Entertainment

These Fan Theories About The ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Sequel Are Pretty Wild

by Jasmine Ting
Universal Pictures

Even after 19 years, it doesn't seem like the Fast & Furious film franchise is slowing down anytime soon. Aside from the forthcoming ninth addition to the movie series, the Fast filmmakers have also created a spinoff film, Hobbs & Shaw. And while the movie's narrative diverts from the original Fast storyline, what you learn from the film might affect the entire Fast & Furious cinematic universe. And, as expected, some Hobbs & Shaw theories and predictions have come to light.

Dom (Vin Diesel) and the rest of the main gang aren't around for the action in the spinoff, as everything is centered around Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). It follows the unlikely pair on a mission to save the world from a deathly virus designed to wipe majority of the earth's population — all while going up against super soldier Brixton (Idris Elba).

The introduction of Elba's character, some surprise cameos, and the mid- and post-credits scenes all present new information that has inspired some pretty interesting fan theories. Read up, because you may want to keep these in mind as the future of both threads of this unstoppable series plays out. Major spoilers ahead.

1

Brixton Is Still Alive

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At the end of Hobbs & Shaw, the two heroes are able to take down the self-described "black Superman." And though they choose not to kill him, his boss "the Director" — who is in charge of the evil tech company Eteon — shuts him down, and the super soldier falls off a cliff and down into the harsh waves. But can Brixton actually die?

Brixton has died before, at the hands of Shaw himself, who shot two bullets through his chest, and one through his head. Eteon was able to pick up the pieces and turn him into an indestructible cyborg. So, seeing as Brixton isn't human and is technically undead, it may not even be possible for him to die. If Eteon decides to summon him once more, we could very well see Elba in future Fast & Furious films.

2

'Fast' Goes To Space

Crew of Two Astronauts in Space Suits Standing on the Moon Looking at the The Milky Way Galaxy. High Tech Concept of Moon Colonization and Space Travel.Shutterstock

Now that the tech involved in the film franchise has surpassed ammo and cars to reach bioengineered cyborg levels, the filmmakers are that much closer to bringing the movies out to space. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fast franchise screenwriter Chris Morgan refused to discount the possibility that Dom and the rest of the family would one day embark on a journey that is literally out of this world.

“I would never shoot down space,” Morgan told EW. “Never, never. I would literally never shoot down anything, as long as it hits the parameters: ‘Is it badass? is it awesome? Will the audience love it? And will it not break faith with the audience as they’re watching it?’ I’m down for whatever.”

3

Agent Locke Is Evil

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The rumors were true, and Ryan Reynolds has joined the Fast & Furious fam after tweeting Hobbs & Shaw and Deadpool director David Leitch asking for a role. He plays CIA Agent Locke, who has some history working with Luke Hobbs. But there's a possibility that Locke isn't actually the wisecracking good guy he seems to be.

If you listen closely to the digitally altered voice of the Director, at some points it sounds like the voice may belong to Reynolds. In the IMDB cast listing, the voice of "Eteon Director" is credited as "Champ Nightengale." As YouTuber deffinition points out, this is the same alias Reynolds has used to leave an outstanding review on Amazon for his gin brand Aviation.

Another clue comes at the beginning of the film, wherein Locke points out that Brixton was able to perform the superhuman feat of using a brick to stab a person. By the post-credits scene, Locke is able to do the same, which may suggest that he too has been enhanced.

4

The Director Is Hobbs's Dad

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A fan on Reddit with the username Kingswagthe1 thinks that Eteon's director is Hobbs's own father. And this is definitely a valid theory because, as the Reddit user points out, that character has "daddy issues."

In this film, we're introduced to his brothers and mother too, when Hobbs returns to his home of Samoa for the first time in 25 years. He explains to Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) that his father wasn't in their lives until they were old enough to be his criminal crew. He had no interest in keeping them safe, so Hobbs turned him in, which led to his brothers despising him.

Perhaps the unnamed Mr. Hobbs might be returning to try and get his revenge on his lawman of a son?

