With Fast & Furious 11 being the final film in the Fast & Furious series, it is too late to fix one of the franchise’s biggest character crimes. The Fast and Furious movies have become a staple in the action genre due to Fast’s family-driven narrative and increasingly wild car stunts, with characters finding themselves involved in the world of spies and heists. For example, recent stunts in Fast X even involved a plane crash and an exploding dam. However, with dwindling reviews and far-fetched plots, the franchise will finally conclude with the release of Fast & Furious 11.

There have been a lot of changes in the Fast & Furious franchise over the years, with character’s deaths being retconned, secret family relations revealed, or personalities being changed entirely. Roman Pearce’s (Tyrese Gibson) personality change from 2 Fast 2 Furious is one of the most famous examples of a Fast retcon, and it has caused some debate. Since Roman is now one of the funniest characters following his personality revamp, it’s worth wondering if it is too late to finally bring his original personality back in Fast & Furious 11, undoing the franchise’s biggest character crime.

It’s Too Late For Fast & Furious To Bring The Real Roman Pearce Back

Roman Pearce Has Been The Same Personality For Too Long

Even if Fast & Furious undid his implied character death in Fast X, it would not really make sense to bring the original Roman Pearce back for the final movie. Including his introduction in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Tyrese Gibson’s character has appeared in seven Fast & Furious movies, making him a rather prominent member of Dominic Toretto’s crew. However, his personality only differs in his first movie appearance, as Roman Pearce was portrayed as a tough yet witty ex-convict in 2 Fast 2 Furious, as opposed to being the ʙuтт of every joke in later Fast & Furious movies.

For the majority of the Fast & Furious movies, Roman Pearce has been the franchise’s much-needed comic relief. His unique and sometimes silly characteristics bring levity to the serious moments in the action franchise, changing the tone for the audience to make things more light-hearted. If the Fast & Furious franchise changed his behavior now, after so many movies of the same comedic personality, it would be really out of character for Roman. Therefore, despite some people’s preference for the original Brian and Roman friendship in 2 Fast 2 Furious, it is too late for Roman Pearce to change.

Why Tyrese’s Roman Changed So Much After 2 Fast 2 Furious

There Was A Change In Character Focus In The Fast Franchise

In 2003, Roman Pearce was introduced as Dominic Toretto’s replacement in Fast & Furious, as each movie in the franchise originally focused on a new character. Yet, following Tokyo Drift, Vin Diesel returned as the main character Dominic Toretto, a position he has maintained for the rest of the Fast movies. Tyrese Gibson did not return to the action franchise until Fast Five, marking his first appearance alongside Dominic Toretto, as a supporting character. However, with his reappearance in the franchise, Roman Pearce had become a completely different person, and he has stayed in a supporting role ever since.

Roman becoming a comic relief character in Fast Five and future movies was due to character focus and ratings. Although he was a witty person, and his friendship with Brian was often reminiscent of a buddy comedy, Roman was a fairly serious character and could certainly hold his own. Consequently, his return in Fast Five meant they had to downgrade Roman’s personality to supporting comedic relief to focus on Dominic Toretto as the stronger lead role. This decision was also likely fueled by ratings, as 2 Fast 2 Furious has the lowest Popcornmeter in the whole franchise at just 50%.

Roman Should Be Given At Least One Heroic Moment In Fast & Furious 11

Roman Pearce Should Be Right For Once In Fast & Furious 11

Although it is unlikely Roman Pearce’s original personality will return for the final film, Fast & Furious 11 should give Roman at least one heroic moment to redeem his character. Roman Pearce’s character is often overlooked, and his comments are played off as jokes, making his personality a far cry from his more commanding presence in 2 Fast 2 Furious. As one of the biggest character crimes, it would be nice to see a redemption for Roman, especially if Fast & Furious 11 will supposedly return the franchise to its street racing roots, where the character has more experience.

There are several ways in which Roman Pearce’s heroic moment could play out, from simple rescues to something utterly bizarre, like his invincible theory. After Roman survives being sH๏τ at, driving through a minefield, and going into space in F9 The Fast Saga, Roman theorizes that he and his team are invincible. Although Tej dismisses the idea, Roman returning after Fast X’s teased death could make the theory more credible. If the theory was true, it would play into the far-fetched plots and self-awareness, and Roman Pearce could redeem himself through his correct ᴀssumption about the Fast & Furious franchise.