The Complete Fast And Furious Timeline Explained
If you have only a passing familiarity with the "Fast and Furious" universe, you might be under the impression that the franchise's timeline is pretty straightforward. You'd be wrong. When the first film in the series came roaring onto our screens back in 2001, the plot was straightforward: A street racer, his girlfriend, and his sister make friends with the new kid on the block, only to find out he's an undercover cop. Shakespearean drama and betrayals of the highest order ensue, along with a whole lot of car chases.
As the franchise expanded and introduced more characters, however, things got more complicated. Over the next 20 years, the series' continuity expanded to include short films, an unofficial prequel, characters who were killed off and resurrected, and a totally retconned timeline. From the third film on — which is, of course, not the third movie chronologically — it all becomes fairly difficult to follow. But when you wade through everything, there's some chronological logic to be found, even if it doesn't hold up under strict scrutiny (there's a reason we're not including exact dates here).
If you're still feeling a little bit fuzzy about the events of a series that includes both a film set in the future and automobile-assisted space travel, then you've come to the right place. Strap in for a high-speed journey through the "Fast and Furious" timeline.
The Fast and the Furious: Where it (mostly) all begins
The first entry in the series, "The Fast and the Furious," came out in 2001, and the events of the film theoretically take place around that time. (That might seem like a given, but this will become significant later.) While "F9" contains flashback sequences that take place before the dawn of the 21st century, the story really starts here. The film introduces us to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), a skilled street racer who's something of a legend in Los Angeles. The two most important people in Dom's life are his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), and his ride-or-die girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Dom and his team are also thieves, stealing DVD players off of big trucks. How very 2001 of them!
In between heists, Dom meets Brian (Paul Walker), a young racer who Dom takes under his wing. The two become fast friends, while Brian also develops a close relationship with Mia. The catch? Brian is actually an undercover LAPD officer sent to take down Dom's criminal operation (they're supposedly making millions of dollars from those DVD players). Brian eventually blows his cover, and Dom has to leave town in a hurry. But before Dom makes his escape, he and Brian race one last time. In the aftermath, Brian gives Dom the keys to his car instead of arresting him. And just like that, a great cinematic bromance is born.
Better Luck Tomorrow: The unofficial prequel
Technically, 2002's "Better Luck Tomorrow" is not a "Fast and Furious" film, but it's often considered a prequel of sorts to the later movies. Directed by Justin Lin, who also helmed four entries in the "Fast" franchise, the movie follows a group of Asian American students who grow bored with academics and dive into a life of crime instead. The film was well-received critically — Roger Ebert famously defended the movie against a detractor at Sundance — and jumpstarted Lin's career.
In the film, Sung Kang plays Han, a character "Fast" fans know well. Unlike his hyper cousin, Virgil (Jason Tobin), Han is stoic, and only turns to crime because he seems to have nothing better to do. After the success of "Better Luck Tomorrow," Lin was hired to direct "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," the third film in the franchise. While fleshing out the movie's world, Lin realized Han would fit right in, so he brought Sung Kang into the "Fast" universe. "It became very natural, and also just coming off this other journey, it became a perfect convergence," Lin told EW.
Many years pass between "Better Luck Tomorrow" and "Tokyo Drift," but this unofficial prequel gives fans a look at what Han was doing before he encountered Dom. Han's presence in the series may be the reason why the "Fast" timeline gets so complicated in the first place, but "Better Luck Tomorrow" serves as an illuminating backstory, no time travel necessary.
2 Fast 2 Furious (and The Turbo Charged Prelude): Brian takes center stage
"2 Fast 2 Furious," which is probably the best-named "Fast" sequel, is the only film in the franchise that doesn't feature Dom. Instead, it follows Brian, who has become a street racing king following Dom's escape. The story of how Brian went from cop to racer unfolds in "The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious," a short film that connects the first and second movies. The LAPD and the FBI are after Brian because he let Dom escape, so he travels across the country, winning street races for money and hitching a ride with an unnamed woman played by Minka Kelly before he touches down in Miami.
