Editor’s Note: The following accommodates Fast X spoilers.Paul Walker hasn’t appeared in any of the Fast & Furious films since Furious 7. However, since his passing in 2013 through the manufacturing of the seventh installment, the franchise hasn’t forgotten in regards to the actor and his character Brian O’Conner. Even as Fast X marks the “beginning of the end” for the franchise, Vin Diesel guarantees that Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner will nonetheless play an vital function within the finale. Diesel informed Total Film, “That moment in 2013 when the world was struggling with his loss, the studio made a very bold and righteous and daring decision to keep Brian O’Conner alive.” Since then, Brian has remained off-screen, spending most of his time caring for his and Mia’s (Jordana Brewster) youngsters. But that doesn’t imply Brian’s function within the franchise has diminished. In truth, Paul Walker’s absence and Brian’s continued involvement within the franchise story make for a touching tribute to the actor and character. In Fast X, that continues to be the case. Even although Paul Walker doesn’t seem within the movie, Brian O’Conner remains to be very a lot a part of the “Fast” household off-screen and even Walker’s circle of relatives stays concerned within the franchise.
Brian Is Retired and Now a Stay-At-Home Dad
Ever since Paul Walker’s final look as Brian O’Conner in Furious 7, his character has been making an attempt to stability his household life with the “fast” life. He and Mia simply had a son within the earlier movie. So as an alternative of driving luxurious vehicles on a globe-trotting, high-stakes mission, Brian is competing with different dad and mom on the faculty car parking zone to choose up his son from faculty. Although he does get pulled into the combat towards Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the ending of Furious 7 clearly units up Brian’s retirement as a stay-at-home dad. The resolution to maintain his character out of future missions is, in fact, tied to Paul Walker’s unlucky passing through the manufacturing of Furious 7. But additionally it is an amazing tribute and sendoff to Walker’s legacy. At the top of the movie, Brian and Mia are taking part in with their son on the seashore whereas the remainder of the crew — their household — look on from a distance. “That’s where he belongs,” Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) says. Dom provides, “Home. Where he’s always belonged.”
In every successive sequel, Brian’s function as a household man stays true to that ultimate scene in Furious 7. In The Fate of the Furious, Brian is just talked about in a quick alternate between Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Letty, who says, “We can’t bring Brian and Mia into this. We agreed on that.” Even if he isn’t round, the remainder of the Fast household remains to be looking for Brian, Mia, and their youngsters (along with their son, they now have a daughter). But F8 pays homage to Paul Walker in one other manner. Dominic Toretto discovers that his former associate, Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky), has been elevating their baby. Although the villain of The Fate of the Furious, Cipher (Charlize Theron), tragically executes Elena, Dom takes it upon himself to boost their son with Letty. As a tribute to Paul Walker’s character, Dom names his son Brian, who later takes on the nickname Little B.
In F9 and in the latest entry within the franchise Fast X, Brian stays offscreen. In addition to caring for his son and daughter, he has additionally been the crew’s go-to babysitter whereas they go off on their harmful missions. In F9, when Dom and Letty are pulled again into the motion by dealing with off towards Dom’s brother Jakob (John Cena), Little B goes into hiding and safekeeping with the larger Brian. As each Dom and Jakob’s sister, Mia additionally joins the mission. So, Brian actually is the actual MVP for taking care of the Fast youngsters all by himself. Brian does make it to the barbecue ultimately, albeit off-screen, as his blue Nissan Skyline races into Dom’s driveway. And in Fast X, when Mia realizes that her household is in peril from the vengeful Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), she goes off to warn Brian and their youngsters. The destiny of the Toretto-O’Conner household stays to be seen since Fast X does finish on a cliffhanger.
Brian Returns Through Flashbacks and Memories in ‘Fast X’
As talked about above, Dante Reyes is out for revenge towards Dominic Toretto and his household. Back in Fast Five, Dom and Brian have been instrumental in stealing the Reyes household’s wealth by towing a vault all through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and forsaking a path of destruction, together with the demise of Dante’s father Hernan Reyes. If the occasions of Fast Five weren’t clear sufficient, Fast X makes certain to incorporate flashbacks from the earlier movie. Not solely are scenes from the fifth installment intercut in a lot of the opening prologue that units up the movie’s villain however new scenes are additionally included that retroactively put Jason Momoa’s fanatical villain into the occasions of Fast Five. Since then, Dante has been finding out the historical past of the whole Fast household and following their each transfer. Brian seems in a lot of Dante’s “vision boards” that mark him and his household as a goal. Again, though Mia goes off to hitch Brian and their youngsters, whether or not they acquired out of Dante’s sights stays unclear. But Dante isn’t the one one involved with the previous.
Dom has additionally been occupied with the wealthy historical past and recollections he’s had together with his Fast household. He retains a collage of his household and associates in his storage. After the compulsory household barbecue, he seems by these pictures courting again to his first assembly with Brian O’Conner within the unique The Fast and the Furious (2001). As he reminisces, a quick instrumental model of “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth performs. The record-breaking music first debuted in Furious 7 as a tribute to the late Paul Walker and has change into synonymous with the Fast & Furious franchise. Furthermore, Dom appears to all the time have his brother-in-law in thoughts. When he’s speaking to Daniela Melchior’s character Isabel, Dom mentions how he and Brian had been on reverse ends of the legislation after they first met. In the primary movie, Dom ran a crew of street-level thieves and avenue racers, whereas Brian was an undercover LAPD cop tasked with bringing him in. But all through the course of the movie and the remainder of the franchise, Dom and Brian put apart their variations and change into brothers. This enemy-to-family arc is a method that has labored for nearly each Fast & Furious film (most notably Deckard Shaw and Jakob Toretto). But in the end, citing the reminiscence of Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner is only one manner the franchise continues to honor the actor and his character.
A Fitting Cameo Reminds Us of Paul Walker’s Legacy
While Brian O’Conner lives on all through the continuity of the franchise, Paul Walker, sadly, can’t return in actual life. However, Walker’s household has been a big a part of the Fast household behind the scenes. This was particularly the case through the manufacturing of Furious 7 when his brothers Cody and Caleb Walker completed his scenes with the assistance of CGI.
In Fast X, a cameo from Paul Walker’s daughter and solely baby reminds us of what the actor left behind in actual life. Meadow Walker first teased her cameo in an Instagram put up thanking director Louis Leterrier for the chance. She wrote, “The first fast [sic] was released when I was one year old! I grew up on set watching my father, Vin, Jordana, Michelle, Chris, and more on the monitors. Thanks to my dad, I was born into the fast [sic] family.” In a greater than becoming look through the movie, Walker performs a flight attendant that helps “Uncle” Jakob and Little Brian escape from the Agency henchman. The indisputable fact that she helps Dom’s son who is called after her personal father’s character is a robust and mawkish homage to Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner.
The Fast & Furious franchise actually is about household, each in entrance of and behind the cameras. Because his character was integral to the very first The Fast and the Furious and the opposite movies, it’s troublesome to separate Paul Walker from the franchise. By holding Brian O’Conner alive in continuity, Paul Walker’s presence remains to be a big a part of every successive movie since his final look in Furious 7. And with the blessing and involvement of Paul Walker’s household, it’s nice to see how a franchise that runs on quick vehicles and explosive motion can nonetheless have a deeply private contact.
Fast X is now taking part in in theaters.
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