The Rock’s long-awaited return inFast X: Part 2(orFast & Furious 11) is one of the biggest talking points of the upcoming sequel, as it supposedly marks the end of a longstandingreal-life feud between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. The actors have famously disagreed about much of the series' creative direction, with their conflict eventually reaching a boiling point that contributed to Johnson’s decision to leave the franchise. Now that both actors have seemingly put this feud behind them,Fast Xrevealed that Johnson would finally be coming back.
This is hugely exciting news for multiple reasons. Not only was Hobbs' story cut short due to Johnson’s premature exit, but the reconciliation between the actors means that the franchise can end without any bad blood among the cast.Fast & Furioushas always been a celebration of family, soit feels very fitting thatFast & Furious 11would bring Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson back together. However, the film needs to be cautious with this storyline.Fast 11has so many subplots that need wrapping up in the final movie — it can’t get too distracted with this one.
Fast & Furious 11 Shouldn’t Focus Too Strongly On Hobbs' Return
Hobbs & Dom’s Reunion Should Merely Be A Subplot
While the promise of Dwayne Johnson finally returning to theFast & Furioussaga is definitely exciting, it shouldn’t be the main storyline of the final installment. Luke Hobbs is a great character who’s played an integral role in some of the bestFast & Furiousmovies, but his absence from several entries means he’s a far cry from the series’maincharacter.
It’s still debatable whether this honor belongs to Dom or Brian (Paul Walker), butit would be a huge mistake to force Hobbs into the spotlight inFast & Furious 11.Instead, this movie has the much more important assignment of wrapping up Dom’s story in a fulfilling and satisfying way.
Dom Needs To Be The Focus Of Fast & Furious 11
The Final Movie Needs To Prioritize Ending His Story
Dom Toretto and his familyare the real core of theFast & Furiousfranchise, so it would be an enormous missed opportunity if the final movie didn’t focus strongly on them. Vin Diesel’s character is one of the few permanent members of this iconic action lineup who’s been there since the beginning, and his mantra has always been to look out for his family. SinceFast 11has been marketed as the grand conclusion of this franchise, it wouldn’t make sense for the story to ignore the one character who’s been there through it all.
The legacy of Dom Toretto is something that almost blurs the line between fact and fiction at this point, as Diesel is so irrevocably associated with this character in the public consciousness that it’s impossible to imagineFast & Furiouswithout him. This final movie is supposedly going to be the final chapter in Dom’s story, andHobbs' exciting return shouldn’t distract audiencesfrom that.
Hobbs' Story Can Be Told In His Upcoming Spinoff
Johnson Will Have Ample Opportunity To Develop Hobbs' Story
Luckily, there’s still theupcoming Luke Hobbs spinoff. While there’s been very little news about this project in recent months, the spinoff is reportedly still going forward with Dwayne Johnson in the lead role. There’s been no official announcements about the story or supporting cast, but given how tightly the release dates are packed together, it seems likely that it will somehow connect to the events ofFast X: Part 2. This means that Hobbs' return doesn’t have to be the main focus of the upcoming sequel; it can simply be teed up and later explored in the spinoff.
