In Honor of ‘Fast X’, Here’s a List of Every Latino To Ever Appear in the ‘Fast’ Franchise
At this point, you’re either on board with the “Fast & Furious” movies or not. The franchise keeps reinventing itself with each subsequent entry. Remember when these movies were about stealing DVD players and stopping small-time Miami drug lords? Yeah, they went to space in the last one.
The ‘Fast’ franchise has come a long way
Somewhere around the 6th or 7th entry in the franchise, the “Fast” saga became akin to the “Avengers” for Latinos. Its diverse cast and death-defying stunts continue to impress longtime fans. Many others, however, want this franchise to die already.
However, at least in the main franchise, only two movies are left. Who knows how many more spinoffs they’re going to do? The popular offshoot, “Hobbs & Shaw,” did well when it hit theaters in 2019. But since there are currently no plans for a sequel because of Dwayne Johnson‘s busy schedule, this might actually be it for the “Fast” family.
The new villain is related to a casualty of a prior installment
This latest installment reunites the entire team to face off against a new villain played by Jason Momoa. Like previous installments, the big baddie is related to someone the crew killed in a previous movie. The films mine this territory often (perhaps too often).
But how they’re able to incorporate the concept of family into all aspects of the movies is still, admittedly, impressive. “F9” saw Diesel’s Dominic Toretto facing off against his own brother.
Prior incarnations, like “Furious 7,” introduced characters like Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw on a warpath after the crew severely injured his brother in the sixth installment. And so on. The way they’re able to tie them all together creates this ever-expanding lore for fans who can’t get enough of these things.
Momoa’s Dante takes fans back to “Fast Five,” where the climactic heist sequence becomes a breeding ground for the character’s pursuit of vengeance. See, Dante is related to the villains of that film. After training for years to exact his revenge, he promises to take back what Dominic took from him.
Some fresh faces will appear alongside the established cast
In addition to Momoa, franchise newcomers include the legendary Rita Moreno and “Captain Marvel” star Brie Larson. Not only that, the entire cast of the first nine movies — except Dwayne Johnson — will return.
Regardless of anyone’s personal opinion on these movies, the cast they’ve managed to assemble over the years is seriously impressive. Jason Statham, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, John Cena, Charlize Theron, and even Cardi B! The list goes on.
The new trailer seems to be setting up a real ending for the franchise in a way that should satisfy longtime fans. At this point, the movies are in “fans-only” territory. Your only options are to catch up with previous movies or disregard this latest one altogether. In a way, the “Fast” crew has its own family.
With the return of longtime “Fast” director Justin Lin, who co-wrote this latest entry for director Louis Leterrier, “F9” represented a course correction for the franchise after the somewhat disappointing eighth entry. Now, with only two movies to go, the family is reunited for one last ride. Well, two that represent one overall ride.
The franchise regularly recruits Latino talent
In addition to being some of the most profitable movies on the planet, the “Fast and Furious” franchise has no shortage of Latinos bulking up its main and supporting cast. The franchise’s roots in Los Angeles and Miami car culture continue to resonate with Latino audiences.
To celebrate the beginning of the end, let’s look back on just about every Latino who makes an appearance in one “Fast” film or another:
Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz)
First Appearance: “The Fast and the Furious”
Last Appearance: “Fast X”
Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto)
First Appearance: “The Fast and the Furious”
Last Appearance: “Fast X”
Noel Gugliemi (Hector)
First Appearance: “The Fast and the Furious”
Last Appearance: “Furious 7”
Eva Mendes (Monica Fuentes)
First Appearance: “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Last Appearance: “Fast Five”
Amaury Nolasco (Orange Julius)
First and Last Appearance: “2 Fast 2 Furious”
John Ortiz (Arturo Braga)
First Appearance: “Fast & Furious”
Last Appearance: “Fast & Furious 6”
Laz Alonso (Fenix Calderon)
First and Last Appearance: “Fast & Furious”
Tego Calderón (Tego Leo)
First Appearance: “Fast & Furious”
Last Appearance: “The Fate of the Furious”
Don Omar (Reo Santos)
First Appearance: “Fast & Furious”
Last Appearance: “The Fate of the Furious”
Joaquim del Almeida (Hernan Reyes)
First and Last Appearance: “Fast Five”
Michael Irby (Zizi)
First and Last Appearance: “Fast Five”
Romeo Santos (Mando)
First and Last Appearance: “Furious 7”
Eiza González (Margarita)
First and Last Appearance: “Hobbs & Shaw”
Cardi B (Leysa)
First Appearance: “F9”
Last Appearance: “Fast X”
Rita Moreno (Abuelita Toretto)
First and Last Appearance: “Fast X”
Check out the trailer here! “Fast X” hits theaters on May 19, 2023.
