Fast X's surprise cameo has left audiences rocked. Does this herald a new direction for
the franchise's end? Or does it mark a return to the Fast Family's roots?
Spoilers ahead!
The off-screen rivalry between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson is no secret. After starring in
three franchise installments together, Johnson returned once more for the eighth feature,
"The Fate of the Furious." Following the film's release, both Johnson and Diesel
alluded to some serious on-set tension that continued to bubble into the production of
the next installments. But, instead of continuing to star opposite one another,
Johnson was given the reins to the first and only "Fast & Furious" spin-off,
"Hobbs & Shaw," where he starred opposite Jason Statham. Diesel continued on with "F9,"
which neglected to even mention Hobbs, though Statham's Shaw appeared in a mid-credits scene.
Despite the high tensions between these two mega-stars, Johnson returns to the
franchise in a post-credits cameo for "Fast X." After 2019's "Hobbs & Shaw,"
and Johnson's previous comments about not returning to the "Fast" family,
many thought the character was gone for good. Things seemed especially dire when Johnson
ignored Diesel's social media peace offering where he asked the former WWE superstar to
return to the franchise for the sake of the fans. With Hobbs' return, maybe the feud
between Johnson and Diesel is finally over. Due to their past, it's unlikely that Johnson would
work with Diesel again if things off-screen hadn't changed, giving us hope for "Fast & Furious 11."
With "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," Johnson and Statham showed their characters'
potential to headline a major motion picture without Diesel's Dom Toretto and family. In fact,
the film expanded on the "Fast & Furious" universe, introducing the techno-terrorist
organization Eteon, the superhuman Brixton Lore, and the extended families of both titular action
heroes. While these additions might not seem like much outside of the context of "Hobbs & Shaw,"
there's a possibility that they may have some serious ramifications on the franchise at large,
especially as Johnson and Statham return to mainline "The Fast Saga."
Since the introduction of Kurt Russell's Mr. Nobody in "Furious 7," the franchise has shifted
from street races and extensive car heists to global espionage and world-ending threats.
"Hobbs & Shaw" was no different, revealing that Eteon is in control of many of the world's media
outlets, with goals of global domination. Since Hobbs left the Toretto crew to continue enforcing
law and order elsewhere, bringing some of that back with him isn't out of the question. Though
Eteon hasn't shown up in "The Fast Saga" yet, the return of Hobbs could reveal that he's on
the criminal organization's tail, especially after the mysterious Director's threats.
"You don't remember me, do you, Hobbs? You will."
Likewise, the introduction of Hobbs' extended family of warriors in his spin-off feature may
end up factoring into the 11th installment somehow. After all, this franchise is about
family. That said, it might be a bit jarring for the events of a spinoff film to factor into the
swan song of a franchise 10 mainline movies deep, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Speaking of "Hobbs & Shaw," initial sequel talks were had following the release of the
"Fast & Furious" spin-off, but we haven't heard much about a continuation since. Though Johnson
seemed confident that another installment would be made, it seems as if the folks at
Universal Pictures have been hyper-focused on closing out "The Fast Saga" first. With
2021's "F9" and 2023's "Fast X" both coming out since Johnson and Statham's buddy flick,
it's clear that the studio's priorities lie elsewhere, at least for now. In 2022,
producer Kelly McCormick confirmed to comicbook.com that though they'd love to
make another "Hobbs & Shaw" in the future, there are, quote, "no conversations at this time."
But that was then, and this is now. With Johnson's return for "Fast X," and likely
the eleventh "Fast Saga" film as well, maybe this is The Rock's way of reigniting interest in his
character after a few years of silence. No doubt, after the box-office bomb that
was "Black Adam," Johnson's venture into the DC Comics superhero space,
the mega-star is likely attempting to revisit his known successes. Since his time as Luke Hobbs
has always led to high box office returns, coming back to "The Fast Saga" seems like
the right move after failing to restructure the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe.
Since Johnson's departure following "The Fate of the Furious," the series has brought along
another WWE champion into their ranks. In "F9," John Cena serves as the primary antagonist,
playing Dom Toretto's long-lost brother Jakob. Over the course of the film,
Dom and Jakob make amends, leading to the latter's return for "Fast X," in which he
helps save his nephew from Dom's latest antagonist, Dante Reyes. Though Jakob
seemingly gives his life for his family, it's hard to say what the future holds—after all,
even death can't stop characters from returning to the Toretto family again and again.
All that is to say, Jakob and Hobbs, played by two WWE legends, may finally meet in the "Fast
and Furious" franchise. With the way "Fast X" honors previous franchise installments and the
occasionally non-linear nature of "The Fast Saga" as a whole, it's entirely possible that Luke Hobbs
and Jakob Toretto could have met sometime in the not-too-distant past. Or maybe even the
"Fast & Furious" franchise isn't big enough for two WWE heroes to coexist in it at the same time.