2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious" sees Brian competing in races organized by his pal Tej Parker (Ludacris). He also meets Suki (Devon Aiko), a pink-clad icon who should be in every "Fast" movie but sadly is not, and reunites with his old friend Roman (Tyrese Gibson). Things seem to be going well for Brian until he's arrested and forced to make a deal with the FBI. He agrees to go undercover again, but only if he gets to choose his partner. Naturally, he selects Roman, an ex-con who blames Brian for his incarceration. Brian and Roman work with another undercover agent, Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes), to take down a drug lord named Verone (Cole Hauser). They complete their task and acquire a big chunk of change, riding off happily into the sunset. So far, this is all fairly straightforward, but things are about to go off the rails.
Los Bandoleros: Dom's absence explained
Before we get to the next feature film, we need to make a pit stop. If you're perplexed as to why Dom isn't in "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Los Bandoleros," which came out after "Tokyo Drift" and serves as a prequel to "Fast & Furious," explains it for you. Written and directed by Vin Diesel, the short follows Dom, now living in the Dominican Republic, as he sets up a heist targeting a fuel truck. For help, he enlists Han, Tego (Tego Calderon), Santos (Don Omar), and his best girl, Letty.
"Los Bandoleros" is the first instance of the "Fast" timeline getting out of whack. Most fans were introduced to Han in "Tokyo Drift" (though he originated in "Better Luck Tomorrow"), which is the third movie in the franchise — and, again, came out before "Los Bandoleros" and "Fast & Furious." But Han dies in "Tokyo Drift," which means "Los Bandoleros" must take place before "Tokyo Drift" in the timeline, a narrative retcon that's confirmed when Han mentions he's never been to Japan.
The important takeaways from "Los Bandoleros" are that Dom and Letty are in love again, Dom is a modern-day Robin Hood and plans to give the fuel to the people of the Dominican Republic, and Han is not dead because "Tokyo Drift" hasn't happened yet. Got it?
Fast & Furious: The first fake-out death
In terms of release order, "Fast & Furious" is the fourth film in the series, but it's the third chronologically because of the aforementioned time jump in "Tokyo Drift." This confusingly-titled sequel picks up right where "Los Bandoleros" leaves off, with Dom and his team about to execute their heist. It's successful, allowing Dom to give back to his community, but he's worried about Letty's safety. So, he makes the difficult decision to leave Letty behind and goes into hiding once more.
Dom's retreat doesn't last long. He returns to LA when he hears the shocking news of Letty's death. Dom learns that Letty was working with Brian — who is now part of the FBI — to take down a drug lord named Braga (John Ortiz). Even more upsetting to Dom is that Letty did it all for love: If the operation had been successful, Dom's record would've been cleared. Dom and Brian begrudgingly team up to take down Braga, but Dom has something more severe than a simple arrest on his mind.
Dom and Brian team up with Braga's second-in-command, Gisele (Gal Gadot), who isn't particularly loyal to her boss. With her help, Dom and Brian topple Braga and rekindle their bromance, but Dom can't escape justice. Tragically, he's sentenced to 25 years in prison for his numerous crimes. Thankfully, the power of la familia prevails, and the film ends with Brian, Mia, and the rest of the crew organizing a high-speed prison break.
Fast Five: Hobbs vs. the family
"Fast Five" is the film that really drives home the franchise's familial themes, which is probably why it's one of the best movies in the series. The movie takes place right after "Fast & Furious," with Dom breaking out of prison. The family winds up in Rio De Janeiro, where they come up with a plan to steal from a cutthroat drug lord named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), which would give them enough money to fund their fugitive lifestyle indefinitely. Who doesn't love a "one last job" story? Obviously, the crew needs an elite team to pull off this high-stakes caper, so they light up the Bat-signal. Roman, Tej, Gisele, Han, Tego, and Santos arrive to lend their expertise.
Executing the heist is difficult on its own, but it becomes even harder with the arrival of Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), a Diplomatic Security Service agent (whatever that means) who's on a mission to apprehend Dom and his family. Hobbs is probably the most obnoxious character in the "Fast" universe; in a bald, muscular macho man face-off, Dom wins every time. Hobbs teams up with Elena (Elsa Pataky), a Rio cop who holds a grudge against Reyes for killing her husband. In classic "Fast" fashion, manly-men Dom and Hobbs end up forced to work together to take down Reyes, which they do successfully. As a thanks for Dom's help, Hobbs gives the family a head start before he begins chasing them again.
