Summary

• Mike Lowrey faces his past while Marcus Burnett confronts his future in the action-packed Bad Boys For Life ending.
• The revitalized franchise successfully sets up the future with the introduction of new elements like AMMO in Bad Boys Ride or Die.
• The plot twists involving Isabel, Armando, and Mike Lowrey's hidden connection add depth to the story, paving the way for Bad Boys 4.

The Bad Boys For Life ending has Will Smith's Mike Lowrey confront his past, while Martin Lawrence's Marcus Burnett decides about his future - and together, they put an end to an extensive killing spree that sets up Bad Boys Ride or Die. Coming 17 years after Michael Bay's Bad Boys 2, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah successfully revitalized the long-dormant franchise with Bad Boys For Life. The movie begins with Marcus' daughter having a baby boy with her longtime boyfriend. Marcus looks back on his life, particularly his life of violence, and decides to retire.

Meanwhile, an assassin shoots and nearly kills Mike in revenge for a case Mike worked on decades prior, which resulted in the imprisonment of the shooter's mother, Isabel Aretas. There was also a bigger connection between Isabel, Mike, and the shooter, Armando Armas. Marcus res the fold for one last mission with his best friend. Mike and Marcus head to Mexico for a final confrontation with Isabel (Kate del Castillo) and Armando (Jacob Scipio, ed by of Miami PD's new AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations) initiative.

What Happened In Bad Boys 3's Ending

Mike Faces Off Against Armando At The End

The Bad Boys For Life ending sees Mike and Marcus travel to Mexico City to bring justice to Isabel and Armando, with the backup of Miami's former AMMO . Mike first meets Isabel inside Hidalgo Palace, using himself as bait. However, when Marcus is captured, and AMMO's surveillance equipment is knocked out and disabled, AMMO infiltrates the building, and a shootout occurs between Mike, Marcus, AMMO, and Isabel and Armando's henchman. Isabel and Armando try to escape by boarding a helicopter, but when Marcus shoots the pilot, the helicopter crashes into the building and explodes on the first floor.

It all culminates with a fight between Mike and Armando, with Marcus quickly taking out Isabel in the room above. Mike heeds Marcus' advice earlier in the film to "penetrate [Armando's] soul with his heart." Rather than simply shoot and kill Armando, Mike tries to by the usual violence he doles out and makes a last-ditch attempt to show Armando that he isn't the person Armando thought he was - or the person Isabel made him out to be.

And it worked as Armando stood in the way of Isabel shooting Mike and was, in turn, wounded himself. Thanks to Mike and Marcus, Armando survived and was later imprisoned in Miami for his numerous murders.

Bad Boys 3's Isabel Aretas' Villain Plan Explained

Isabel Wanted Revenge For The Ultimate Betrayal

Mike wasn't just the person who put Isabel away over 25 years ago as he also broke her heart and betrayed her. In her eyes, he was a traitor who abandoned her. Seeing him suffer after all these years was the revenge she wanted. Putting a "bullet in him" would be mercy, according to her. But when it ultimately came time to kill Mike, Isabel wanted Armando to be the one to do it and the one to tell him their secret message, "hasta el fuego." Everything would click for Mike at this moment before his death.

On the surface, Isabel's plan was simple yet cruel. She wanted Mike to feel the pain she felt in her years in prison. To carry out her plan in full, Isabel made her son believe he was getting revenge for his father, who died in jail as a result of Mike's investigation. She wanted everyone associated with the case - from the CSI investigator to the case's judge - dead, with Mike dying last. It was revenge for the Aretas cartel and personal revenge for Isabel. The final person to die had to be Mike's closest mentor.

Captain Howard's Death In Bad Boys For Life

Captain Howard Was Mike's Father Figure

Shortly before his death, Captain Howard repeated to Mike what Marcus was telling him for months: retire. It was clear at this point that Mike wasn't the "bulletproof" person he thought he was; the legend of Mike Lowrey was slowly fading. And if he continued to push himself into the investigation, there would be consequences; someone would die.

Unfortunately, that someone was Captain Howard, who was not only part of the initial investigation into the Aretas cartel but also the person responsible for setting Mike on his path. Mike was like a son to Captain Howard, so forcing the son to watch his father figure die in front of him was the lowest Mike could go. Captain Howard was the final domino to fall before Isabel was ready to have Mike killed.

Mike Lowrey's Origin Story

"Hasta El Fuego" Meaning Explained

Before Bad Boys For Life, the only aspect of Mike Lowrey's backstory leading up to the first Bad Boys movie was that he graduated from the police academy and became a narcotics officer with Marcus Burnett. Bad Boys For Life reveals Captain Howard pulled Mike out of the academy early and gave him an undercover assignment within the Aretas Cartel. He became Isabel's driver and ultimately fell in love with her. They planned to run away together, but when Mike realized she was a "cold-blooded killer," he turned her in along with the rest of the cartel .

