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| “ | Everybody breaks. Everyone. Your husband, he's gonna kneel down in front of me and beg for your lives. And then you're gonna watch me kill him. | „ |
| ~ McGrath sadistically threatening Christine. |
| “ | McGrath: Your wife and I were having a debate. She seems to have an inflated impression of you. Nevertheless, this is the end of the road. One of them is about to die. You choose. Lowrey: What you don’t know Mr. McGrath, is one of them can’t die. A wise man told me I was going to make a hard choice. McGrath: You have 5 seconds, Mr. Lowrey. 5.. 4… 3.. 2… |
„ |
| ~ McGrath's final conversation with Lowrey as he threatens the latter before ultimately getting killed by the him in the end. |
James McGrath is the main antagonist of the Bad Boys franchise.
He serves as one of the overarching antagonists of the 2003 buddy cop comedy film Bad Boys II (alongside Adam Lockwood) and its 2020 sequel Bad Boys for Life (alongside Benito Aretas), and the main antagonist of its 2024 sequel Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Originally a Army Ranger turned DEA Agent who went rogue after being tortured to give up his friends to the Cartel, he became a ruthless Cartel boss who was revealed to have ordered the hit on Captain Conrad Howard and framed him as being in league with the Cartel. Because of his actions, he is the arch-nemesis of both Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett respectively.
He was portrayed by Eric Dane, who also played Multiple Man in X-Men: The Last Stand, Cal Jacobs in Euphoria and Eddie Davis in American Carange.
Personality[]
Initially, as an Army Ranger and DEA Agent, he would have been disciplined and brave individual who'd be fully committed to justice. Even as a leader of one of the biggest conspiracies in Miami law enforcement, McGrath's motives were genuine to prevent terrorism from harming the United States, even if greed was a big part of that.
However, after being tortured and forced to betray his squad, McGrath’s personality shifts dramatically as he became a ruthless and cold-blooded man in pursuit of power and control as he begins to lose sight of his original motivations. The betrayal and torture he experienced likely fostered a deep bitterness and desire for revenge. This drives him to take extreme actions against those he perceives as threats or obstacles, including his former allies.
He demonstrates a high level of cunning and manipulation, orchestrating complex schemes to achieve his goals. Framing Captain Conrad Howard and letting Armando Aretas take the fall for the murder show his strategic thinking and willingness to use others as pawns. McGrath’s need for control is a driving force behind his actions. The trauma and humiliation he endured likely led him to adopt a mindset where he must never be powerless again. By taking on the role of a Cartel boss and orchestrating intricate schemes, he seeks to ensure that he is always in a position of authority, never vulnerable to others as he once was.
Despite his dark turn, McGrath likely retains some of the charisma and leadership qualities from his time in the military and DEA. This would help him command loyalty and fear within his organization, allowing him to rise to a position of power. He is also a decent leader to his men, and he doesn’t abuse them or kill them if they make a mistake or failed their missions, yet he doesn’t care if they die by AMMO or Mike and Marcus' hands nonetheless.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
James McGrath used to be an Army Ranger and worked in counterintelligence and with the DEA and until 2005, was deployed in Mexico for operations on drug cartels for several years. However, after 9/11, he and Adam Lockwood began secretly working with the cartels in smuggling drugs into Miami in the hopes they could secure the border and prevent further terrorist attacks, as well as obtaining wealth from their cartel associations, with this conspiracy eventually spreading across Miami law enforcement. As such, he also had a hand in Johnny Tapia's smuggling of ecstacy into Miami in 2003.
However, in 2015, in Colombia allegedly, he and his squad were abducted by the cartel, where McGrath was tortured, received something he calls "the Colombian manicure", and gave up his entire squad to be killed, leaving him the sole survivor. After this event, McGrath lost sight of his initial goals, seeking to do whatever it takes to keep his position of power. Eventually, Captain Howard caught on his business which led him to being assassinated with the help of Isabel Aretas. During all of this he became a person of interest on a international level.
Present[]
McGrath was first seen when he came to a corrupt banker for money, so that he could transfer it to Captain Howard's account, killing his bodyguard and exposing his affair to his wife over the phone to blackmail the banker, who agrees. He then murders the banker and his mistress, making it seem as a murder-suicide. Therefore, an internal investigation within the Miami Police Department following accusations that Howard, was involved with drug cartels. Determined to clear Howard's name, Mike and Marcus set out to prove his innocence.
Their search for the truth leads them to Mike's son, Armando Aretas, who is in prison for Captain Howard's murder. Armando asserts that Howard was not corrupt and offers to help find the real killer. When McGrath and his hacker Nicole try to access Captain Howard's computer, a fail-safe, pre-recorded video is sent to Mike and Marcus, warning them of corruption within federal and state law enforcement. Howard uses the phrase "Coke bottle" as a code phrase and it is revealed that he gave information to their former hacker colleague Fletcher. They go to Fletcher's club to retrieve the "files", which turns out to be a QR code hidden in wall art that unlocks a second video from Captain Howard. However, McGrath, his right-hand woman Wolf, and his men kill Fletcher and escapes with his team.
Meanwhile, Armando is attacked by several of McGrath’s henchmen disguised as prisoners, but he fends them off. Mike and Marcus arrange for Armando to be air-lifted to a more secure location in Miami. However, McGrath and his right-hand man Lintz sneak on board and kill the pilot and US Marshals and blow up the plane, causing the helicopter to crash. Mike, Marcus, and Armando survive but are branded as wanted fugitives by McGrath and his men. Both loyal and corrupt officials along with various gangs lead by unknown thugs and people who personally knew people like Lowrey such as Tabitha and Manny being on the hunt for the trio after McGrath puts a bounty on all three.
With the assistance of AMMO team members Dorn and Kelly, who are secretly dating, Mike and Marcus uncover a conspiracy involving McGrath, who is in league with mayoral candidate Adam Lockwood. He then sends his men to get Marcus' family, but his Marine son-in-law, Reggie, single-handedly kills them all. They later orchestrated the kidnapping of Christine and Callie, the daughter of U.S. Marshal Judy Howard, who is Captain Howard's daughter. Rita, Dorn, and Kelly apprehend Lockwood after he is exposed to be working with McGrath.
Using Lockwood as bait, the team engages in a fierce gunfight with McGrath's men at a former alligator-themed amusement park to rescue Christine and Callie, where Lockwood died being devoured by an alligator. During the confrontation, McGrath corners Mike, giving him an ultimatum: either Christine or Marcus must die. Remembering Marcus' belief in his own invincibility, Mike shoots Marcus in his bulletproof vest. This distraction allows Christine and Marcus to break free, and Mike shoots McGrath multiple times in the chest and later in the head, avenging Howard and Fletcher in the process.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- McGrath is the first main villain to be a corrupt official and the second overall villain to be one. The first being Eddie Dominguez.
- McGrath originally was going to be a banker but they changed to script into something higher for the film.
- What differs James McGrath from Benito Aretas from their roles as the overarching antagonists of Bad Boys for Life is McGrath being unseen yet actively present during the events of Howard's assassination in the film. Aretas on the other hand, being from the past, posthumously affects the events due to his infertility, arrest, death, and his non-biological relation to Armando.
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 Villains
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