Despite its humble beginnings, Dominic Toretto was replaced by Roman Pearce in Fast & Furious' second outing, while Paul Walker has been written out of the recent films, having sadly ed away in 2013.

They also both missed Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, which appeared to be a huge wake-up call for Universal, but despite initially learning from its mistakes, the saga continued even after Walker's death. While Fast & Furious 11 is set to end the box office juggernaut's main story, the IP has become so big that spinoff projects seem inevitable, suggesting the film series isn't going anywhere. Although the latest installments have provided plenty of entertainment and dramatic stunts, they haven't been able to match the quality of Furious 7, proving one harsh reality about the franchise.

2 Fast 2 Furious And Tokyo Drift Proved Fast & Furious Needed Brian And Toretto

Despite Their Charm, 2 Fast 2 Furious & Tokyo Drift Struggled Without Both Protagonists

After a successful first movie, Fast & Furious struggled to find its identity as the second and third films remain low points for the franchise. 2 Fast 2 Furious still has a level of charm and personality that makes it favorable among fans like myself, but it's one of the lowest rated entries in the entire series, suggesting something went wrong. The chemistry between Brian and Roman was good, but it didn't hit the same heights as Brian and Dom's complex friendship, hence the project's failure. Rather than reuniting the duo, Tokyo Drift dropped them both, resulting in disappointing results.

Fast & Furious 11 is scheduled to hit theaters in 2026.

Instead of building on the groundwork of the first two films, Tokyo Drift followed a new character in a completely different setting, resulting in it becoming Fast & Furious' lowest-grossing movie. Vin Diesel featured in a brief cameo and the story was relatively intriguing, but the film's swift change in direction makes it unrecognizable from the franchise's other entries. Both flopped critically and while 2 Fast 2 Furious' box office was decent in comparison to Tokyo Drift's, it is a far cry from the impressive numbers Fast & Furious would eventually achieve.

Although each film has its own individual problems, they prove that the saga is at its weakest without Dom and Brian together. Fast & Furious struggled without Vin Diesel, hence his official return in the fourth movie, and while Walker's absence hasn't impacted the recent projects financially, his presence is still sorely missed. The characters played off each other perfectly and balanced each other out, making it clear why they were eventually reunited.

Fast & Furious 4 Wasn’t Great, But Dom And Brian’s Returns Made It Worth It

The Return Of Dom & Brian's Dynamic Helped Set Up Fast & Furious' Best Films

Having been apart for the previous two movies, Dom and Brian were finally reunited in Fast & Furious 4, and their returns made the movie worth it. The 2009 film is far from the franchise's best work, but it was the start of something much bigger and is arguably the reason Fast & Furious became a blockbuster series. While the story left a lot to be desired, seeing Brian and Dom share the screen again was eight years in the making and helped forge a much-needed new identity after back-to-back disappointments.

The fourth installment was the real beginning of Fast & Furious' ridiculous stunts, as the over-the-top action sequences became a staple of the saga thereafter. Its ambitious nature may have failed to stick the landing, but 2009's Fast & Furious planted the seeds of higher stakes drama and more interesting character dynamics, with Brian and Dom's friendship taking center stage. The former rivals turned friends dynamic was easily one of the best parts of the film, and without this relationship, Fast Five wouldn't have gone on to become the franchise's best entry.

Fast & Furious 6 continued to build on this, leading to the highly emotional Furious 7, which confirmed the duo's connection was the selling point of the series. Unfortunately, this meant that Fast & Furious was never the same after Paul Walker's death, no matter how hard the saga tried to move on without him.

Fast & Furious Can’t Replace Brian And Dom’s Dynamic (& Should’ve Ended After Furious 7)

Furious 7 Offered The Perfect Send-Off & The Franchise Has Never Recaptured This Magic

As the second and third films proved, Fast & Furious can't replace Dom and Brian's connection, suggesting Furious 7 was the perfect time to end. Although there have been several movies since Walker's death, Fast & Furious has been incredibly respectful towards the actor and honored Brian's legacy by giving him the perfect send-off. Walker ed away during the filming of Furious 7, but with the help of his brothers, his character was able to get a completed character arc that culminated in him riding off on his own adventure.

Despite the action series being known for its slightly ridiculous nature, Brian's last ride was a genuinely touching tribute and the visual of him and Dom heading down different roads symbolized the perfect end to both of their stories.

Despite the action series being known for its slightly ridiculous nature, Brian's last ride was a genuinely touching tribute and the visual of him and Dom heading down different roads symbolized the perfect end to both of their stories. However, there have been three mainline movies since, alongside a spinoff, and none of them have been quite as good as Furious 7. The franchise still provides laughs and entertainment to this day, but without Brian by Dom's side, the heart and soul of Fast & Furious is gone, confirming that the story should have ended almost a decade ago.