"Hasta el fuego" is something that Mike and Isabel came up with together

When Mike is recovering from his gunshot wounds, and Rita confronts him at his home, he utters the phrase, "Hasta el fuego." Rita didn't know what it meant, but Mike used it as an excuse to want to get back into the field and solve the investigation himself. It's later revealed that "hasta el fuego" is something that Mike and Isabel came up with together and would say to one another, almost like a promise to be together no matter what. "Hasta el fuego" has no direct translation in Spanish, but the closest meaning is "until the fire."

"Hasta el fuego" brought Mike and Isabel's story full circle. By promising they would be together until the fire, they fulfilled that meaning to the letter, with Rita shooting Isabel and her falling into the fire and dying at the bottom of Hidalgo Palace. Isabel made Mike Lowrey into the clothes and sports car-loving person he is. But by giving him a son and indirectly forcing him to take responsibility for his actions, she also inadvertently turned him into the person Marcus wanted him to be, one willing to settle down and let go of the violence.

Bad Boys 3 Twist Ending

Armando Is Mike Lowrey's Son

They planned to run away together before Mike gave up Isabel in his investigation; he would give up everything for her, and she would give up everything for him. But Mike didn't know she was a month pregnant. Their son was born eight months later while she was in prison, and that son was Armando. Mike put this twist together when Armando said, "hasta el fuego." Letting Armando loose on Mike was poetic justice for Isabel.

Although Mike didn't have the time or the means to have a DNA test done instantly, he knew Armando was his son because Isabel's husband - the leader of the Aretas cartel - was sterile. Upon coming to this realization, Mike thinks of Armando as a version of himself who went bad, but in reality, they are both alike in many ways; they're both drawn to violence but long for the father-son relationship they never had. Mike didn't know Armando was his son, and the person who Armando thought was his father died in prison when he was only a child.

Mike saw this as an opportunity to be a father figure to Armando.

Even though Armando committed several murders, including killing Captain Howard, Mike saw this as an opportunity to be a father figure to Armando and help him face justice - and atone - for his crimes. This is perhaps why Armando's immediate reaction to Isabel pointing her gun at Mike was to step in front of the barrel and take the bullet himself. Mike's decision wasn't rational, but while he told Marcus on the way to Mexico that he planned to kill his son, he just couldn't do it when the moment presented itself.

AMMO's Future For Bad Boys 4

Old-School Meets New Tech

By finding out Booker Grassie was the dealer who supplied Armando with the custom-made P90 bullets, Mike proved that his old-fashioned detective ways still work. But when he went into the department to report his findings, AMMO already knew about it. In a roundabout way, Bad Boys For Life highlights the benefit of old-school tactics and the advantage of state-of-the-art technology. Mike and Marcus were saved numerous times by the of AMMO and their fancy equipment.

While they could've potentially taken on the remainder of the Aretas cartel by themselves, as they had done with other criminal organizations in Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2, it's obvious that there are perks in working with such an outfitted team. Of course, AMMO got shut down at one point in the film, but with Rita as the new police captain, it makes sense she would reestablish AMMO and all of its . Without them, Mike may not have been able to follow through on his hunch that Isabel was behind everything and that Armando was his son.

Marcus Res Miami PD At The End Of Bad Boys For Life

Martin Realized His True Purpose

The first two Bad Boys movies were primarily about Marcus and his family, so it makes sense that Bad Boys For Life would flip the script and focus on Mike's family - even though he didn't know it was his family until the final act. While Mike was dealing with the consequences of his actions, Marcus wanted to atone for all the violence he caused in his career as a police officer and detective. That's why he promised God he wouldn't bring any more violence into the world if God gave Mike a second chance.

Bad Boys For Life's title isn't just part of Mike and Marcus' age-old mantra, but it's also a code that they live by

However, Marcus had an epiphany during his and Mike's car chase with Zway-Lo: he was essentially a vessel of God's. As a detective, he was protecting the world. So, while he could choose not to harm anyone, it was in his nature to be a "bad boy" for life. Leaving his best friend alone almost got Mike killed, and that's not something he was willing to contend with in retirement. Bad Boys For Life's title isn't just part of Mike and Marcus' age-old mantra, but it's also a code that they live by and will continue to live by.

Bad Boys For Life's Story Setup For Bad Boys 4

Mike Calls On His Son To Help Him

The Bad Boys 3 ending leaves a lot open for the sequel, Bay Boys Ride or Die. First off, the death of Captain Howard played a massive role in the new movie. After Howard dies, he is accused of being a dirty cop and then the people who framed him try to bring Mike and Marcus into it, making them wanted men. This leads to the formation of the AMMO team in this movie. They reunited in the sequel, as expected, and they were there to help Mike and Marcus clear their names and find the real bad guys.

However, the biggest connection between the Bad Boys 4 ending and Ride or Die came with the post-credit scene in For Life. That saw Mike going to Armando and asking him if he wanted to do some good to reduce his sentence. While that isn't what happens in this movie, Mike does go and help Armando escape when he realizes that the people who are gunning for him will also go after his son. Armando then helps his dad again, and when the movie ends, Mike lets his son escape to live in peace.