Summary
Fast X’s Gisele twist is bad news for another member of Dominic Toretto’s family ahead ofFast & Furious 11.Gal Gadot’s Gisele first appeared inFast & Furious(2009)as an associate of Braga who got close to Toretto and eventually helped him take down the crime boss. She would then return inFast Fiveas part ofDominic Toretto’s familyfor the Rio heist. Gisele continued to be part of the crew untilFast & Furious 6, in which the character died after falling from an airplane that was about to take flight.
Gisele and Han technically died within a year of each other in what was originally a very tragic ending to a fan-favorite couple. However, not only did Han return inF9, but Gisele is now back as well. Han and Gisele’s reunion in theupcomingFast & Furious 11will certainly be emotional, assuming that the former does not know that the latter is alive. Still, it means thatanotherFast and Furiouscharacter will probably stay dead, which is quite rare in the franchise.
Fast X’s Gisele Return Means Jakob Toretto Will Remain Dead
Fast & Furious 11 wouldn’t bring back Jakob right after Gisele.
Gisele returned to the franchise at theend ofFast X, which revealed the character had been alive this whole time. Gisele had seemingly died inFast & Furious 6, although her body was never shown. Gisele’s return inFast Xwas yet another example ofFast and Furiousbringing characters back from the dead, a problem the franchise had for several years now. Still, considering thatFast Xended with the Gisele reveal, it is safe to assume no other dead character will surprisingly return inFast & Furious 11.
Whereas Toretto and Little Brian will surely be okay by the timeFast & Furious 11begins, Jakob’s death seems very definitive.
In other words, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto will most likely stay dead in the next movie. Jakob’s death inFast Xwas one of the film’s biggest moments, arguably holding more emotional impact than the cliffhanger ending involving Dom and his son. Whereas Toretto and Little Brian will surely be okay by the timeFast & Furious 11begins, Jakob’s death seems very definitive. Jakob dying while protecting his nephew was a nice conclusion to the character’s story considering he was introduced as a villain inF9.Cena’s character completed his redemption arcbetweenF9andFast X.
Fast & Furious’ Death Problem Only Got Worst After Fast X
Letty, Han, and Gisele have all returned.
Fast and Furioushas a serious problem with retconning deathsand messing with the franchise’s timeline so that actors can return. It all started with Han appearing inFast & Furious(2009) after dying in the previous film,Tokyo Drift. While Han’s “first return” was not actually a return from the dead, it was still a significant timeline retcon that allowed Sung Kang’s character to be around despite his death inTokyo Drift. The same thing happened inFast FiveandFast & Furious 6. Han’s death would then be retconned for good when he returned inF9.
Mr. Nobody was behind Han’s fakeout death inTokyo Drift.
Letty was the first presumeddeadFast and Furiouscharacterto come back. The character was killed offscreen in Fast & Furious (2009), an event that set the narrative for the rest of the film. However, at the end ofFast Five, Luke Hobbs learns that Letty is alive and working for a criminal organization. The circumstances of Letty’s return were addressed inFast & Furious 6, in which Gisele died. While the “Justice for Han” campaign made a good argument about Han and Gisele deserving better, bringing back the latter continued the franchise’s death problem.
Names like Elena and Jakob will likely remain dead.
Now that Letty, Han, and Gisele have all returned, it will be interesting to see which deaths will stick by the end of the Fast Saga. Elena Neves, who first appeared inFast Fiveand had a son with Dominic Toretto, was killed by Cipher inFurious 7. Considering that Elena’s death was the most explicit one in the franchise – she was shot in front of Dom – it is arguably impossible forFast and Furiousto retcon it. Elena’s fate was even addressed inFast Xwith the introduction of her sister, Isabel.
Fast 11 Can Finally Deliver Fast & Furious’ Dream Team-Up After Fast X Wasted It
With Fast & Furious 11 shaping up to be the final movie featuring Dom Toretto’s family, it can finally deliver a dream team-up after Fast X wasted it.
Jesse inThe Fast and the Furiousand Vince inFast Fiveare two other majorFast and Furiousdeaths that might never be retconned considering there was not much else to their stories. Although it would have been fun to see more of Cena’s Jakob Toretto interacting with the family, his death was one of the few moments inFast Xthat actually had stakes and consequences. Hopefully,Fast & Furious 11will not undo any other deaths, although the film does have to resolve the plane crash cliffhanger.
Fast X
Cast
Fast X is the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, featuring Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto. Released in 2023, the film follows Dom and his family as they confront a formidable adversary from their past, determined to dismantle their bonds and endanger everything they hold dear.