In its fourth outing, 2009's "Fast & Furious," the series returned to its street racing and criminal
roots, reuniting Vin Diesel's Dom and Paul Walker's Brian for a brand new adventure. Then,
when 2011's "Fast Five" was released, the franchise was reborn through a series of
extensive heists and new cast members who helped rebuild the series into something
bigger and better. Dwayne Johnson was one of those cast members, and his character
Luke Hobbs introduced new opportunities to the Toretto crew that kept them racing for years.
In fact, Hobbs is the guy to take out "Fast Five" antagonist Hernan Reyes. So,
bringing the Rock back for "Fast X" — itself a direct continuation of "Fast Five" — only makes
sense. As Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes plans to destroy those who killed his father,
"Fast X" reveals that Hobbs likewise is a target.
However the 11th installment shapes up, the events of "Fast Five" — considered one of the best in the
franchise — are still propelling the overall series plot forward. By bringing Hobbs back,
it shows that the filmmakers behind the multi-part finale are hoping to honor
the franchise to its core, giving each and every character their due diligence.
Here's hoping that more familiar faces will return for "Fast & Furious 11."
For years, the name Dwayne Johnson has brought in the big bucks. Between his chiseled features
and intense charisma, the former WWE star certainly knows how to entertain a diverse crowd.
Having ventured into comedies, action films, superhero productions, and animated features,
there are very few genres that The Rock hasn't attempted to break into. Sure,
he's had some bombs along the way, but generally speaking, franchises like "Fast & Furious" and
"Jumanji" have been massive hits for the wrestler-turned-movie star. To this day,
"Furious 7" is still the actor's highest-grossing picture, having
brought in $1.5 billion worldwide. No wonder he'd eventually make a furious comeback with
the series that's brought him the most success. We're just surprised he didn't do it faster.
"Daddy's gotta go to work."
Needless to say, Johnson's four "Fast Saga" installments and his "Hobbs & Shaw"
solo venture have done tremendously well, bringing in new audiences along the way. With Johnson's
return to the franchise, plus the additional novelty of these films being the beginning
of the end for the series as we know it, the likelihood of high box office returns is high.
Recent "Fast & Furious" installments have made it a point to highlight the children of the most
popular characters in the series. In "Fate of the Furious," Dom was introduced to his son with
Elena, who he later named Brian. Similarly, "Hobbs & Shaw" highlights Hobbs' daughter Sam, and Brian
and Mia's children are mentioned on more than one occasion throughout the last few films. Yes,
found family is the bedrock of "The Fast Saga," but the next generation matters too. In fact,
the non-canon animated series "Fast & Furious: Spy Racers" is all about a younger generation
of operatives led by Dom's cousin Tony as they use fast cars to save the world.
By bringing Hobbs back into the fold, and giving "Fast X" an emphasis on fathers
and their children, Johnson's return might mark a new era for "The Fast Saga." While
the story of Dom's crew may end soon, that doesn't mean the "Fast & Furious"
franchise will officially fade to black. Instead, it's possible that a new series
featuring the Toretto gang's kids may be developed in the future.
Since the end of "Fast Five," this franchise has made it clear that death isn't the end for many
of our recurring heroes. From Letty's survival after her apparent murder in the fourth film,
to Han surviving his explosive end in "Tokyo Drift," there's no telling
who could come back in the future. Even characters like Sean Boswell from "Tokyo
Drift," who made his return via a cameo in "Furious 7" before officially reappearing
in "F9," find themselves reuniting with Dom and his crew at some point down the line.
With that in mind, Johnson's return as Hobbs, as unlikely as it seemed,
isn't exactly surprising. After "Fast X," it's a wonder who else might return in the
future. The final chapters of "The Fast Saga" shouldn't be overstuffed, but Hobbs reentering
the Family means the door is open for other characters to get back behind the wheel.
In the past, Dwayne Johnson has received top billing for his "Fast & Furious" appearances
alongside Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Though the latter two are clearly the stars of the franchise,
Johnson has doggedly attempted to carve out a clear slice of the "Fast Saga" pie for himself.
No doubt, this led to the initial feud between Johnson and Diesel, but now that the hatchet
seems to be buried, there may be hope for fans who want to see more of Hobbs. While Johnson's
return could very well lead to more "Hobbs & Shaw" movies going forward, it's not necessarily
impossible that Hobbs Johnson could take center stage in future "Fast & Furious" movies."
Since Hobbs already tried that during "The Fate of the Furious," it wouldn't be a
surprise to see him leading the group going forward. Obviously, no one can replace Dom,
but that doesn't mean that the "Fast & Furious" brand couldn't live on without him.
"I'm always here."
Diesel didn't appear at all in Paul Walker's sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," and he only had
a small cameo in "Tokyo Drift." Admittedly, there hasn't been a second mainline "Fast Saga"
movie yet that doesn't feature Diesel in some capacity, but it's at least a possibility that
Johnson could carry the "Fast & Furious" torch once Dom's story is finally done.