I’ve been a massive fan of the Fast & Furious franchise since the very beginning. I’ve watched all of the movies multiple times, spent way too much time talking about the importance of “family,” and written extensively about all those death-defying stunts and the utterly insane tech featured so far. Though I’m excited to see the upcoming Fast & Furious 11 when it lands on the 2026 movie schedule, I have to admit something: Dom Toretto and the crew should have taken the exit ramp a long time ago.
One of my friends and I were chatting about the franchise after he worked his way through the first seven movies, and during our conversation, he talked about stopping at Furious 7. After our chat, I thought to myself, you know, that wouldn’t have been such a bad idea…
It Pains Me To Say This, But The Franchise Should Have Ended With Furious 7
As much as it hurts to say this, I have to just get it out: Furious 7 should have been the last ride for Vin Diesel’s iconic character and the rest of his “family.” I know that both the original ending that was scrapped and the one we ultimately saw in theaters in 2015 didn’t necessarily wrap things up for all the members of Dominic Toretto’s crew, but sometimes it best to just go out on top, as they say.
I’m fully aware that the nature of the film industry, especially when it comes to big tentpole franchises from major studios, doesn’t really allow series to just come to an end, but it could have worked for the Fast & Furious brand, or at least the main set of characters. I would have been down for more spinoffs (this was four years before Hobbs & Shaw came out), but ending the main series before the big “fork in the road” scene would have been pretty clutch.
Ending It There Would Have Been A Great Tribute To Paul Walker And The Franchise
The shocking death of Paul Walker is something that’s still hard to accept, even a decade after the 40-year-old actor and franchise star died in a tragic accident. His untimely death nearly led to Furious 7 being cancelled before his brothers and state-of-the-art technology stepped in and helped director James Wan and the crew complete what would become the best entry in the series. The movie ultimately ended up becoming a massive tribute to Walker, and rightfully so, but I think they could have taken it a step further by ending the franchise there.
We did get a touching tribute to Walker near the end of the movie (the scene where Brian O’Conner and Dom go their separate ways is still powerful), but I think that whole final drive sequence would have hit much harder if it had been the end of the story for everyone. Ending on top, even because of real-life tragedy, is sometimes the best way to go.
Plus, The Whole 'Brian Is Alive But Never Seen On Screen' Thing Is Just Weird
I don’t know how others feel about this, but I am weirded out that, despite Walker being dead, his character is still alive and well in the Fast & Furious franchise. We haven’t seen Brian on screen since the final moments of Furious 7, but he has been brought up time and time again in every movie since then. On top of that, his signature blue Nissan Skyline pulls into the driveway at the end of F9: The Fast Saga.
I get that Diesel and company want to honor Walker by keeping his character alive a decade after his passing, but I honestly think it would have been more respectful to either kill off Brian all those years ago or just end the franchise. It’s like turning on XM Radio and hearing Tom Petty or Casey Kasem talking between songs. It feels even worse now that the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Brian could return in Fast & Furious 11.
It Feels Like The Fast & Furious Movies Have Been Spinning Their Wheels Since Then
Another reason I think the franchise should have ended years ago is the fact that Fate of the Furious, F9: The Fast Saga, and Fast X all felt like they were spinning their wheels. I have to give it to the cast and creative team, because it took a decade-and-a-half before things started to get stale, but now that they have, it’s gotten rough.
All of the nonsense with Dominic being forced to turn against his “familia” in Fate to protect his son seems like an unused story arc from a ‘90s adventure TV show, the villains are getting crazier just for the sake of being crazier, and the stories (which were never the franchise’s strong point) have gotten even more nonsensical. They raise the stakes but overcome them regardless, which makes them meaningless at this point. Plus, the whole going to space thing was another “Jump the Shark” moment.
I'm Still Going To Watch The New Movies, But A Part Of My Love Died With Furious 7
Don’t get me wrong, I still plan on watching Fast & Furious 11 (or whatever title it ends up going by) when it comes out in theaters. However, this is more for the sake of completing what I started the summer between seventh and eighth grade. At this point, I feel like it’s my obligation to see things through, even if I know I’m probably not going to like what I see or will most likely forget it entirely hours after leaving the theater.
A part of my love of the franchise died all those years ago, and I don’t know if that spark will ever come back, which is a bummer to think about. Again, I’ll go see whatever comes next, but I don’t think I’ll be able to shake that feeling.
All of this talk about Furious 7 has me wanting to go back and watch the 2015 box office juggernaut again, which is pretty easy, considering it’s streaming with a Netflix subscription.
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