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How Has Dom Been As a Fast & Furious Leader? His Decisions, Ranked, Through Fast X
We break down Dominic Toretto’s most consequential choices through Fast X.
Fast X has zoomed through its first lap with an explosive opening weekend, as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) once again tries to lead his family through gravity defying odds, and is forced to make some impossibly difficult calls as he’s done throughout the Fast Saga.
Great writers give their characters as many choices as possible because their decisions are what define them. So, now that we're 10 movies in with Dom leading the team, we ask, what kind of leader is Dominic Toretto?
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The Fast and the Furious: Dom trusts Brian
Decision Rating: Excellent
This is the first major decision we see Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) make, and with Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) becoming a Fast Family staple, it easily ages like fine wine. Vince (Matthew Schulze) is convinced from the beginning that Brian’s a cop, so Dom kind of got that part wrong, but even still, Dom was right about the kind of man Brian is. Dom sees Brian’s genuine love for Mia (Jordana Brewster) and how he looked up to Dom from the moment they raced each other. Dom knew he could trust him.
The Fast and the Furious: Dom decides the family should pull one last job
Decision Rating: Pretty Bad
Against the warnings from others, Dom decides to roll the dice on one last heist, and it almost costs the family their lives. It was time to leave their life in Los Angeles behind or at least lay low for a bit, but Dom’s desperation to escape the authorities once and for all gets the better of him. This is where Dom’s decision to bring Brian into the family paid off more than the entire Reyes safe, as he was able to save Vince’s life and get them out of trouble. Dom made a bad call, but by trusting Brian, he creates his own luck.
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Fast & Furious: Dom gives up and goes to prison
Decision Rating: Very Good
“I’m tired of running,” Dom says to Brian right before he’s arrested and taken to prison. It’s a decision that proves to be the right one, and shows a lot of growth from Dom. In The Fast and the Furious, Dom was prepared to die before going back to prison, but now perhaps he felt it was better to live to fight another day. Or perhaps, live long enough so the combined badassery of Mia and Brian could break you out.
Fast Five: The trio stays together after Mia announces she’s pregnant
Decision Rating: Excellent
The trio of Brian, Dom, and Mia put the pedal to the metal navigating the traffic of Reyes’ men and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Dom initially thought they should split up so he could lead the bad guys away and Brian and Mia could escape. Once Mia drops a turbocharged announcement that she’s pregnant, Dom elects to keep them together, which was a crucial choice. They needed every bit of the family’s talent to steal Hernan Reyes’ safe. Money aside though, Dom’s selflessness can ironically be his biggest drawback, as he nearly undervalues his importance to his team. Had they split up, who knows if only Brian alone could’ve kept Mia safe.
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Fast Five: Dom doesn’t hit Hobbs with the wrench and saves him from Reyes’ men
Decision Rating: Excellent
The head-on collision we were waiting for throughout the movie has our champion Dominic Toretto facing off against the monstrously jacked Luke Hobbs. As they fight for the right to be the primary tank top wearer, Dom comes out on top and raises a wrench ready to repeat an old mistake. He then shows tons of growth from his younger years, where he controls his temper and is ultimately granted a second opportunity to prove to Hobbs the kind people his family are.
Furious 7: “You thought this was gonna be a street fight? You're damn right it is.”
Decision Rating: Badass
If this wasn’t a movie, you might say Dominic Toretto is an egotistical airhead for passing up an opportunity to end things with Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) right then and there. But this is the Fast & Furious world, making this just about the most badass thing anyone could say. Dom, go give him hell.
The Fate of the Furious: Dom decides to go rogue but not shoot Cipher
Decision Rating: No Choice
We’d argue Dom doesn’t have a choice here as Cipher (Charlize Theron) held Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky) hostage with his kid. But just because a decision is the right one doesn’t mean it doesn’t have consequences. Working with Cipher to keep Elena alive puts Hobbs in prison and most of the family on the Top 10 Interpol Most Wanted list. We say most because Roman (Tyrese Gibson) of course doesn’t make the cut and is an unimpressive #11 most wanted, sorry, Roman. Dom’s choice leads him to see his son, unable to touch him behind the glass, where the emotional weight might be too much for even Dwayne Johnson to bench press. It was great seeing Diesel flex his acting muscles, which can often be overshadowed next to his, well, actual muscles.
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The Fate of the Furious: Points gun at Connor Rhodes to save Letty, gets Elena killed
Decision Rating: Unclear
This is one of the best-written decisions in the series. So many times, we see the hero faced with a direct decision of who to save, which can work well like it does in Fast X. Here though, Dom knows that disobeying any of Cipher’s orders could kill Elena or his son. When Connor Rhodes points his gun at Letty, ready to kill her for the case, Dom decides to point his gun at Connor. Did Dom fully process he was essentially choosing Letty over the biological mother of his child? It’s not clear, but he knew his actions would have consequences, and he knew what those consequences could be. Elena dies because of this choice, but would Letty have died had he not stepped in? The burden of not knowing is what a true leader takes on.
F9: Cut Jakob out of the family
Decision Rating: Very Very Bad
This is a choice Dom made in flashbacks before he was the mature leader we’ve known him as. While Dom’s confidence in his judgment can be his best asset, it proves here to be his worst when he assumes Jakob (John Cena) was responsible for their father’s death. Jakob’s lack of family led him down his dark path, almost causing Project Aries, capable of controlling all the world’s weapons systems, to fall into Cipher’s hands and get the rest of his team killed. When Dom decides to save Jakob, it shows he’s come far as a leader.
Fast X: Saves one over the other in drag race
Decision Rating: Very Good
When Dante (Jason Momoa) reveals there is a bomb on both of their competitors, Dom has no choice but to only save one of them. After realizing Isabel (Daniela Melchior) is Elena Neves' sister, he knew sometimes being a good leader is putting the pack’s needs above others. Isabel proves crucial in learning more about Dante and is the call he has to make. While difficult to let someone else die, it’s the only choice Dom can make.
Fast X: Trusting Aimes, the new agency leader after Mr. Nobody
Decision Rating: Bad
In The Fast and the Furious, Mia says to Brian, “Dom’s like ... He’s like gravity. You know everything just gets pulled to him. Even you.” Up until Fast X, it really appears that way. Pretty much every time there’s a new villain, whether it be Luke Hobbs, Deckard Shaw, or in a way, even Brian O’Connor, they end up switching to Dom’s side. When Aimes (Alan Ritchson) shows sympathy for Dom’s case, it’s easy to see why Dom might think he’s just another in the long line of people to join him. Trusting Aimes ends up being a huge mistake that seemingly costs Roman, Tej and Ramsey their lives when he shoots down their plane and reveals he’s been working with Dante the whole time. Even if they did escape (don’t worry, they for sure escaped), Dom’s ego got him away from protecting the family he already has.
Fast X is now in theaters. Click here to buy tickets. To catch up on or revisit other films in the franchise, check out Furious 7, and Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga, both now streaming on Peacock.
