While fans are stoked Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is returning to the Fast & Furious franchise, there are issues to fix with his Luke Hobbs on-screen.
It’s safe to say fans were stunned by the news that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be returning to the Fast & Furious franchise. It’s been spoiled that Fast X‘s post-credits scene has him rejoining the action, leaving diehards wondering how Johnson has moved past his very public spat with Vin Diesel. That said, avid loyalists are glad both alphas could set aside their differences for the good of the narrative.
After all, there’s a lot of storytelling potential to mine with so many terrorist threats to come. Not to mention, with the franchise winding down à la Avengers: Endgame, it would feel incomplete without The Rock’s Luke Hobbs helping save the world. However, with a new Fast & Furious trilogy in play, there have to be adjustments to how Hobbs is portrayed.
Fast & Furious Has Watered Down Hobbs
Now, when Hobbs came to the fore in Fast Five as a Diplomatic Security Service agent hunting Dom and Brian, he was quite aggressive. And rightfully so, as the gang was a pretty tough one to take down. This gave Hobbs personality and character, propping him up as an apex predator alongside Dom, who wasn’t accustomed to being the prey like this. This gave Rock a bit more grit and edge, cutting away from his past, more family-friendly action roles.
But after Hobbs aligned with Team Toretto over the next few Fast & Furious movies, that charm and charisma faded. He became more of a lackey and less like his own character. Hobbs actually ended up following the mold of so many other generic Rock characters, such as Chris Vaugh in Walking Tall and Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It’s only when he worked with his former enemy, Deckard, in Hobbs & Shaw that he got some of his groove back. To that point, it feels like he’s better off as a super-spy than someone listening to Dom. That direction simply dilutes what Hobbs should be. Admittedly, it could tie into why Rock and Diesel had creative differences, as it does feel like Hobbs had to play second-fiddle to Dom.
Fast & Furious Can Return Hobbs to His Roots
The Rock reprising his role presents a chance for the Fast & Furious series to take Hobbs back to his roots, running his own crew with his signature flair and style. John Cena’s Jakob is a great template for how this could work, as he’s seen going off on a side quest to protect Dom’s son. He’s having fun, breaking away from his own generic character who feuded with Dom. Thus, Hobbs can follow the same path, working with the Shaw family and even the illustrious Han as a splinter team. This would also harness that Marvel energy that director Louis Leterrier loves, showing how teamwork can indeed make a difference.
Such an approach allows Hobbs to be a leader, command the screen away from Dom and simply give both gigantic personalities their cake and room to eat it. This way, Hobbs resumes his intense nature and acts as Dom’s equal again, which is where he shines brightest. Given that Dante (played by Jason Momoa), Cipher and the new enemies looming will indeed be scary, intimidating ones, it’d just feel organic to have Hobbs as this no-nonsense beast again who takes control in Fast & Furious. Ultimately, this is a chance to right the ship and make Hobbs’ return quite impactful, capping his character and the idea of family the right way.
