Letty Ortiz's return from the dead marked a huge shift in the Fast & Furious franchise and was a change for the better. The Fast & Furious franchise started out as a small heist film, essentially a car-focused remake of Point Break. Over the years, however, it has transformed into an over-the-top action franchise. In fact, the movies have pushed the willing suspension of disbelief to the point that some have theorized the Fast & Furious franchise is a comic book universe. Adding to this belief is the fact that multiple characters thought to be killed off have miraculously come back from the dead.
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The first of these surprise returns was franchise mainstay, Michelle Rodriguez's Letty Ortiz. During the events of Fast & Furious, the fourth movie in the franchise, Letty was killed by Fenix Calderon, despite Dominic Toretto's noble attempts to protect her. Letty made her return during the post-credits scene of Fast Five, where Monica Fuentes revealed to Luke Hobbs that Letty was in fact still alive, leading to Letty having a central role in Fast & Furious 6, where she works for Owen Shaw, the primary antagonist of the film.
Letty's resurrection demonstrated that death may not be what it seems in the Fast & the Furious franchise, as any character who is supposedly dead can always make a return. In fact, this has already happened, as Han Seoul-Oh had a surprise resurrection of his own in F9: The Fast Saga. Presumably, Hans was dead in the Fast & Furious timeline after his car exploded during a street pursuit in The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift. However, Han was secretly rescued by Mr. Nobody and made his return. Just like in comic books, any death in the franchise might not be permanent, as demonstrated by Letty's resurrection and Han's return. The audience will never know if a character is truly dead, or if that character faked their supposed death or was rescued by someone else before their demise. Letty's return completely changed what death means for the franchise, and had significant implications for the franchise moving forward.
Why Letty's Return From The Dead Was The Right Choice
Letty's resurrection from the dead was the right choice because it allowed the Fast & Furious franchise to truly double down and focus on its theme of family. Despite the fact that the films are primarily about cars, at their core, the Fast & Furious movies are about family and that no matter what an individual's upbringing or past is like, they can always find their family, even if not related by blood. It also embraces the idea that family can always forgive, with Letty's resurrection perfectly illustrating this theme. Dom never turned his back on Letty despite her role as one of the antagonists of Fast & Furious 6, as he believed she was still a part of his family.
Other Dead Fast & Furious Characters Who Can Still Return
Letty and Han's returns to the franchise prove that nearly any dead characters can return in future Fast & Furious films. One candidate who looks likely to return is Gisele Yashar, who was killed during Fast & Furious 6 after sacrificing herself to save Han's life. Interestingly, she was directly connected to the returns of both Letty and Han, as Gisele is the one who found Letty's body and hospitalized her, and she also worked with Mr. Nobody in the CIA. Other characters who could still return are Jesse and Elena Neves. With the last few Fast & Furious movies coming in the next few years, audiences should expect some surprise resurrections.