Fast & Furious 6: Letty lives, Han crosses the ocean
At the beginning of "Fast & Furious 6," the whole family sits pretty after their successful heist. Dom and Elena, both of whom lost their previous lovers, have found solace in one another, Brian and Mia live peacefully with their son. Gisele and Han enjoy a new relationship, and Roman and Tej are spending their millions in the silliest ways possible. This happy bubble is broken by the news that Letty is still alive. Yes, Letty survived the explosion in "Fast & Furious," but woke up with amnesia and has since been manipulated into working with evil mastermind Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).
Hobbs and his new partner, Riley (Gina Carano), enlist the family again — can this guy do anything on his own? — to take down Shaw. Naturally, Dom is shocked when he encounters the amnesiac Letty, and after some sick fight scenes, eventually convinces her that she's working for the wrong team. The second twist in the film comes via Riley, who is a double agent and has secretly been working for Shaw all along. The "Fast" family finally stops Shaw in a big climactic scene on an airplane, but not without a huge loss: Gisele dies in order to save Han.
The most significant consequence of Gisele's death is that Han goes to Tokyo, something he and Gisele often talked about doing. Also, Letty regains her memory and Elena gracefully accepts that Letty and Dom are the real OTP of the "Fast" franchise.
Tokyo Drift: Han finally meets his demise (or does he?)
Though it's the third film in the series, 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is actually the sixth movie chronologically, which takes some effort to wrap your head around. Han dies at the end of "Tokyo Drift," but fans liked his character so much that the "Fast" filmmakers brought him back by retroactively deciding the movie takes place eight or so years in the future, or shortly after the events of 2013's "Fast & Furious 6."
Though Han is the most memorable part of "Tokyo Drift," the film centers on a teenager named Sean (Lucas Black, who looks like he graduated high school a good 15 years earlier) who moves to Tokyo to live with his father. Sean meets Han, a level-headed racer who takes him under his wing. Sean trains in order to beat DK (Brian Tree), a drifter with ties to the Yakuza, but DK and his crew attack Han and he's killed in a high-speed chase
We learn more about Han's death in the post-credits scene of "Fast & Furious 6," which reveals that it wasn't DK and his men who killed Han, but another shadowy figure who calls Dom and says, "You don't know me, but you're about to." The man turns out to be Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Owen Shaw's older brother. This settles it once and for all: "Fast & Furious," "Fast 5," and "Fast & Furious 6" take place before "Tokyo Drift," while "Furious 7" and any later films take place after. All is right in the "Fast" universe, for now.
Furious 7: The family enacts their revenge
Though the films were released 11 years apart and are separated by three movies, "Furious 7" takes place directly after "Tokyo Drift." Dom hears about Han's death and travels to Tokyo — which we see in the conclusion of "Tokyo Drift" — in his honor. Meanwhile, Deckard Shaw, who actually killed Han, is on the hunt for the Toretto's extended family. Hobbs and Elena are back in this installment and quickly find themselves in the line of fire. Dom's initial confrontation with Deckard is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a mysterious government official who dispatches Dom and the family on a quest to find an all-seeing program called God's Eye.
They agree to help, and head off to Los Angeles to rescue Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), the software's designer, from her captor, Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou). They save Ramsey, retrieve the God's Eye, and send Shaw to prison, thus avenging Han's death. The movie also features Sean, who has somehow aged 10 years since "Tokyo Drift" and is now the oldest teenager alive.
"Furious 7" ends with the most heartfelt moment in the franchise's history: a tribute to Paul Walker, who died prior to the film's release. After a peaceful day at the beach, Dom and a CGI-ed Brian take one last drive together while a montage of Brian's moments with the family flash on the screen. Brian is given the chance to quite literally drive off into the sunset, living a happy life just off-screen.
The Fate of the Furious: Whose baby is that?
2017's "The Fate of the Furious" sees Dom ostensibly betraying his crew, but it turns out he has a really good reason for it: family, of course. At the start of the film, Dom and Letty are married and have started street racing again. Their happy life is interrupted by Cipher (Charlize Theron, sporting dreadlocks for no good reason), who reveals to Dom that his ex, Elena, had his child and that she's now holding them both hostage. Because she is a comic book supervillain with no real motivations to speak of, Cipher uses Elena and her baby as leverage to make Dom help her acquire nuclear bombs.
