WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for F9, now in theaters.
One of the most impressive things the Fast & Furious franchise has done is create an interconnected universe. It spans nine films, as well as spinoffs, shocking fans who didn't expect the series to go from basically being Point Break with street racers to a realm of super-spies repeatedly saving the world from terrorists.
With F9 out and reuniting Team Toretto, let's dissect some of the Easter eggs and callbacks made to the very first movie.
The Orange Toyota Supra
In the first film, Brian drove a 1994 Toyota Supra MK IV in the finale to rescue Dom when they tried to jack armed truckers. Mia took the wheel and they'd used the car to catch Vince. Brian eventually gave the car to Dom to escape in the end as he believed the man deserved a second chance to rebuild his life.
F9 has Han driving a 2020 Toyota Supra in the final act of the film after he's found in Japan. Ironically, it's orange and black as well, and Mia's his co-pilot. He jumps onto a terrorist truck to rescue Elle, the key to Project: Aries, paying homage to the Vince rescue. Mia drives and makes a heroic catch when her evil brother, Jakob, is betrayed and kicked off the truck by the enemy. It's eventually destroyed by the terrorist truck, but the vigilantes do escape.
A 10-Second Car
At the end of the first movie, after Dom crashed his black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, he sped off in Brian's Supra. Brian admitted that he owed Dom "a 10-second car" after crashing the one he had on loan. This black car was given to Dom by his dad, so it had sentiment, and eventually got restored in the fourth movie. However, it once again gets destroyed.
That arc of redemption comes full-circle as Dom gives his black SpeedKore 1968 Dodge Charger to Jakob to escape the authorities. He's offering a second chance like Brian did for him, which Jakob accepts as he escapes in the "10 second car" Dom says he owes him. It shows that their brotherhood is still there and honors the late Paul Walker.
The Iconic Corona
The first film had Dom's crew drinking Coronas as their signature beers. They were present at the BBQs, plus when Dom had Brian over for a party, he made it clear that was the only beer to drink. Brian even drank Vince's Corona to taunt him over how Mia was actually into Brian and not Vince. It was sublime marketing and shot the brand into prominence.
This beer appears twice in F9, firstly with Buddy when Dom tracks him down to find out what happened to Jakob. Buddy offers him the beer as they discuss how Dom abandoned his brother after their dad's death, blaming Jakob wrongfully for the past. Coronas pop up again at the end where the crew's having their patented BBQ, with the team from Tokyo Drift popping some and chilling under the sun.
Saying Grace at Home
In the first film's BBQ, Dom was adamant that they say grace before eating. It was to teach Vince manners as he tried to disrespectfully grab the grub, but also to allow the team's engineer, Jesse, to lead. Jesse ends up dying, so grace has a lot more meaning for Dom as it's the connective tissue for family, tied to the cross on his chain -- a trinket Jakob has too.
This holy act appears at the end of F9 when Dom asks Little Brian to say grace. He tells him he can say whatever he wants as long as it's out of love. It throws back to Jesse who spoke from the heart and made the prayer about mechanics and car parts, providing an apt moment for all these characters who love the burning of rubber. This F9 scene also has the Toretto home being rebuilt as they've all moved back to LA after years of hiding. Ironically, here's where Dom had his classic shotgun in the first movie, which he does wield early on in F9 too.
Directed by Justin Lin, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron. The film is in theaters now.