WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Fast.
The DC Universe meets the Fast & Furious family in Fast X, which features ten actors who are part of both franchises. While Fast & Furious began as the story of Brian O’ Conner and Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious (2001), the saga has since become a blockbuster franchise bringing an impressive ensemble cast in each film. Fast X, like all the recent Fast & Furious movies, combined up-and-coming actors with established movie stars, many of which are also in the DC Universe.
The list of DC actors who are in Fast & Furious has been quite large for a while, but it reached a new high with Fast X. It must be noticed that Fast & Furious as a blockbuster franchise essentially began in Fast Five (2011), whereas the DCEU began with 2013’s Man of Steel. As such, both sagas shaped their casts around the same period, which can explain why so many DC actors are also in Fast & Furious. Here are 10 DC actors in Fast X, starting with Dwayne Johnson’s return as Hobbs.
10 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
In 2011, more than a decade before Black Adam premiered, Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast & Furious family as Luke Hobbs. Interestingly, The Rock was cast as Black Adam in 2007, although the project would only come to fruition in 2022. Therefore, technically, Dwayne Johnson was already in the DC Universe when he joined the Fast & Furious franchise. The Rock may not have saved Fast & Furious, but his portrayal of Hobbs in Fast Five gave the saga a unique antagonist and elevated the franchise as a whole. The Rock’s role in Fast Five cemented the film as an action-adventure, thus changing Fast & Furious forever.
After Fast Five, Dwayne Johnson reprised his role as Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, and The Fate of the Furious. The eighth Fast & Furious film was surrounded by a behind-the-scenes controversy regarding a public feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, which eventually led to the announcement that The Rock would not be in F9. In the meantime, Johnson starred along with Jason Statham in the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff. Surprisingly, The Rock has returned to Fast & Furious, with Fast X’s post-credits scene featuring Hobbs’ comeback. Black Adam’s box office bomb may have played a role in Johnson’s decision to rejoin the Fast family.
9 Gal Gadot
When crafting the DC cinematic universe ahead of a Justice League movie, director Zack Snyder cast Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Gal Gadot’s career had started not too long ago when she joined Batman v Superman’s cast, the actress had already been part of a cinematic franchise – Fast & Furious. Gal Gadot joined the Fast Saga in Fast & Furious (2009) as Gisele, a supporting character working for the villain Braga who later helped Dominic Toretto. Gal Gadot would then return as Gisele in Fast Five, which brought together multiple characters from all previous films. Gisele also returned for Fast & Furious 6.
Gisele died in Fast & Furious 6, which Fast X’s Gal Gadot cameo now retcons. Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman around a year after Fast & Furious 6 premiered, meaning that she was already technically out of the Fast Saga when she joined the DC Universe. Gal Gadot starred as Diana Prince in Batman v Superman, two Wonder Woman solo films, Justice League, and Shazam 2. Fast X’s Gisele return not only brings a character back to the team, but it also brings a now much more popular star back into the franchise. Gadot’s future as Wonder Woman remains to be revealed, but Gisele is back to Fast & Furious.
8 Jason Momoa
While Jason Momoa had already starred in projects like Game of Thrones, playing Aquaman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice set the stage for him to become a movie star. After the Batman v Superman cameo, Momoa returned as Aquaman in Justice League and Aquaman, the latter of which is currently the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. Having become a powerhouse name of his own after Aquaman, Jason Momoa was a safe, solid choice to join the Fast Saga as the new antagonist that could shake things up for Toretto’s family. Momoa’s Dante Reyes stole the show in Fast X, delivering a unique Fast & Furious villain.
Related: Who Is In Fast X? Cast & Character Guide
Jason Momoa returns as Aquaman in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom on December 25, 2023. However, Momoa’s future as Aquaman in James Gunn’s DC Universe is up in the air, as DC Studios is rebooting the franchise and recasting characters such as Superman and Batman. There have even been rumors about Jason Momoa playing Lobo, not Aquaman, in the new DC Universe. Either way, Momoa is one of the faces of the DCEU and has now become an essential part of the Fast Saga ahead of its finale. Dante Reyes doesn’t die in Fast X, meaning that Jason Momoa will return in the upcoming Fast & Furious11.
