WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Magic Mike 3!Channing Tatum’s character is no longer dancing with the Kings of Tampa in Magic Mike and its 2015 sequel, Mike is on a solo journey to London with the wealthy theater owner Maxandra (Salma Hayek), with whom he trains a new group of dancers.
While the Kings of Tampa are regrettably not the main focus of Magic Mike’s Last Dance, several of the original dancers do make brief cameos in the trilogy-ending film. Magic Mike XXL, including whether they retired from their stripping careers.
Magic Mike 3 Hints The Kings Of Tampa All Retired From Stripping
During the video call in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, it’s implied that all the original Kings of Tampa have been doing really well in their careers after Magic Mike 2, at least better than Mike himself. Channing Tatum's character mentions that he’ll pay back his debts to his old friends, which suggests that they loaned him part of their riches to help keep his business afloat during the pandemic. While it’s good to know that the Kings of Tampa stayed in touch, Magic Mike’s dancers seem to all be retired from their dancing profession.
Richie mentions that he’s living a different life today, which appears to not involve dancing or Nancy, Andie MacDowell’s character who proved to be his “glass slipper” in Magic Mike XXL. Ken, Tarzan, and Tito also appear to be doing well during Magic Mike’s Last Dance, but no longer grace the stage as a group. Their retirement after Magic Mike XXL’s ending makes sense, since the 2015 sequel was situated as the group’s last major performance before calling it quits.
Magic Mike's Last Dance Cameos Leave Out Key Original Characters
As the titular character, it’s no surprise that Mike leads the February 2023 movie, but it was really the ensemble nature of the cast that made the franchise enjoyable. As such, it felt necessary that Richie, Ken, Tarzan, and Tito returned, but a trilogy-ending installment should have brought back – or at least mentioned – the two other most important characters of the original movie. Magic Mike’s Last Dance ignores Matthew McConaughey’s Dallas, the original mentor figure to Mike, and Alex Pettyfer’s Adam, A.K.A. the Kid, who Mike took under his wing in the 2012 film.
The Kings of Tampa are no more in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, but the 2023 film still should have paid more tribute to their impact on Mike’s story and character development. Even his previous love interests Brooke (Cody Horn) and Zoe (Amber Heard) are completely ed over in Magic Mike's Last Dance, so the last installment of the trilogy is far more of a standalone venture with a brand-new Mike. Ultimately, the latest Steven Soderbergh movie is better situated as a film about Salma Hayek’s Maxandra that simply features Mike in her narrative.
