The Expendables 4 Theory Reveals Why Teams Are Smaller

The Expendables 4 won't get the whole team back into action, and that's probably because some of the Expendables have joined another group.

Expendables 4 won't see the entire team return, and members who leave may be persuaded to join another group of mercenaries. The Expendables series first hit the silver screen in 2010, with Sylvester Stallone bringing together action heroes from the 1980s and 1990s. The Expendables and The Expendables 2 were both huge successes, with Stallone teaming up with other action stars including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins and Arnold Schwarzenegger grid. Unfortunately, The Expendables 3's PG-13 rating is the film's undoing, as it loses some of its violent impact.

The Expendables 4 has begun production, bringing new stars to the series such as 50 Cent, Megan Fox, The Raid's Iko Uwais, and Ong Bak's martial artist Tony Jaa. Of the Expendables core itself, however, only Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, and Randy Couture will return. While there are multiple off-screen reasons why Lee, Terry Crews, Wesley Snipes, and others didn't return, a narrative reason could be offered to explain their characters' absence, which could involve Arno Schwarzenegger's mercenary leader Trench Mauser.

Barney & Trench Were Friendly Rivals

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger's cameo in The Expendables was brief, it quickly became established Barney Ross (Stallone) and Trench Mauser (Schwarzenegger) feud early in the series. Trench's role was more prominent in The Expendables 2, but the movie also suggests that their feud has softened somewhat. Barney and Trench became more of a rivalry pair of mercenaries trying to outdo each other than they initially seemed, and that carried over into Expendables 3. , the villain who forces Barney and Trench to become allies after working together. However, there is still a degree of rivalry between them, as illustrated by Yin Yang's (Jet Li) character in The Expendables 3. Although his screen time was relatively brief, in The Expendables 2, Young joined Trench's mercenary ranks after leaving Barney and his allies. Barney isn't particularly upset about this, just happy to see Young again, but it also shows his competitiveness. The relationship between Trench and Barney will always be part of their dynamic.

From the beginning, The Expendables presented Yang as the most authentic mercenary on the team, repeatedly asking for a raise Barney. Additionally, Yang has a complicated relationship with Gunner Jensen (Lundgren), who was in The Expendables trying to kill Yang, though he later rehabilitated and rejoined The Expendables.

Yin Yang Had A Reason For Leaving The Expendables

Jet Li's Yang left The Expendables 2 early, and he and the Gunners have developed their own rivalry. While their banter in The Expendables 2 was more benign, after their early missions in The Expendables 2, Yang could have simply decided he needed to leave the team for a break. Meanwhile, The Expendables 3 revealed that the promise of more money from Trench turned Yang's temporary departure into a permanent one.

Although the Expendables share clear ties from many of their missions, they are still mercenaries. Hale Caesar (Crews) and Doc Death (Snipes) are likely leaving for the same reasons Yang promised a bigger payday. Trench's rivalry with Barney could lure them to join him, especially knowing another former Expendable has joined the team. There's also the possibility that The Expendables who left might not have been so strict about the money.

Why The Other Expendables Might Have Joined Trench's Team

In "The Fast and the Furious", which is more like "The Expendables 3", the young recruits and The original members, which could lead to a quarrel between them and Barney. Expendables co-founder Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) quit the team due to his more nefarious methods compared to Barney's. The Expendables have come and gone over the years, and as Dr. Death revealed, the team originally had 22 members, and the Expendables who left the team likely left simply because of disagreements with Barney's management, rather than financial motives.

Jason Statham's Lee Christmas may become the new leader of The Expendables, Stallone's Barney may die in The Expendables 4. This could suggest that The Expendables could be reunited if Expendables 5 happens, which might even reveal the full Trench team roster. If The Missing Expendables chooses to join Trench in a hypothetical Expendables 5, Barney will unfortunately not have the chance to say goodbye to them after Stallone exits the franchise after Expendables 4. ^More: Every Schwarzenegger and Stallone Movie, Ranked Worst to Best