shoots a bomb at the tail of the helicopter he’s flying in, causing it to crash into the park and then she kicks him off a high ledge into the water under the park. This leads to his death as he is eaten by a giant albino alligator named Duke who was living in the water.

Sony Pictures

Mike then comes face to face with James, who’s holding Christine and Marcus as hostages. James needed a new second hostage as Armando had saved Callie and took her to safety.

After some quippy bad guy-good guy banter, Mike shoots James, but has to fire through Marcus’ shoulder. He shoots James three more times, with the final shot going right through his head.

The Bad Boys 4 ending is a cute, tender moment as the team gather at a park for a barbecue; a clever callback to Marcus’ “family barbecue” excuse he used throughout the events of Bad Boys II in order to get out of trouble.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is now playing in theaters. When you’re done watching it, you can check out all the new movies streaming this month and read our guide to the best movies of 2024 so far.