Since Dom can't call on his main squad for assistance, he enlists the help of second-tier members Tego and Santos, as well as the Shaw brothers. Meanwhile, Dom's family tries to find Dom and defeat Cipher while Mr. Nobody and Hobbs attempt to save the world from nuclear annihilation. They foil Cipher's plot, but she escapes in order to set up the stage for a sequel. Elena doesn't make it, but Deckard Shaw rescues the baby in the most hilarious sequence in the film. Dom then christens the child Brian, because apparently Elena didn't have time to name the kid before she died.
Hobbs & Shaw: A goofy side piece
The "Fast and Furious" timeline features several lengthy diversions, but none are as inconsequential as "Hobbs & Shaw," the series' first true spin-off. "Hobbs & Shaw" has almost no bearing on the plot of any of the other films, and is arguably the worst entry in the franchise. At least it has Helen Mirren, right? The movie follows Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw as they team up to stop a terrorist group that's planning to release a deadly virus. One of the group's members is Brixton Lorr (Idris Elba), a former MI6 agent who is now a deranged superhuman.
Hobbs and Shaw enlist the help of Deckard's sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), who works with MI6. Despite their constant frustration with one another, Hobbs and Shaw stop the terrorists and save the world. The film ends with Deckard and Hattie visiting their mother (Mirren) in prison. Clearly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. We're led to believe that the Shaw siblings have given their mother the tools she needs to escape, setting up one of our most revered actresses for future appearances in this zippy franchise.
F9: Family vs. family
While 2001's "The Fast and The Furious" is generally considered the beginning of the "Fast" family's story, the earliest scenes in the timeline appear in 2021's "F9." In 1989, Dom and his brother Jakob work for their father, Jack, a professional driver. When Jack dies in a race that Jakob helped sabotage, a rift grows between the brothers, as Dom blames Jakob for his father's demise.
In the present day, Dom and Letty live a quiet life with their son, Brian, and Dom hasn't seen his brother in decades. But Dom must return to the world of fast-paced crime life when Roman, Tej, and Ramsey report that Mr. Nobody's plane was shot down and Cipher has escaped. They travel to a made-up Central American country and discover Project Aries, a hacking device created by Jakob (John Cena). The family takes an adventure around the globe, during which they learn that Han is still alive and was recruited by Mr. Nobody years ago in order to protect Project Aries.
The gang saves the day by embarking on some of their biggest stunts to date, including Roman and Tej literally driving a car into space. Dom finally forgives Jakob for their father's death and they have a family barbecue. The film ends with Brian's car pulling up into the driveway, indicating that he is still living in this world. While it's possible to decisively die in the "Fast" universe, family apparently means never having to say goodbye for good.
Fast X: Family never dies
The following slide contains spoilers for "Fast X."
"Fast X" is the largest ensemble piece in the franchise, as almost every character we've seen before (and a few new ones) links up with the Toretto clan. The film takes place about four years after "F9," with Dom and Letty back in LA raising their son, Little Brian. "Fast X" reverses the typical order of things and starts with a barbecue, rather than ending with one. Rita Moreno joins the cast as Dom's abuela, giving the team a heartfelt speech about the importance of family.
The villain of "Fast X," Dante Reyes (Jason Mamoa), is the son of a previous villain, Hernan Reyes. The family stole Hernan's vault in "Fast Five" and Hernan wound up dead because of it; Dante still blames Dom's crew. As villains are wont to do, Dante hatches a plot to destroy the Torettos and anyone who has ever helped them, leaving mass casualties in his wake.
Everyone — and we mean everyone — bands together to stop Dante, including Jakob Toretto, a former terrorist who is now one of the good guys. Along the way, we meet to Mr. Nobody's daughter, Tess (Brie Larson), who is as loyal to the family as her dad was. The icy Cipher also returns, except this time she's begrudgingly working with la familia. The most shocking appearance comes at the end, when Gisele, presumed dead at the end of "Fast & Furious 6," pops out of a submarine in Antarctica. Our best guess is that Mr. Nobody is the reason she's still alive, as we learned she had been working with him in "F9." The film ends on a cliffhanger, with the fate of several characters left unresolved and the implication that Hobbs will return for the sequel.