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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | After 9/11, nobody cared about drugs coming into this country. So to secure the borders, we started to work in the cartels. And they kept us informed about any terrorist activity coming our way. And it worked. We haven't had an attack since. We were protecting this country. | „ |
| ~ Lockwood trying to justify his crimes. |
| “ | Rita, stop this. You don’t want to shoot me. | „ |
| ~ Lockwood trying to manipulate Rita so he can kill her and his last words before being kicked in the gator pit and eaten alive by Duke. |
Adam Lockwood is the secondary antagonist of the Bad Boys franchise.
He is a district attorney and the mayoral candidate of Miami who has been secretly collaborating with James McGrath in orchestrating the criminal activities and conspiracy that Mike and Marcus work to uncover and thwart. He is the former boyfriend and arch nemesis of Rita Secada.
He was portrayed by Ioan Gruffudd.
His Evil Ranking[]
His Villainous Deeds[]
Background[]
- He was a District Attorney who worked in stopping the cartels from spreading drugs to the US. However, after 9/11, Lockwood and former Army Ranger turned DEA Agent James McGrath began secretly working with the cartels in smuggling drugs that could be illegal into Miami in the hopes they could secure the border and prevent further terrorist attacks, with this conspiracy eventually spreading across Miami law enforcement.
- In exchange for working for the cartels to secure the U.S. border, they provided intel about potential terrorist activities. During his collaboration, many police officers and informants were killed in the process.
- As such, he also had a hand in Johnny Tapia's smuggling of ecstasy into Miami back in 2003.
- Over the years, he's helped move products into South Florida, as well as having key witnesses killed, informants go missing, and destroying evidence.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die[]
- While he helps Mike, Marcus and Rita investigate the allegations of corruption into their late captain, this happens before his true nature is revealed.
- Although he agrees to Mike's request to have Armando Aretas, his illegitimate son, transferred to Miami due to him knowing about the people involved with the Cartels, this is a professional courtesy because if Mike screws up, it reflects badly on him.
- In secret, Lockwood was conspiring with McGrath and his team and revealed the shipment of Armando, which caused the helicopter crash and framing Mike, Marcus and Armando as fugitives with Law Enforcement and criminals hunting them down.
- When Armando recognized McGrath and identified him as the real culprit behind Howard's murder and is the one pulling the strings the whole time, Mike called Rita to inform of the situation, which Lockwood might have eavesdropped upon her. Lockwood then tipped off McGrath and the latter sent mercenaries to capture Mike and Marcus' families, which the latter family was saved by Reggie. Christine and to an extent Callie, Howard's granddaughter were captured by McGrath.
- Revealed his true colors and almost killed Rita by nearly strangling to her death in an elevator. However, Rita is later saved by Kelly and Dorn who then quickly arrest him.
- He isn't a well-intentioned extremist and is a fraud as he tells Rita that his alliance with McGrath and the cartels was necessary for "protecting the country" (destroying the country) all the while AMMO was recording his voice to call McGrath and trick him as payback.
- Though he confesses that his feelings for Rita were genuine, she rejects him by stating that no longer means anything to her and calls him a "piece of shit" and is nothing but a compulsive liar.
- During the final battle, he tried to escape by threatening the pilot at gunpoint and was nearly successful into Rita shut down the plane with a rocket launcher.
- After barely surviving the plane crash, he pretends being dead and shoots Dorn went to check on Lockwood, only for him to shoot at the former in the elbow to disarm him.
- Although he claims Rita wouldn't shoot him and she agrees with the statement, he is manipulating her and playing on her emotions. He then tries to kill her a second but Rita acted quickly and kicked into an alligator pit, where he was devoured by Duke, the albino alligator. His death is also played for satisfaction, not for sympathy.
- His alliance with McGrath is transactional as it is driven by greed, power and ambition, and neither is loyal to the other.
- While McGrath does worse than him, he has more screen time and resources. However, he has a tragic backstory as he was kidnapped and forced to give up his former team, and was brutally tortured by the Cartel, even receiving a Columbian manicure. He is also decent boss to his team, whereas Lockwood has no loyalty to anyone, but himself.
- Despite having genuine respect for Mike and Marcus, attending the former's wedding at the start of the film and assisting their investigation, having a decent relationship with Rita and disapproving of Grice calling Howard (who was framed) a "dirty motherfucker", these are completely subverted once they learn of his corruption and he tries to kill Rita twice.
- While Marcus tells Mike that Rita has "bad taste in men" regarding Lockwood is briefly comedic, he is taken more seriously after his villainous reveal and Marcus is technically right, as he had been playing Rita the whole time, and it's nothing but toxic.
- Though most of the villains in the series are gangsters, drug dealers and crime lords, Lockwood stands apart. This is due to the fact he is a corrupt mayoral candidate and District Attorney which makes him extremely powerful and high profile.
Why He Doesn't Stand Out?[]
- Though he passes the baseline through his ties to McGrath, cartel affiliations, political influence, and personal villainy toward Mike, Rita, and Marcus, he fails the heinous standards to McGrath and Isabel. McGrath is more dangerous and resourceful, while Isabel’s actions are far more personal and cruel—she deceives Armando about his connection to Mike and seeks revenge for Mike’s past betrayal. Both carry deeper, more direct ties to Mike’s history and inflict stronger psychological and familial harm.
Trivia[]
- Lockwood is the first villain in the Bad Boys franchise to have political influence and power.
- He's also the only Villainous Benchmark in the series whose a politician, as Armando is a gangster and former cartel assassin.
- It’s unknown if Lockwood, like McGrath, allied himself with Isabel Aretas at any point, but it is possible due to the assassination of Captain Conrad Howard. If this was confirmed it would make him even worse.