Despite having previously been a massive part of the Fast and Furious franchise, there appeared to be no chance of a Dwayne Johnson Fast X appearance. Johnson first appeared in 2011's Fast Five as Hobbs. Working for the Diplomatic Security Service, he headed to Rio de Janeiro to arrest Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner, and the rest of the family after they are framed for the murders of several DEA agents, who were actually killed on the orders of crime lord Hernan Reyes. Following a wall-busting fight with Dom, Hobbs s forces with the family to avenge his fallen agents and bring Reyes to justice.
Johnson appeared as Luke Hobbs in every subsequent Fast and Furious franchise entry until 2021's F9, even earning his own spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, in 2019. Dwayne Johnson exited the Fast and Furious main series and left massive ramifications on F9. If he had not left, then John Cena may not have appeared as Dominic Toretto's long-lost brother, Jakob, thus retconning the character's entire backstory. However, an infamous behind-the-scenes feud seemed to ensure Dwayne Johnson's absence from Fast X.
Dwayne Johnson's Fast X Absence Stems From His Feud With Vin Diesel
The major explanation for the Dwayne Johnson Fast X exit stems from his infamous, ongoing feud with Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel. The feud between the franchise's two leading men became public in 2016, following the publication of a since-deleted Instagram post where Johnson accused several unspecified male cast of being "candy asses." The feud escalated during the production of F9 when co-star Tyrese Gibson blamed Johnson for a delay in filming. Although the feud only became public in 2016, it may have caused one infamous Fast & Furious 6 scene, where both Hobbs and Dom seem to change size with each cut.
After it was revealed that Johnson and Diesel did not film a single scene in The Fate of the Furious together due to their strained working relationship, Johnson left the main franchise for the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, which focused on Luke Hobbs' rivalry with Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw. Following Johnson's F9 absence, Diesel publicly asked him to return for Fast X on Instagram. However, Johnson turned him down, claiming that Diesel's post was manipulative. This indicates the feud between the two Fast and Furious actors remained very much alive.
How Hobbs' Absence Led To Jason Momoa's Dante In Fast X
Much like John Cena's casting in F9, Jason Momoa as Fast X character Dante is once again attempting to fill a Dwayne Johnson-sized hole in the Fast and Furious franchise. Dante occupies an antagonist role, similar to Hobbs in Fast Five, and both characters bring a significant physical presence. Momoa's Dante is the son of Fast Five villain Hernan Reyes, and he is out for revenge against the family following their successful heist in Rio de Janeiro and his father's death. However, unlike The Rock's Hobbs, Dante will never the family as most villains in the franchise have seemed to do over time.
With the Dwayne Johnson Fast X interest in reing Vin Diesel's onscreen family at rock bottom and little movement on the Hobbs & Shaw sequel, The Rock's time in the Fast and Furious lane seemed to be over. While he and Diesel remained at odds, there was almost no chance for a reunion. Despite having been such an important part of the Fast and Furious series as Luke Hobbs, Dwayne Johnson publicly made it known he would not be appearing in Fast X due to his ongoing feud with Vin Diesel. However, taking into The Rock's past as a professional wrestler, it might have been a work all along.
Dwayne Johnson Does Appear In The Fast X Post-Credits Scene
A "work" in professional wrestling is when two wrestlers pretend to have a feud behind the scenes to make their online stories more intriguing. There are also times when a real feud between two wrestlers leads to them using their heat to raise interest in an onscreen feud. After Fast X ended on a major cliffhanger that seemed to end with Dom's life in peril, there was a shocking post-credit scene. In that scene, a group of armed men entered a room and saw TV screens that showed various moments similar to what Dom found when Dante revealed his plans to ruin his life.
However, when the phone rang this time, Dante announced he had a new plan. One of the gunmen took off his helmet and revealed himself as Luke Hobbs. Dante said he killed Hernan, and now he was coming after Hobbs for revenge the same as he did Dom. The Dwayne Johnson Fast X return happened, despite all the denials, and Hobbs simply responded to bring it. While Vin Diesel publicly begged The Rock to return and Johnson publicly declined the invitation, he was there anyway at the end, and it seemed the two men might have taken their public feud and used it to create more anticipation for the finale to the Fast Saga.
