As the focus character of the Fast & Furious series, Dominic Toretto has faced off against powerful enemies and led his team in pulling off heists around the globe. The character has made Vin Diesel an action icon due to fans enjoying Dom’s penchant for one-liners and big-time action sequences. However, Dom isn’t the only character fans consider to be a hero.
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Prior to Paul Walker’s passing, Brian O’Conner enjoyed the status as one of the leads. In fact, Brian was introduced as the true hero of the first two movies, with the fan-favorite character intriguing viewers with his character arc and development. Both men proved to be worthy leaders and protagonists of the franchise – but if fans had to pick, who would they say is the best?
Dominic: Charisma

He may be a man of few words, but Dom certainly knows how to retain the viewer’s interest. Throughout the Fast & Furious movies, Dom’s character has changed a lot, to the extent that fans are drawn to him for audiences. This is mostly due to his charismatic influence, as Dom’s quiet but dangerous personality is an endearing quality.
Brian is an everyman personality, in that he’s approachable and clearly a decent guy. However, Dom’s persona is such that he carries an aura of mystery around, one which fans tend to enjoy as he pulls off this attribute to charismatic lengths.
Brian: Friendships Within The Crew
Brian’s friendly personality allows him to have deeper connections within the group even though they are generally known as Dom’s crew. Dom has never been shown to be too tight with the rest other than with Han, with just Brian being his other close bond.
Meanwhile, Brian is Roman’s childhood friend, has a longstanding friendship with Tej, was a confidant to Letty, and also had a healthy relationship with Han and Gisele. The tribute to Brian in Furious 7 proved that the majority of good times in the series have to do with him.
Dominic: Combat Skills
Dom’s skills have only grown with each movie, to the point where he’s taken on the likes of Hobbs and Shaw on his own and beaten them. Unlike those men and many other villains, Dom has no combat training, yet his skills are so great, he can come away with the win.
Brian wasn’t in situations where he had to fight nearly as much as Dom has. The moments where he did engage in battle were kept low-key, with Brian hardly ever engaging the main villain. Due to this, Dom is the natural pick to defend anyone as he never loses.
Brian: Dialogue
This is an easy point in Brian’s favor since Dom is a man of few words. Moreover, Brian has had far more genuine pieces of dialogue, ranging from his declaration of love to Mia and their children, to voicing out the abandonment he felt from his absentee father.
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Even his last line of bidding farewell to Dom remains memorable and attests to how Brian had such a profound presence. Dom is of the one-liner variety, where he utters out dialogue meant to sound cool but that just don’t carry deeper meanings.
Dominic: Feats Against Villains
The villains in the Fast & Furious movies are mainly established through their interactions with the protagonists. The antagonists in the movies Dom wasn’t in aren’t memorable, with his conflict with the likes of the Shaw brothers, Cipher, and Jakob all lasting in memory.
The main reason for this is due to Dom’s feats against these villains, such as Dom destroying Cipher’s drone in F9 by himself or his one-on-one match-up against Deckard Shaw in Furious 7. Brian has hardly ever had a personal grudge with the antagonists, so he’s not associated with them.
Brian & Dom: Car Skills
It’s true that Dom has always come out on top during races against Brian, but both men have been very entertaining in this department. In addition to races, Dom and Brian have put their car skills to use in action sequences.
This has led to times like their driving off cars from the train in Fast Five, along with the duo driving a car through skyscrapers in Furious 7. Whether it’s Dom or Brian, viewers can be sure that the men will be putting on a great show if there happens to be a car around.
Dominic: Memorable Scenes
The majority of the best stunts in the Fast & Furious movies involve Dom, who’s made a name for himself mainly due to this aspect. It’s not the only memorable thing about him, though, as scenes like Dom’s confrontation with Hobbs in Fast Five and his monologue about family are also one of the series’ most treasured moments.
Brian’s strong points have pretty much always involved Dom as well, while his solo scenes haven’t been given as much weight. As far as Dom is concerned, his onscreen appearances are always treated as highly important, making them the ones fans tend to remember.
Brian: Romantic Potential
Both Dom and Brian have love interests in Letty and Mia, respectively, but it’s Brian whose romance with Mia can be considered worthy of the main character. That’s because this pairing is the most developed, with Brian wooing Mia in the first movie, evolving into married life, and settling down.
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Dom’s romantic potential has certainly been explored through Letty’s absence, amnesia, and return, but it hasn’t been the focal part of his character. Brian is a far more romantic figure in general, whose arc is closely related to his love interest.
Dominic: Impact On The Story
While Brian was the main character of the first two movies, he wasn’t the basis for the Fast & Furious franchise. It’s Dom’s actions in the Fast & Furious movies, both right and wrong, that are highlighted and have an impact on the overarching story. After all, the direction of each movie is dependent on him.
The fifth movie had Hobbs pursue Dom, with the sixth and seventh showing the Shaw brothers consider Dom as their main rival. Cipher’s actions have been mainly to pursue Dom while the latter’s storyline with his brother was the backdrop of F9. It’s through Dom’s decisions and his dynamic with the villains that the story progresses, while Brian generally rides along.
Winner: Dominic Toretto
Considering that some of the best Fast & Furious story arcs revolve around Dom, he’s definitely the main character of the series. Brian is a solid supporting protagonist, but he doesn’t have the same kind of appeal, plot relevance, and connections with villains that a lead character needs to possess.
That lies firmly on Dom’s shoulders, whose brand value is such that the Fast & Furious franchise has run strong for over 20 years by now. While it’s a shame that Brian’s journey has come to an end, Dom is still here to lead the film series as its rightful lead character.
NEXT: Dominic Toretto vs Luke Hobbs – Who Is The Better Fast & Furious Hero?