When Dwayne Johnson joined the cast of the Fast and the Furious franchise, it revived the movies and changed everything about the series. Before Fast Five, the franchise was mostly about illegal street racing and the heists that Dom (Vin Diesel) and his crew pulled off while avoiding the police. However, the heist in Fast Five led to something bigger, with the team suddenly becoming almost secret agents, joining a mysterious organization, and nearly becoming street racing superheroes.

Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast and the Furious franchise as Luke Hobbs. In his first appearance, he was a DSS agent ᴀssigned to take down Dom and his team, almost like a bounty hunter sent out to bring them in. In Fast & Furious 6, he transitioned into an ally, and by the time of his fourth appearance in The Fate of the Furious, he was no longer a law enforcement officer and was arrested for helping Dom and his crew. Sadly, that also marked the end for Dwayne Johnson in the mainline Fast and the Furious series.

Dwayne Johnson Departed From The Main Fast & Furious Movies After The Fate Of The Furious

Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel Had A Falling Out

While Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs was a supporting character in the Fast and the Furious movies when he first appeared, he became one of the main stars by the time The Fate of the Furious rolled around. However, at the time, it seemed Johnson and Diesel could not work well together in the long term. The Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson feud started in 2016 when Johnson wrote a social media post that called out some of his male co-stars as “candy ᴀsses.”

Vin Diesel, for his part, refused to take part in a war of words online at the start, but this reportedly caused tension during the filming of The Fate of the Furious. In that instance, Johnson apparently did not share any scenes with Diesel on set. In 2017, Diesel said things were blown out of proportion, the actors were “two alphas,” and he was a “big brother” to Johnson in Hollywood. Johnson later took issue with that role, saying they were not brothers.

After The Fate of the Furious, F9 faced several delays, and Tyrese Gibson even publicly criticized the fact that Johnson was about to lead a spinoff movie. However, things got worse, and Johnson completely pulled out of F9. Eventually, Johnson said in a later interview about the feud that he regretted making his beef with Vin Diesel public.

“But, yeah, it wasn’t my best day, sharing that. I shouldn’t have shared that. Because at the end of the day, that goes against my DNA. I don’t share things like that. And I take care of that kind of bullsh*t away from the public. They don’t need to know that. That’s why I say it wasn’t my best day” (via Vanity Fair).

However, Johnson also said he meant everything he said, and he still hasn’t appeared with Vin Diesel in any other movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise. With that said, his role as Luke Hobbs was far from finished.

The Rock & Jason Statham Starred In Their Own Fast & Furious Spinoff 2 Years Before F9

Hobbs & Shaw Came Out In 2019

While Dwayne Johnson never returned as Luke Hobbs in F9 in 2021, he still appeared in a franchise movie two years before that. In 2019, Johnson and Jason Statham reprised their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw in Hobbs & Shaw. This film sees the government bringing the former DSS agent together with the former MI6 agent, and while the two men had an intense hatred for each other, they agreed to work together to stop a terrorist plan to unleash a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly virus.

Despite not being part of the main Fast and the Furious timeline, Hobbs & Shaw was a huge success, making $760.7 million on a $200 million budget. It proved fans wanted to see more of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, and that pairing was just as important as anything with Vin Diesel. It also allowed Johnson to keep expanding the franchise and his character, although Hobbs & Shaw 2 never happened.

Luke Hobbs Returned To The Main Fast & Furious Franchise At The End Of Fast X

Dwayne Johnson Was In The Fast X Post-Credit Scene

Fast X saw Dom and his crew terrorized by a new villain, but it all tied back into the film that saw Dwayne Johnson join the franchise. In Fast Five, the team targeted a ruthless drug lord named Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). They stole his money by stealing his entire vault, and their escape ended with Hobbs killing Reyes in the final battle. In Fast X, Hernan’s son Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) was edited into several Fast Five scenes to show he was there the entire time and watched the team kill his father.

Throughout Fast X, Dante is getting revenge on Dom and his crew. By the film’s end, they all seemed in dire straits, with Dom and his son looking like they were about to die before it ended with a mᴀssive cliffhanger. However, Fast X did leave one more scene in the post-credits to appease fans: Johnson returning as Hobbs and finding a message from Dante that said he was coming for Hobbs next.

Dwayne Johnson’s Fast & Furious Future After Fast X Explained

Will Hobbs Return In Fast X: Part 2?

While it was exciting for fans to see Dwayne Johnson back in a Fast and the Furious movie, even if just in the post-credits, this does not necessarily guarantee Hobbs is coming back for the upcoming Fast X: Part 2. That movie is set for a June 2026 release and is supposed to mark the end of the mainline films in the series. However, there were delays, and in 2023, Johnson claimed that there would be a “bridge” movie to Fast X: Part 2 in the form of a new spinoff film.

At the time, Johnson posted a message on social media, writing, “The next Fast & Furious film you’ll see the legendary lawman in will be the HOBBS movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter & set up for FASTX: Part II.” There has been no word from the studio, and Fast X: Part 2 has a release date. However, Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Chris Morgan said in November 2024 that he is unsure about the plans, making it sound like the Hobbs movie might not have time for production before the next Fast and the Furious film arrives.

Fast & Furious

Movie(s)

The Fast And The Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs and Shaw, F9: The Fast Saga, Fast X, Hobbs and Shaw 2, Fast X: Part 2

First Film

The Fast And The Furious

Cast

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Lucas Black, Sung Kang, Bow Wow, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, John Cena

Video Game(s)

The Fast and the Furious (2004), The Fast and the Furious (2006), Fast & Furious: SuperCars, Fast & Furious: Showdown, Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious, Fast & Furious Crossroads

<ʙuттon type="ʙuттon" class="show-more-new icon i-chevron-down-solid">Expand