The Rocks Fast & Furious Return Avoided What Wouldve Been An Annoying Fast X Plot Hole

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's surprising return as Luke Hobbs in the post-credits scene of Fast X was a relief, since his absence would have created a distracting plot hole for the film and the conclusion of the series in the upcoming Fast and Furious 11. Johnson first debuted as Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise in 2011's Fast Five, and quickly became one of the main characters in the series. However, the wrestler-turned actor stepped away from the main series after the eighth film in the franchise, 2017's The Fate of the Furious, and instead focused on filming the spinoff movie Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham.

Leading up to The Fate of the Furious, the behind-the-scenes feud between The Rock and Vin Diesel was highly reported on, and speculation swirled that Johnson may not appear in any of the main Fast & Furious films again. However, since Fast X's story centered around villain Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), the son of Fast Five antagonist Hernan Reyes, Johnson's omission from the movie would have created a problem for the franchise.

Dante Reyes Would Have To Hunt Down Luke Hobbs Eventually

Dante Is One Of The Most Dangerous Villains In The Fast & Furious Franchise

The beginning of Fast X flashes back to Fast Five, during which Dominic Toretto and his crew work together to take down drug lord Hernan Reyes. However, even though Johnson's Luke Hobbs was actively against Dom's crew throughout Fast Five, he ended up working with them to steal from Hernan. In the climax of the film, Hobbs was the one to shoot Hernan, killing the drug lord. Therefore, it makes sense that Hobbs would also be one of Dante's main targets when he returns for revenge.

Even though Hernan's son was never mentioned during Fast Five, the flashback at the beginning of Fast X revealed that Dante was present during the events of the film. Dante was in one of the vehicles that was firing at Dom and Brian in Fast Five's climax, but his car got knocked off a bridge and into the water. Therefore, Dante was sidelined during the finale of the movie and could not save his father from being killed.

Dante Targeting Toretto Over Hobbs Was A Little Difficult To Buy

Dante Is Set On Revenge In Fast X

Years later, Dante returns and targets Dom and his crew, blaming them for taking his family away from him. However, as mentioned, while Dom and the other Fast & Furious characters did play an active role in taking down Dante's father, Hobbs was the one who actually shot Hernan Reyes. Therefore, when Dante reveals his true identity and motive in Fast X, it is distracting that he doesn't immediately acknowledge Hobbs' major role in his father's demise.

While it still makes sense for Dante to target Dom, Hobbs surely would have been a main figure on his mind when he was planning his revenge. Given the behind-the-scenes drama between Johnson and Diesel, it seemed likely that Hobbs' role in Hernan's death would be ignored, since many believed Johnson wouldn't return. If Johnson and Diesel couldn't agree on a direction forward, it would have been disappointing, since Dante ignoring Hobbs would have been a plot hole in the final two entries. Therefore, Hobbs' return in the post-credits scene of Fast X was a delightful surprise.

What Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs Return Means For Fast & Furious 11

Luke Hobbs Is One Of The Most Popular Characters In The Fast & Furious Franchise

In the post-credits scene of Fast X, Luke Hobbs enters an abandoned warehouse with a team on a separate mission, only to find the place filled with monitors with pictures of Dom and the Fast & Furious family over the years. Hobbs picks up a ringing phone, and Dante points out that he's very aware that he was the one who pulled the trigger and killed his father. Knowing that he too is now part of Dante's plan for revenge, Hobbs tells the villain that he's not hard to find.

Related

Fast & Furious’ Original Luke Hobbs Plan Would’ve Been Great, But It Would Also Have Killed The Franchise

The original plan for Fast Five’s Luke Hobbs would have drastically changed the franchise, potentially meaning it would not be as big as it is today.

This post-credits scene confirmed that Luke Hobbs would have a role in Fast & Furious 11. This suggests that Johnson and Diesel were able to set aside their differences and decide to come together for the final entry in the Fast & Furious series. In Fast 11, Hobbs will seemingly join forces with Dom and any other characters who survived Fast X's cliffhanger ending to finally take down Dante Reyes.

Vin Diesel and the family return for the tenth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise in Fast X. Charlize Theron returns as Cipher joining forces with Dante Reyes, a former foe of the Fast Family seeking revenge for the death of his father Hernan Reyes, after the events of Fast Five. Fast X is part one of a two-part conclusion to the franchise.

Director Louis Leterrier

Release Date May 19, 2023

Studio(s) Universal Pictures

Writers Justin Lin , Dan Mazeau , Gary Scott Thompson

Runtime 141 Minutes