Dwayne Johnson vowed he was done with Fast & Furious amid his feud with Vin Diesel. Here is why The Rock changed his mind for Hobbs’ Fast X return.
Hobbs is back in the Fast & Furious franchise, as Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X return sets up the character to be part of the action moving forward. Years after a very public feud between The Rock and Vin Diesel led to the franchise stars going in different directions, the series is finally starting to bring them back together. This is because Jason Momoa’s villain Dante has a vengeful quest to make those responsible for his father’s death suffer. Dante calls Hobbs during Fast X‘s post-credits scene to tell the man responsible for killing his father that he is coming for him next, confirming The Rock’s Fast & Furious return.
Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X cameo is quite notable considering everything that happened between him and Diesel over the years. After joining the franchise in Fast Five, they developed a public feud over their different work ethics and visions for the franchise. This ultimately led to them not filming any scenes together for The Fate of the Furious, Universal giving The Rock a spinoff, and Hobbs missing from F9. Their feud even led Johnson to vow he would not return for Fast X and that he told Diesel in private that he was done with the franchise. His Fast X Hobbs return means he has gone back on that stance.
The Rock Realized His Best Career Path Is Fast & Furious, Not The DCU
The reason that Dwayne Johnson changed course and agreed to do the Fast X cameo as Hobbs is that he realized this was best for his career. The timing of The Rock leaving Fast & Furious coincided with him finally getting a new franchise off the ground with Black Adam as part of the DC Universe. He had big plans for his DC character that included sequels, spinoffs, and eventually fighting Henry Cavill’s Superman. However, Black Adam bombed at the box office and received poor reviews, which allowed James Gunn to decide that there was no immediate future for Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam in his new franchise plans.
After losing out on his new superhero franchise, it became clear that The Rock needed to return to Fast & Furious. He is one of the most famous actors on the planet, but his status as franchise Viagra has not helped him launch new ones recently. Black Adam joined Jungle Cruise as box office misfires, meaning The Rock has only recently found success with streaming movies that do record-setting viewership figures despite negative reviews. Dwayne Johnson needs a big lucrative movie franchise, so returning as Hobbs after Fast X‘s ending gives him that opportunity.
What Hobbs’ Return Means For The Future Of The Fast & Furious Franchise
Now that Hobbs is back in the fold for the Fast & Furious franchise, his place as a figurehead of the franchise’s future is restored. There is no doubt that Dwayne Johnson agreed to do the Fast X cameo as part of a plan for Hobbs to be a main character in Fast & Furious 11. He will now be able to reunite with Dom to help take down Dante and save the world once again. It also makes the chances of Hobbs & Shaw 2 happening much more likely, as the sequel could be woven into the plans for the franchise’s finale.
Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X return also means that the franchise has managed to successfully bring back its biggest stars as the final movies take place. Gal Gadot returned in Fast X as Gisele too after her character was thought to have died, allowing the actress to become Wonder Woman and a much bigger star. The Fast & Furious movies can now have The Rock and Gal Gadot join Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and other major stars.
