Why Gisele Was Killed Off In Fast & Furious 6

Despite an enthralling performance by Gal Gadot and a promising future for the character, Gisele Yashar sacrificed herself in Fast & Furious 6. The Fast & Furious franchise is known for introducing a large variety of skilled characters played by a wide array of talented celebrities, such as technical expert Tej Parker (Ludacris), government agent Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russel), and street racer Rico Santos (Don Omar). One of the most interesting additions to the roster is Gisele (Gadot): a drug smuggler turned heist bandit with expert driving skills and elite marksmanship. Gisele develops a romantic relationship with Han Lue (Sung Kang) and proves herself a great asset for the main team.

Gisele is introduced in the fourth film, Fast and Furious, as a minor antagonist. Her job as a courier for drug smuggler Arturo Braga (John Ortiz) comes to an explosive halt when Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) attempts to set a trap for him, putting Gisele’s life in peril. Fortunately for her, Toretto saves her amidst the ambush, since he sees potential in her. As a sign of gratitude, she reveals to him the location of Braga’s hideout, and they go their separate ways. In Fast Five, the most important movie in the Fast & Furious franchise, Toretto recruits her when he needs someone who “isn’t afraid to throw down.” Indeed, Gadot’s performance in this installment took Gisele from a minor appearance to one of the strongest characters in the Fast and Furious films.

Gadot’s strong performance in Fast Five is why her death scene came as a surprise; audiences were shocked when Gisele let herself fall off the plane in the infamous runway scene from Fast & Furious 6 in order to save Han from being shot by one of Owen Shaw’s (Luke Evans) henchmen. The shock only worsened after Shaw’s brother, Deckard (Jason Statham), crashed Han’s car and left him for dead in the mid-credits scene, rendering her sacrifice worthless.

Promotional content featuring the return of Han in Fast & Furious 9 has sparked a light of hope for his fans, but Gisele’s death would have probably not happened in the first place for one reason: Gal Gadot wasn’t the superstar she currently is when she portrayed the character. In fact, it was her portrayal of Gisele in Fast Five that made Gal Gadot a star. Her powerful performance and her background in the Israel Defense Forces helped her develop her character into a main member of the cast, but it wasn’t enough to guarantee her a permanent slot in the ever-growing team.

Gadot’s portrayal of Gisele exceeded the expectations the franchise had for the character since she was only set to be a minor figure in the overall story. Fast & Furious 6 had to demonstrate that the heroes aren’t invincible through the death of a character that wasn’t part of the core cast — like Dom, Mia (Jordana Brewster), or Brian O’Conner (the late Paul Walker) — and Gisele had the proper balance of boldness and relevance to represent a heroic sacrifice without affecting the development of future sequels at that moment. The bright side of Gisele and Han’s memorability in the franchise is that there’s always a way to bring them back from the dead — just like Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) appeared to die in an explosion in Fast and Furious, only to be revealed that Gisele herself took her to the hospital afterward.

Gisele’s sacrifice in Fast & Furious 6 is the ultimate test of her bravery and serves to prove that, despite all the over-the-top action sequences and leaps of logic in the films, there’s always a sense of danger to the team of adrenaline-crazed heroes. However, it was different to let Gal Gadot go in 2013 than it would be now. After her outstanding role as Wonder Woman in the DCEU and her rise in popularity with films like Keeping Up with the Joneses and Ralph Breaks the Internet, her current star power and bankability would likely discourage studios from killing off her character in a franchise, and instead would probably even consider moving her up as a lead.

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