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The Ending of Fast X Explained
Unlike previous entries, the penultimate chapter in the Fast Saga doesn't get to drive off into the sunset.
"Never accept death when suffering is owed..."
Unlike previous entries in the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast X doesn't get to merrily drive off into the sunset.
The film, directed by The Transporter and Now You See Me alum Louis Leterrier, is just the first slice of a two-part (and maybe even a three-part) finale meant to close out the blockbuster saga famous for living life a quarter-mile at a time. With that conclusion still a ways down the road, let's take a look at how the (potentially) penultimate outing lays the groundwork for what's to come in Fast 11.
**SPOILER WARNING! The following story contains major plot spoilers for the ending of Fast X!**
As expected, the denouement of Fast X unfurls in genuine Fast fashion — with plenty of explosions, burned rubber, and grinding metal. We head for the wide open highways of Portugal, where Dom's (Vin Diesel) hope of getting his son to safety crashes down around his ears.
Agency Director Aimes (Alan Ritchson) — who actually seemed like a decent replacement for Luke Hobbs in the absence of Dwayne Johnson — reveals that he's been a bad guy this whole time. Has, in fact, been an ally of the Reyes family since the vault heist in Rio a decade ago. All he had to do was manipulate Dom's blind trust in family to lead the prime target right toward an ambush.
RELATED: First Reactions to Fast X Praise Jason Momoa’s Scene-Stealing Turn as “Joker-Level” Villain Dante
Firing a trusty bazooka, Aimes blows the arriving cargo plane carrying Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Han (Sung Kang) right out of the sky. The crippled aircraft flies behind a nearby mountain and out of sight.
Things only go from bad to worse once Dante manages to nab Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) while the boy fixes a jam atop Jakob's custom cannon car. Dom gives chase, but finds his path blocked by a horde of Dante's goons. Having lived in his older brother's shadow for his entire life, Jakob finally decides to step into the light and sacrifice himself for the greater good. He aims the cannons at the ground and launches his truck into the unfriendly blockade, going out in a blaze of glory. Is he truly dead for good or just pretending?
No time to ponder that mystery for long, because Dom swaps a row of cars for a pair of helicopters brandishing harpoon guns meant to spear his Charger and lift it off the ground via high-tension cables.
More dangerous behind the wheel of an automobile than any other human being alive, Toretto floods the engine with NOS, uses the burst of speed to crash the helicopters into each other, and turns the flaming wreckage to his advantage. He uses it to run Dante off the road and save his boy in one improvisational maneuver that harkens back to his driving lesson with Little Brian at the start of the movie.
Reunited at last, Dom and Little Brian start to drive across a narrow stretch of pavement spanning a nearby dam when a pair of tanker trucks arrive out of nowhere to block both ends. End of the road. Literally. Well, not for a resourceful Toretto. Dom chooses the road less traveled and drives right off the edge, outracing the explosion from the tankers in the vertical quarter-mile race we've been hearing so much about. The Charger barely outstrips the blast and splashes into the water below.
Dom and Little Brian escape the sinking car and swim to the surface. They seem a little worse for wear, but it's nothing a loving father-son hug can't fix. Awww. They're safe at last. Wait, scratch that. Dante, who leaves nothing to chance, has prepared for every contingency. He's rigged the dam to blow. Damn! "Your suffering is over," he growls. "It's time for you to die." His 10-year revenge mission to strip Dom of his money, reputation, and family has crossed the finish line.
In other words, Dom probably "should've gone for the head."
The charges are primed and ready for detonation as the screen suddenly cuts to black, leaving the fate of our heroes unknown. Given how they just drove down a precarious ledge, the term "cliffhanger" has never felt more applicable.
Before the credits begin rolling, however, we briefly pick up with Letty and Cipher in Antarctica. They're all bundled up against the cold and have managed to escaped the confines of the Agency black site prison. But how are they to traverse endless miles of frozen tundra?
Just then, a massive submarine (presumably the one we saw during The Fate of the Furious) erupts out of the ice. The hatch opens to reveal...Gisele Yashar!!! Hell yes, Gal Gadot's character — who gave up her own life in Furious 6 to defeat Owen Shaw — is miraculously back from the dead, which means one thing: someone really needs to tell Han to delete his dating profile real quick.
Fast X opens in theaters everywhere tomorrow, Friday, May 19. Click here to pick up tickets.
Relive a small portion of the Fast Saga with Furious 7 and F9 — now streaming now on Peacock. If you want to catch up on the full story, however, click right here for our nifty guide on where to stream the first nine installments (plus Hobbs & Shaw).
