Summary

• Gabrielle Union's absence in Bad Boys 4 has officially led to the replacement of her character Syd in the franchise.
• Will Smith's promise of Union's return for Bad Boys 4 did not materialize, as a new romantic partner replaces Syd.
• Unfortunate trend continues as Union's character is left out, despite her successful portrayal in Bad Boys II and TV spinoff.

Gabrielle Union's Sydney is not returning for Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, and her absence has allowed the franchise to officially replace her. Union ed the action franchise 21 years ago with Bad Boys II, as she was introduced as the sister of Marcus (Martin Lawrence) and a new romantic interest for Mike (Will Smith). Syd played a vital role in the sequel thanks to her relationship with both lead characters and her job as an agent of the Drug Enforcement istration. The appreciation for her largely left audiences wanting more of Gabrielle Union's character in future Bad Boys installments.

Gabrielle Union was left out of the reunion sequel other than a Bad Boys 3 Easter egg referencing her past, but hope remained that Bad Boys 4 could bring Syd back. Will Smith even promised her return in a 2020 interview with The Breakfast Club, saying, "Yeah, there was no spot in the story... But definitely for Bad Boys 4!" The expectation that Gabrielle Union could return in Bad Boys 4 has significantly dropped as she was not part of the production. Plus, a new character and story tease confirms Bad Boys has replaced Syd.

Bad Boys 4 Gives Mike Another New Romantic Partner Instead Of Syd

There is no sight of Gabrielle Union in the Bad Boys 4 trailer, but the footage does briefly introduce a new female character played by Melanie Liburd. She's shown sparingly in the footage, with the first glimpse of her coming as she and Mike have their arms around each other while they eat with the Burnett family. Sydney is still absent from these scenes it appears, and the new woman has replaced her as Mike's romantic interest. Bad Boys II ended with Mike and Syd still dating, but that relationship had ended by the time Bad Boys For Life happened.

The odds of Gabrielle Union still returning as Syd in Bad Boys 4 do not look promising based on an additional detail. A closer look at Will Smith and Melanie Liburd's interaction shows that Mike is wearing a wedding ring. This confirms that Mike is married in Bad Boys 4 to Liburd's character. With Mike officially closing the door on any chance of him and Sydney rekindling their relationship, the opportunities for Syd to return decrease. Furthermore, it shows how Bad Boys 4 has officially replaced Gabrielle Union with Melanie Liburd in that regard.

Bad Boys 4 Replacing Gabrielle Union's Syd Continues A Disappointing Franchise Trend

The decision to leave Gabrielle Union out of Bad Boys 4 and replace her with a new character is fairly disappointing. Sydney was a great character in Bad Boys II, and she and Smith had effective chemistry together. The fact that the two newer Bad Boys movies both chose to not bring her back even as several other characters returned makes her absence an even bigger outlier. After all, if the films could bring back the original Reggie actor, surely they could have found a way to involve Gabrielle Union's Syd in some capacity.

It is even more confusing since Gabrielle Union has already returned as Sydney after Bad Boys II. She became the co-star of the spinoff TV show L.A.'s Finest with Jessica Alba and reprised her role as Syd for two seasons. Bad Boys 4 could have united the franchise with Gabrielle Union's return and brought more attention to the underseen TV spinoff. Instead, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die continues the oversight of tying the franchise together with an already established character.

Both seasons of L.A.'s Finest are currently streaming on Tubi