5

Cipher Returns

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Another possible candidate for the true identity of the Director is cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron), from Fate of the Furious. After all, she possesses extremist views and uses tech to wreak havoc. In a Reddit discussion, user Friendofabook posits that Cipher is working with Hobbs's dad. However, it seems like Eteon has been around for a while, so it would be a surprise if Cipher had had another huge project going on during the last movie. There's also the question of how she would have met Hobb's dad in the first place.

6

'Hobbs, Shaw, & Dinkley' Might Just Happen

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Another surprise addition to the cast is comedian Kevin Hart. Johnson's Jumanji co-star plays US Air Marshal Dinkley, who is able to help Hobbs and Shaw on their mission to save the world from the deathly virus.

If another Hobbs & Shaw film does happen, then there is definitely the possibility of Dinkley joining the two for an adventure. He's proven himself to be pretty useful.

7

Helen Mirren's Getting In On The Action

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In one of the final scenes of Hobbs & Shaw, Deckard and Hattie free their mother Queenie (Helen Mirren) from prison. So it looks like the Fast films may be setting the Shaw family up for more of their own adventures.

Mirren told Access that she basically begged Vin Diesel to be included in the film series, but was hoping to get in more of the car action and the stunts. So, maybe we'll be seeing her get her wish to kick some ass in the upcoming Fast & Furious movies.

8

More Owen Shaw Flashbacks

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Fans couldn't help but notice that, though there were flashbacks and talk about Deckard and Hattie's childhood, their brother Owen (Luke Evans) was absent. We last saw Owen in Fate of the Furious, helping his brother Deckard save Dominic Toretto's kid.

Reddit user _paroxysms jokes (or maybe not) in a comment that Owen is adopted, meanwhile user ShadowCloudrift thinks that the writers are merely saving the character for the sequels. But if you look closer at the end credits, you would see that a "Young Owen" is credited in Hobbs & Shaw, even though he's not commented on.

We'll have to wait and see whether a full Shaw reunion is going to happen — possibly in another family spinoff.

9

Keanu Reeves Might Join The Universe

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Back in April, rumors swirled that Keanu Reeves would have a role in Hobbs & Shaw. This didn't happen, unfortunately for his many fans, but an interview with MTV News, Johnson said that he and Reeves "have been texting each other." Whether it's a Fast movie that brings them together or not, the Hobbs & Shaw star definitely wants to work with him. "We've talked about it like, 'Hey dude, somewhere down the line let's do something for sure,'" Johnson added.

10

#JusticeForHan Is Happening

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One of the most upsetting deaths to ever shake the Fast & Furious fandom was the death of character Han (Sung Kang) in The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift. It was later revealed in the post-credits scene of Fast & Furious 6 that it was Deckard Shaw who killed him. Since then, people have been seeking #JusticeForHan, especially since Shaw seems to have been easily forgiven and made to be a protagonist.

With the technology that brought Brixton back to life, people are thinking that a Han resurrection is very possible. Reddit user Shakethecrimestick suggests that Eteon might have also been able to retrieve Han's body as they did Brixton's, and "turned him into a superhuman robot" who will betray his brothers in one of the upcoming films. The mission will then be to "break the evil robot coding and bring him back to good" — which Ludacris's character Tej Parker might just be able to pull off.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Statham addressed the #JusticeForHan issue. “It’s clearly something that needs to be addressed," he said. "And we can build out upon that." Writer Chris Morgan also confirmed with the LA Times that in Hobbs & Shaw, when Shaw mentions "making amends," he is specifically referring to the Han incident. Morgan said, "It’s part of the story that we’re working to. It’s such a big, giant part of [Shaw's] character, we wanted to be able to handle it gracefully and really give it the due that it needs — which we are moving towards."

11

A 'The Italian Job' Crossover?

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During a scene in Hobbs & Shaw, when Shaw shows his car collection to Hattie and Hobbs, he nonchalantly mentions that his Mini Cooper was for a job in Italy. It's a clear reference to Statham's 2003 heist film The Italian Job, which also happens to star Theron. Reddit fan pm_me_your_squidhole jokes in a thread that the two cinematic universes might collide. It's probably just a fun tidbit, but who knows? No one could have predicted where these films would be now after the first Fast movie.

None of these theories have been confirmed, but there's a lot to hope for, from blasting off into space to Helen Mirren drifting in a two-eater to #JusticeforHan.