The events of Fast X prove the Fast & Furious franchise is a huge winner of the DC Extended Universe’s failure and forthcoming reboot. The Fast & Furious movies have always had plenty of star power with links to other franchises, but the connections between Fast X and the DCEU took it to the next level. This is because there were 10 DC actors in Fast X, most of whom were from the most recent iteration of Warner Bros. cinematic universe for DC Comics characters. This ranged from Helen Mirren returning after her Shazam! Fury of the Gods villain role to Daniela Melchior joining after her breakout role in The Suicide Squad.
Since the DCEU never fully took off as intended, James Gunn and Peter Safran are now in charge of rebooting the DC Universe with an almost entirely new group of actors. This came as crushing news for plenty of fans hoping to see various cast members stick around as part of a new continuity or hoping that Gunn and Safran would attempt to fix the universe’s past mistakes. However, the DCEU’s failure specifically impacts the actors thought to have franchise-leading roles in a greater way. That is why Fast X‘s ending and the cameos that occurred prove how the franchise will benefit from the DCEU’s collapse.
Gal Gadot & The Rock Returned For Fast X Amid Uncertain DC Futures
The timing of the franchise returns of Gal Gadot and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in Fast X is quite significant when it pertains to what happened with the DCEU. Audiences were delighted to see Gadot return as Gisele in the movie’s conclusion after her absence from the franchise coincided with her becoming Wonder Woman. Although she was initially viewed as the face of the DCEU thanks to how popular her iteration with Wonder Woman was, Gunn’s DC reboot plans left her with no immediate future. Wonder Woman 3 is not happening now. Gadot’s Fast X cameo signals that she’ll now transition back to the franchise without the DCEU around.
While Gadot’s return might have been part of the plan for some time, Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X cameo was not. After his and Vin Diesel’s feud, Johnson found himself largely out of the Fast & Furious franchise. This left him to finally make Black Adam, but the movie was a critical and financial disappointment. The performance prompted a rather quick announcement that Dwayne Johnson would not return as Black Adam in the immediate future, halting development of a sequel and spinoffs. This led to Johnson and Diesel mending fences so the Fast X post-credits scene could happen, setting up The Rock’s new spinoff and a role in Fast 11.
Jason Momoa Became The Fast Saga’s Final Villain After Aquaman Troubles
The other big benefit that came for Fast & Furious in terms of the DCEU’s failure is the addition of Jason Momoa. DC’s Aquaman star experienced plenty of delays and controversies when it came to the development and making of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The film went through several rounds of reshoots as regime changes at Warner Bros. and DC Films took place. The appointment of James Gunn as DC Studios co-chief has seemingly signaled the end of Momoa’s run as Aquaman. Even before the Aquaman sequel arrives, Momoa has indicated he’s done playing Arthur Curry.
Getting cast as Fast X‘s villain Dante Reyes came in the midst of Aquaman 2‘s troubles. The flamboyant role for Momoa expanded to become the main villain of the Fast Saga’s supposed conclusion. This will include roles in The Rock’s Fast & Furious spinoff as well as a return presumably opposite Gal Gadot in Fast 11. However, there is a good chance none of this would have happened if the DCEU was thriving.
