The recently released much-awaited trailer of Fast & Furious 9 (the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise), has left the fans wondering about an unexpected twist. Han Lue, a character who was presumed to have died in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (the third film in the franchise but chronologically set between the sixth and seventh film) seems to have returned alive.
In Tokyo Drift, the audience saw Han in a car explosion in Tokyo, caused by Deckard, which is believed to have been the reason for his death. In F7, Dom is even shown to have collected his remains and buried them in the US. And so, his return in the F9 trailer has left the fans with several questions.
I have a few theories about his return and what he has been up to since we saw him last in Tokyo Drift. The Dwayne Johnson-led recent spinoff Hobbs and Shaw has opened up exciting possibilities to explain Han’s return. If we are to connect the two, this twist in the tale could have some powerful explanations.
1. Han Escaped the Car Crash
Maybe, Han managed to escape from the car before the explosion. Perhaps, Letty and Mia recruited Han for their new mission against Jakob and Cipher. This would imply that they already knew about Han surviving the car crash.
There’s a possibility for a situation where Han could have escaped the explosion, or he could have probably had access to some sort of a unique device that could help him move out right in time. To escape Deckard Shaw’s wrath, Han probably faked his death, or he may have been seriously injured.
However, in the F9 trailer, Han seems to be completely fit and fine. The franchise may come up with a possible explanation about how Han was nursed back to death or was able to survive his injuries if at all he was injured.
This is probably the most common and straightforward solution for such a situation, but this has been done several times. Hopefully, the franchise will be able to develop something that is not as predictable and boring.
The second possibility is that Han was resurrected after the explosion with the help of the Hobbs & Shaw Technology.
The Fast and Furious franchise recently introduced us to a spinoff movie, Hobbs & Shaw, led by Dwayne Johnson. In the film, we meet Brixton Lore, a former MI6 agent who joined a terrorist organization called Eteon.
Lore seems to have come back after being killed by Deckard Shaw. After Deckard shot him in the head, Eteon recovered his body and used some sort of highly advanced technology to give himself cybernetic limbs and other essential development, resurrecting him and turning him into a “Black Superman.”
Connecting the dots opens up the possibility that Eteon or any other organization with access to a similar sort of technology may have brought Han back from death, as Eteon’s technology did for Brixton. We know the company can create killer cyborgs out of people who were dead, such as Brixton.
It would be interesting to see a twist where Han, a beloved member of Dom’s family, turns into Eteon’s strongest, indestructible soldier. That would be the gang’s Et Tu Brute? moment.
This sounds much less predictable than Han escaping the car right in time. It would also effectively connect the spinoff to the leading franchise, bringing it all together. Han’s death had been quite an emotional moment for Dom and the family, along with the fans of the franchise. And so, Han deserves a better explanation of his return to the franchise.
2. Is Han the Mysterious Villain in F9?
This could actually disappoint the fans who were expecting a Dom-Han reunion. The writers could actually introduce a big twist by actually pitting Han against Dom and his family in the latest installment. Assuming that the theory of Han being brought back from death by Eteon is true, it is not impossible that Han has actually been manipulated by the organization to work as their agent.
We must note here that the real identity of the mysterious organization Eteon has remained a secret till now. Fans have come up with multiple theories and it’s certain that the next Hobbs & Shaw film would feature Eteon.
Though this mysterious gang has not yet made its appearance in the main Fast & Furious franchise films, theories suggest that it may be led by tech-junkie Cipher, the main villain of the Fast & Furious supporting arc. It would be exciting to see the villains from the main franchise and the spin-off film team up for an ultimate fight.
Apart from the fact that Han might have been brainwashed into working as an operative by Eteon after being resurrected, he himself too has some motive to go after Dom and his team.
The ‘Justice for Han’ movement has also criticized how easily Dom and the team got over Deckard murdering Han. For a gang that prides itself on being almost like a family, that isn’t cool at all.
In Fate of the Furious, Dom forgave Deckard without even a proper apology for what happened to Han. If the franchise has to deliver justice for the beloved Han, they must think of something better than just survival of the crash.
To deliver that, it is not unreasonable to bring out a grudge in him because of the attitude of his team members. Infact, Dom does not stop at forgiving but also offers Deckard a seat at the table, keeping aside their past issues.
Bringing back Han in F9 would probably require Dom to explain these actions and Han could very well hold a grudge against Dom. This way, the theory of Han being the mysterious villain in F9 gets more traction, too.
I would say that this is a much better twist than simply bringing him back as a survivor of the car explosion who was in hiding till now.
This could give a new dimension to the franchise’s overarching theme of family feuds and also connect the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off to the main franchise quite effectively.
3. Han Has a Twin
It might seem like a joke, but in a world where dead people can return, why not think of all possibilities? Thinking in terms of a classic soap opera twist, Han could have an identical twin.
Let’s assume he is the flag bearer of the #JusticeForHan movement and hence is back to take revenge from Dom. Maybe our identical twin blames Dom for his brother’s death, which could prove to be trouble for Dom.
This is not the first time the writers of a franchise will play the identical twin card to bring back a popular character and actor in a franchise.
4. Han’s Return Is a Result of Dom’s Hallucinations
Let’s talk psychology for a change.
Throughout the franchise, Dom has been hit on the head several times. Maybe because of such severe and brutal injuries, he is not narrating the truth all the time.
This could also possibly explain the over-the-top tendencies of the franchise, such as Dom and his gang stopping a nuclear submarine by defying almost all the laws of physics with the help of sports cars.
It’s high time we consider some human possibilities in the franchise—maybe large chunks of Dom’s narration have just been fragments of his imagination. This could be a brilliant twist, extremely unlike superhuman ideas, and give the franchise a dark twist.
The return of Han could also be a part of Dom’s hallucination. This twist could be the final hint to convey that large parts of what we have seen in the franchise have been Dom’s imagination. This is a war Dom is fighting against his mind!
5. Where Has Han Been since Tokyo Drift?
Considering Han was alive this whole time, the question of where he has been until now needs to be addressed as well. It’s been years since his supposed death in Tokyo Drift, and during this entire time, he has remained underground.
As per the trailer’s hints, he stayed in Japan until he returns to the US with Mia and Letty in F9. We get more context as to why they were in Japan in the recently released trailer.
Jakob has a private military, to face which they need as much help as is possible to get. Considering that Han is ready with a sniper in the scene, he may have his eyes on the area while Mia and Letty battled the goons.
It is important to note that Dom doesn’t seem surprised when their till now assumed dead friend Han makes an appearance, unlike Roman. Since Dom was the one who brought back Han’s remains and buried them, it is not unreasonable to assume that he favors this whole plan of Han working from underground.
That is, by assuming that Han is still alive because he could escape the car explosion.
Han is a character very dear to several fans. I hope the writers will not disappoint them by leaving it unexplained in the upcoming film.
6. About Fast and Furious 9
Fast and Furious 9 (or F9) is an American action film directed by Justin Lin. The film is a sequel to 2017’s The Fast and Furious and the ninth instalment in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The film will star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and John Cena, among others. The film was delayed for over a year due to the pandemic in March 2020. It is scheduled to release in the United States on June 25, 2021.
Dominic Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian. But they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, the threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver ever seen: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob.
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