Fast X: Part 2 is set to potentially serve as an ending to the franchise, although there is one trend the series has followed ever since Fast Five that will need to be avoided in the next film. With a long-running franchise full of great Fast & Furious тιтles, the series has evolved from a street-racing thriller into one of the biggest action blockbuster franchises of all time. Consistently growing bigger and bigger, the next film has a significant challenge ahead of it and will need to avoid this potentially big misstep.

While Fast X was not the best movie in the series, there was much to enjoy about the film. However, audience interest declined with its release, and the $704 million box office for Fast X was a disappointment for Universal due to the film’s $340 million budget. This has led to some delays and restructuring for the next sequel, which was previously envisioned as part of a final Fast trilogy. With production not yet begun on the new film, there is still time for it to shape itself into the best in the franchise.

Fast & Furious Has A History Of Turning Villains Into Heroes

Many Fast Antagonists Have Joined The Family Over The Years

The Fast & Furious franchise has had a long run of turning every Fast villain into at least somewhat of a hero. While the origins of the franchise even began with this idea, with Dom and Brian on opposite sides of the law, before coming together as friends and partners, this trend especially began in Fast Five. The movie begins with Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs working as the antagonist to the heroes, before finally giving in and ᴀssisting them in the finale’s bank heist.

Following that movie, Hobbs became further integrated into the family, and several of the following antagonists followed in his footsteps. Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was a villain in Furious 7 and even killed Han, but he was then transformed into a hero, and that event was retconned. Charlize Theron’s Cipher and John Cena’s Jakob Toretto, Dom’s brother, also followed this pattern, beginning as villains before being twisted into heroes, even if sometimes reluctant ones, in the case of Cipher, in later films.

Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Keep Dante As The Villain

Jason Momoa’s Character Cannot Be Permitted To Join The Family

Jason Momoa’s Dante is the goofiest villain in the series, but he is also terrifying, and he needs to remain that way. Played with great theatricality in Fast X, Dante did a great job tying the story of the larger franchise together, calling back to Fast Five and its bank heist. While there were some complaints about the story of the film, which was perhaps too expansive, with too many characters, Momoa’s performance as Dante, the son of Hernan Reyes, was mostly praised.

In the follow-up to Fast X, Dante needs to remain a terrifying threat who looks to do great damage to the heroes in Fast X: Part 2. While the franchise has looked to redeem its villains, the end of this next story should allow Dante to be consumed by his own quest for revenge, failing in his attempt to destroy Dom and his family, but never giving up. The franchise needs to end with an excellent confrontation, and that can only work if Dante is able to remain the mad villain he was presented as in Fast X.

Fast & Furious 11 Can Cement Dante As The Franchise’s Best Villain

There Have Been A Few Great Villains In The Fast Series That Have Stayed That Way

It is not impossible that the franchise could find a way to redeem Dante in the next film, but this would undo his efficacy as a villain. Some believe that Dante was wasted in Fast X, due to the story of the film, but this could be rectified with a strong conclusion. Bringing up comparisons to chaotic villains from cinema history like Heath Ledger’s Joker, Dante has a love for violence and destruction that helps him to seem that much more volatile. Allowing this to grow even bigger in the next film would be the right path forward.

There have been some great villains in the Fast franchise, but all the best ones have already been turned into heroes. Allowing Dante to remain villainous all the way to his inevitable demise in the next sequel, if done well, could easily transform the character into the greatest threat that the family faces throughout the entire saga. With family being such an important theme, it is essential that the series also sees that there are limits to what can be rehabilitated and that some men, like Dante, only want to watch the world burn.

Dante is one of the most fun villains in recent cinematic history, and there is reason to be hopeful that he will be used well in the upcoming Fast X: Part 2. With declining box office for the franchise suggesting that the next adventure will be the last one, it is important that the series goes out with a bang. Having him remain a terrifying villain who can do great damage to the family is the best way to do this, and turning him into a hero would be a mistake.