Han, Mia, and Dom's Brother: Our Biggest Questions About F9
4/21/2021 • 4 min read
When engines rev in F9 this summer, the movie will continue a storyline that began with THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS in 2001 and left off with THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS in 2017. (The spinoff HOBBS & SHAW was detached from the main FAST SAGA storyline.) That's a long wait between chapters of a series that has reliably appeared on the big screen every two years for more than a decade.
Given that four years have passed since the last main movie, the latest trailer for F9 might raise some questions. We've got quite a few, in fact. Let's dig into our biggest questions about the latest chapter of the FAST SAGA, F9.
How Does Han Return?
Sung Kang's character Han Lue became so popular after TOKYO DRIFT that, despite being killed in that movie, he was brought back for the fourth, fifth, and sixth movies. In FAST & FURIOUS 6 it was revealed that TOKYO DRIFT is actually a flash-forward, explaining how his death fits into the franchise. Now he's back, but how? And Han seems a little bit different now. More sarcastic, a little bit bitter. But then, he's been dead, and we might be bitter and even more mean after being killed off, too.
What Has Mia Been Doing?
Well, probably raising her kids Jack and Gisele following the death of Brian (Paul Walker). But Dom's sister, who was a big part of the first movie and returned for several more adventures, hasn't been seen since the end of FURIOUS 7. Given that F9 revolves around Dom's previously unknown brother, it makes sense that Jordana Brewster would return to play his sister Mia. And speaking of that brother…
Why Are We Only Learning About Dom's Brother Now?
Since the FAST SAGA is so devoted to the idea of family, it's kind of surprising that we've never known about Dom's younger brother Jacob (John Cena) before now. So there are actually a lot of questions about the guy: Is he Dom's brother by blood? What old history caused a rift between them?
Does Dom Betray the Family?
A few shots in the trailer suggest that Dom sells out the location of his friends and family, leading to their capture. He probably has a good reason, but we've seen him seem to betray his loved ones for a good reason before (in the last movie, THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS), which means it would be a strange thing to see that idea used again so soon. Right?
Does the Crew Actually Go to Space?
We don't know, but if the image above, from the roof-raising second-trailer, is any indication, Dom and the family could be well on their way.
Magnets? Really?
Yes! One setpiece involves really big, extravagantly powerful magnets.
Is This the Beginning of the End?
Sadly, that seems to be the case. Writer/director Justin Lin told Deadline that F9 "is the first film of the final chapter, so there’s a couple more to go," so while we have films number 10 and 11 to look forward to, that will be the end of the road, at least for the main storyline. The good news is that with a specific endpoint in mind, the movies can be written in a way that builds to the most satisfying conclusion possible.
Will Jason Statham and The Rock Return?
After their side-pot adventure in HOBBS & SHAW, the characters played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham aren't in F9 — but they're not out of the FAST SAGA just yet. "To me, they’re still in this universe; they’re part of this family," said Justin Lin. "Whatever we do, whenever we’re talking about the next chapter, I never feel like I have any restrictions, so I’m excited for what we build, and as we’re coming to this kind of final chapter of this saga, I think I’m excited to revisit…Any character, in any situation, is up for discussion."
Meanwhile, Helen Mirren returns as Magdalene Shaw, the mother of Jason Statham's character Deckard Shaw. Could she be the link to bring the characters back into the core series?
F9 opens on June 25!
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.