Den of Thieves 2: Pantera mostly shows how Donnie’s original plan went off brilliantly, but the sequel’s lone connection to Ray Merrimen does reveal an issue. The original 2018 Den of Thieves saw Donnie secretly work as the mastermind behind Merrimen and his crew’s heist on the Federal Reserve as Big Nick tried to stop them. While Donnie and Nick are back in the sequel with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Gerard Butler headlining Den of Thieves 2‘s cast, Merrimen is not part of the equation. That’s due to Pablo Schreiber’s character dying in Den of Thieves‘ ending.

With Merrimen out of the picture for the sequel, the story leans into a bromance between Donnie and Nick as they work to rob the World Diamond Center. The film is mostly focused on the heist at hand, but the original heist and crew are still referenced occasionally. This includes the return of Meadow Williams as Holly, the stripper who is in a relationship with Merrimen and sleeps with Nick as part of the plan. Although she has a minimal presence in the sequel, Holly’s return does show an issue with Donnie’s master plan from Den of Thieves.

Den Of Thieves 2 Proves Holly Is A Loose End To Donnie’s Den Of Thieves Heist

Holly Knows Too Much About The Original Heist

Holly’s appearance in Den of Thieves 2 is boiled down to a few scenes, all of which involve her reunion with Nick. He questions her about the heist and Donnie’s location, but she quickly turns the tables on him. Holly reveals she secretly turned their one-night stand into a Sєx tape and is ready to leak it online if she is not given Merrimen’s $7 million cut of the money stolen from the Federal Reserve. She makes it Nick’s responsibility to get her paid or risk having his reputation tarnished further by leaking the video.

Den of Thieves 2 makes Holly’s desires Nick’s problem, but it could become an issue for Donnie before long. She’s only going after Nick because she has the resources to blackmail him and can’t track down Donnie. However, the sequel still shows she knows a decent amount of details about the heist, including Donnie’s role. She’s a loose end that could ultimately expose Donnie since she wants the money she believes she’s owed and is unhappy with the result. That’s not good for Donnie and his future.

Merrimen’s Death In Den Of Thieves Was Not Part Of Donnie’s Plan

Holly Would Not Have An Issue With Donnie Otherwise

Holly’s grudge with Donnie boils down to the fact that Merrimen died in the original film, leaving her without access to his cut of the money. This suggests that Merrimen dying was not part of Donnie’s original plan. He was prepared for that potential outcome and managed to escape from Nick while Merrimen and his crew became the focus. However, there was probably a belief that Merrimen would survive, get his $7 million, and continue his relationship with Holly, which would help keep her happy and quiet.

This makes Holly’s return in Den of Thieve 2 a bit more intriguing. The film does not necessarily need her to get Nick to Europe so he can find Donnie and build the story towards Den of Thieves 2‘s ending. With more movies already being considered, perhaps Holly’s vendetta with Donnie will be a subplot that comes back in future installments. If so, her presence in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera will be a lot more important.