FAST X opens May 19th
The FAST & FURIOUS movies have introduced us to some of the greatest action heroes of the 21st century, given us a book’s worth of wisdom from Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, and pulled off more than a few stunts that defy death, gravity and sometimes even logic. Over the course of the past 22 years, nine main movies and one legendary cinematic moment after another, the franchise has given us some unforgettable villains who toyed with and tested the Toretto crew, sometimes taking our heroes to their breaking point, and the cast certainly has opinions about the deadliest villains their characters have faced over the years:
With the FAST X premiere at AMC Theatres locations nationwide not even a quarter-mile away, now seems like the perfect time to go back and take a look at the various FAST & FURIOUS villains who have shaped the franchise. With friends who became enemies and enemies who became friends, as well as Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes, there’s a lot to tackle, so let’s get this show on the road.
Dante Reyes
Dante Reyes, the son of FAST FIVE antagonist Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), becomes the latest FAST & FURIOUS villain to bring a fight to the Toretto crew in FAST X. Continuing the long line of over-the-top and destructive foes with deep ties to the franchise’s roots, Dante will come at Dom with everything he’s got to get revenge against the man who killed his father more than a decade ago.
This deep-seated revenge mission is the fuel to Dante’s fire, which he uses to destroy everything and everyone who means something to the franchise’s battle-hardened hero. With an arsenal of guns, explosives, and high-powered cars at his disposal, Dante could bring Dom his biggest fight yet.
Cipher
Though she wasn’t introduced until THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS, Cipher (Charlize Theron) was a major player behind the scenes, hiring some of the franchise’s other most notable villains to do her dirty work before getting involved herself. Whether it was having Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) steal the Nightshade super-weapon in FAST & FURIOUS 6, hiring Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou) to capture Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) in FURIOUS 7, or even manipulating Jakob Toretto (John Cena) in F9, the cyberterrorist has her hands in everything.
Cipher is set to return for FAST X, so it doesn’t look like the criminal mastermind who previously convinced Dom to turn against his family will be going anywhere anytime soon.
Jakob Toretto
Though Jakob Toretto has since become one of the good guys after finally reconciling his past with big brother Dom, let’s not forget how he was introduced as one of the multiple villains in F9: THE FAST SAGA. Responsible for their father’s death when they were younger, Jakob was exiled from the family and Los Angeles upon losing a race with Dom, which would set him on a dangerous and confusing path.
Working with Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) for a while, Jakob would later go rogue and turn on his mentor, setting up a tense and emotional confrontation with his brother years down the road. But brothers can’t stay mad at one another forever, and that was the case for Jakob and Dom as they put aside their differences and worked together to take down Cipher; for the time being, anyway.
Deckard Shaw
Similar to Jakob, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is another FAST & FURIOUS villain who has since gone to the good side, but let’s not forget that he was a terrifying antagonist in FURIOUS 7. Not only was he retconned to be the person responsible for “killing” Han Lue (Sung Kang) earlier in the franchise, he also destroyed the Toretto home, tried to kill anyone and everyone associated with the gang, and essentially tried to destroy the world.
Ever since THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS, though, Shaw has fought alongside Dom and company, helping them save the day on more than one occasion while also becoming one of the most complicated characters in the franchise.
