Will Fast & Furious 11 Kill Dom? How His Fast Saga Story Should End

Fast & Furious 11, the conclusion to Vin Diesel’s Fast Saga, is already subject to much speculation, with many fans wondering what will be the ending of Dominic Toretto’s story? Will Dom give his life to save the world and the team, or will he, Letty, and little Brian have a future together? F9 is coming to theaters in 2021, and will be followed by a two-part finale: Fast & Furious 10 and Fast & Furious 11. The last two movies will have to bring a close to the main storyline, while leaving the door open for more spin-offs featuring characters from the Fast & Furious team.

The Fast & Furious franchise is a unique hybrid of car, action, heist, superhero, and spy movie. The films are built around Dominic Toretto, the leader of what was once a petty theft gang but which gradually grew into a family — a family capable of stopping terrorists and nuclear bombs. While the increasingly over-the-top content of the Fast franchise draws ire from some, it also is part of the franchise’s appeal. The three upcoming films will have higher stakes than all of the Fast & Furious films so far — F9 is officially bringing the Fast Saga to space.

How F10 and F11 will top a space-based mission is hard to imagine, but whatever the epic conclusion to the franchise entails, it will likely involve the potential death of its lead character. Dom has a strong moral code that leads him to put his life on the line for his friends (Letty even asked in Fast & Furious 6 if Dom has a death wish). Throughout the Fast & Furious saga, Dom has had many sacrificial moments, showing his willingness to give his life for his team. Dom has always managed to make it out alive — so far. The Fast & Furious films are known for killing off characters like Han and Letty, then resurrecting them due to fan outcry. Could Dom have a similar narrative arc in the two-part finale? Fast & Furious 11 could instead kill Dom off for good by its conclusion — though this would not be the best route for the story to take.

Why Fast & Furious 11 Shouldn’t Kill Off Dom

Killing Dom off in the Fast and Furious franchise would be a disappointing ending for a much-loved character, especially because the upcoming instalment looks to have him transition away from his dangerous lifestyle. As Dom says in the F9 trailer: “I used to live my life a quarter mile at a time. But I’m a father now.” Dom has a son, which changes the dynamic of Dom’s life and the stakes involved. Letty (and little Brian) losing Dom so soon after finally getting together would be an unsatisfying conclusion to a franchise focused on family. Not only that, but it goes against Dom’s character to leave open the kind of loose end that could result in him being killed (as illustrated in Fate of the Furious), especially when his family needs him.

In the past, the Fast franchise has avoided killing off major characters (at least permanently), but also hasn’t really allowed any of the main players to retire. The only character thus far to get a lasting happy ending has been the late Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner, who was written out of the franchise when the actor sadly passed away. Considering the real-world tragedy surrounding Furious 7, the memorable ending for Brian and Mia is bittersweet. In an interview with NME, Vin Diesel called the Furious 7 tribute to Paul Walker “The best moment in cinematic history,” and discussed how he didn’t want anyone making a storyline out of Walker’s death. While that doesn’t rule out the possibility that Dom could die in F10 or F11, it does demonstrate that Diesel, who produces the movies, is not interested in those kinds or arcs. Besides, such a major character’s onscreen death in the finale might hit too close to home, or even detract from the emotional gravity of Furious 7’s true-to-life tribute to Walker.

This brings up the question of whether Diesel would allow his character to die. As a producer, he’ll have some say in the matter. Diesel told fans in a 2017 Facebook live, “Don’t be surprised if you see a Toretto movie, with just Torettos,” raising the possibility that Dominic Toretto may still appear in more Fast & Furious spin-offs somewhere down the line, after the main storyline of the Fast Saga comes to an end. In addition, of Diesel’s seven onscreen deaths, he’s been resurrected five times, in films including xXx: Return of Xander Cage and Bloodshot (which he also produced). The evidence thus suggests that Diesel doesn’t want his character to actually die — although he could appear to, only for a twist reveal to later resurrect him — and would be interesting in continuing in the role further.

How Fans Want The Fast Franchise To End

The Fast Saga has been heavily influenced by fans in the past, and it’s reasonable to assume the franchise will end based on what the fans want. Vin Diesel described in a Facebook live video how fans have influenced the creative process for the films: He mentioned “beautiful fan videos” and petitions that helped to convince the studio to bring Letty back, and how “the franchise has been better because of it.” Director Justin Lin also told Esquire that it was a chance encounter with some excited fans at an Arby’s that made him realize there was more of Han’s story to tell. Given how the fandom feels towards Dom, it’s unlikely that the franchise will kill him off — especially after having brought back Letty and Han.

Every Fast & Furious movie (with the exception of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) has ended on a high note. Given the huge fan movements for Fast & Furious characters who have died, and the fact that the franchise now reaches over $1 billion in box office sales for each subsequent installment (not including the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw), it goes without saying that fans like the characters and want them to have happy endings. The Fast Saga filmmakers seem to place a high priority on listening to fans’ wishes, and fans will probably want to see a happy ending for Dom and Letty — and their next generation.

How Dom’s Fast Saga Story Should End

Other than the necessity of bringing back beloved characters of the Fast & Furious series and wrapping up their stories, there are many directions the franchise could take with the two finale films. Fast & Furious 10 and Fast & Furious 11 are likely to show the team’s battle against Cipher. She is the one pulling the strings behind the main villain of Fast & Furious 9, Dom’s brother Jakob. Fate of the Furious revealed Cipher to also be the driving force behind many of the teams’ past foes: she corrupted Owen Shaw, hired Mose Jakande, and was hinted to be involved in Arturo Braga’s activities. By doing this, Fate of the Furious‘ writers retconned the overarching plotline the franchise was lacking. Taking three more films to overcome as terrifying an opponent as Cipher isn’t a bad idea, as she is the most formidable opponent the team has seen, and defeating her will require all they’ve got.

As far as Dom’s and Letty’s ending, the filmmakers could take a page from The Dark Knight Rises, giving Dom a chance to sacrifice himself, but allow him to live his life a quarter mile at a time with little Brian and Letty, and it would leave open the possibility of more spin-off films. But to really end strong, the saga should take it back to the beginning, returning to the Torettos’ home area of Los Angeles (to a new house, as Shaw destroyed the films’ iconic house in Furious 7.) Going home was a major goal for the characters earlier in the franchise, especially in Fast & Furious 6. Dom and Letty (and potentially their future children) and little Brian, going home to be near Mia and Brian’s family in LA, would bring the story full circle — as long as there are cars involved somewhere in the mix.

Fans have a lot time to speculate about the future of the Fast Saga, since even F9 doesn’t release until 2021. No matter which direction the writers choose to take Dom and his family’s story, Diesel promised on Facebook live not to let fans down — and Dom’s ending in the Fast & Furious 11 is a key aspect of that promise. Although Dom may end up sacrificing himself, it’s worth hoping that he — and the rest of the Toretto’s family, blood or not — will all get their happy endings. Because no matter what, Dom and Letty should have a chance to live a peaceful, prosperous life with faith, family, and fast cars.

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