7 John Cena
John Cena joined the Fast & Furious family and the DC Universe around the same time. Filming for F9 and The Suicide Squad happened in the same year, and the movies were released just a couple of months apart. In F9, John Cena played Jakob Toretto, Dom and Mia’s long-lost brother who, in a significant retcon, had never been mentioned by either of them. Cena’s Jakob Toretto was the main antagonist for most of F9 before being redeemed at the end of the film. In The Suicide Squad, John Cena played Peacemaker in a different, intense take on the obscure DC character. Cena would then star in his own Peacemaker spinoff series.
Considering that Jakob was redeemed in F9 and rejoined the family, it was no surprise that John Cena returned in Fast X. Jakob spent most of the film protecting his nephew, Brian Toretto, from Dante Reyes. In perhaps the most shocking Fast X scene, Jakob Toretto died protecting Dom’s son. While Fast & Furious keeps bringing dead characters back, Jakob’s sacrifice made sense in the context of Fast X’s story and should not be retconned in Fast X, Part 2. Peacemaker season 2 starring John Cena is currently in development, now as part of a new DC Universe.
6 Alan Ritchson
Alan Ritchson starred as Hank, a.k.a. Hawk, in Titans, but his history with DC began much earlier. Ritchson played Arthur Curry, the Aquaman, in Smallville for four seasons. Ritchson also voiced Aquaman in the DC animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier. Now, Alan Ritchson joins the Fast & Furious franchise as Aimes. Although Aimes was an antagonist from the start, the character was revealed to be working with Dante all along in a massive Fast X twist. Considering Fast X’s cliffhanger ending, Ritchson’s Aimes is expected to return in Fast X, Part 2.
5 Scott Eastwood
Scott Eastwood joined the Fast & Furious family in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious as Little Nobody, Mister Nobody’s apprentice. A year before that, Scott Eastwood played a minor role in Suicide Squad (2016) – Lieutenant GQ Edwards. After missing F9, Eastwood returned in Fast X, assisting Dominic Toretto’s family for most of the movie now that Mister Nobody’s whereabouts were unknown. Eastwood’s Little Nobody will likely return for Fast X, Part 2.
4 Daniela Melchior
Daniela Melchior had her breakout role in The Suicide Squad (2021), where she played Ratcatcher 2. Melchior recently reunited with James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and now joins the Fast & Furious family in Fast X. Daniela Melchior plays Isabel Neves in Fast X, who is revealed to be Elena’s sister. Fast X revisited Fast Five in a lot of ways, including Elena’s backstory as a police officer in Rio de Janeiro. Isabel is Brian Toretto’s aunt, meaning that Dominic Toretto’s family just got bigger. Melchior’s Isabel is also expected to return in Fast X, Part 2.
3 Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren recently starred in Shazam! Fury of the Gods as Hespera, the film’s main villain. Although Mirren’s performance as Hespera elevated the Shazam! sequel, Fury of the Gods was a box office bomb and is not expected to have a sequel. Mirren joined the Fast & Furious family in 2017 for The Fate of the Furious, where she played Magdalene Shaw. The mother of Owen Shaw and Deckard Shaw was the key for Dominic Toretto to defeat Cipher and for Jason Statham’s character to be redeemed. Mirren returned as Magdalene Shaw in F9, Hobbs & Shaw, and Fast X.
2 Michael Rooker
Like John Cena, Michael Rooker joined the Fast & Furious and DC Universe franchises around the same time for F9 and The Suicide Squad, respectively. In F9, Rooker played Buddy, who worked with Jack Toretto and ended up raising Jakob. A couple of months later, Rooker appeared as Savant in The Suicide Squad, one of the Task Force X characters who were killed off. While Michael Rooker did not appear in Fast X, Buddy is on the list of names Dante Reyes is keeping track of for his revenge against Toretto and could return in Fast X, Part 2.
1 Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson is one of the latest actors to be part of both the DC Universe and the Fast & Furious franchise. Davidson played Blackguard in The Suicide Squad, one of the Suicide Squad members who died right at the beginning of the film. Pete Davidson’s Fast X cameo saw him as Bowie, a friend of Ramsey, to whom the crew goes for help. After a failed negotiation to get Bowie’s hacking services, Pete Davidson’s Fast X character betrayed Ramsey, Roman, Tej, and Han by exposing their location.