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Summary

  • Han faked his death with Mr. Nobody's help to fulfill a crucial mission involving a powerful device.
  • Han's return in F9: The Fast Saga brings him back to the crew and hints at the potential fallout from his demise.
  • Fast X sees Han reuniting with Deckard, seeking help, but his fate remains uncertain after a plane crash at the end of the film.

Seemingly killed off in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the return of Han (Sung Kang) has been a major mystery surrounding F9 and Fast X. Now, fans finally have an answer to how Han cheated death in Tokyo Drift and what his shockingly important mission was afterward.

Han Lue was introduced in Tokyo Drift (although he'd previously appeared in director Justin Lin's earlier and initially unconnected film, Better Luck Tomorrow). A Tokyo-based street racer, Han became a mentor to the newly immigrated Sean Boswell and was seemingly killed during a car pileup during a race. However, The Fast & The Furious franchise's timeline meant the events of Tokyo Drift actually occurred after Fast & Furious 6.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 8, 2024: The Fast and Furious franchise is gearing up for its final ride, with an eleventh installment set to bring the long-running action thriller series to an explosive end. After the cliffhanger conclusion of Fast X, many characters' fates are left unknown ahead of the as-yet-untitled Fast and Furious 11. Among these is Sung Kang's Han Lue, who has already died and come back to life in previous installments of the Fast and Furious franchise.

Did Han Die in Tokyo Drift?

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13 Characters That Flipped Allegiances in the Fast & Furious Movies
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Trivia

  • Sung Kang has worked with director Justin Lin on six occasions, including three five Fast and Furious movies and the 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow.

Fast & Furious, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 saw Han serving as a member of Dominic Toretto's (Vin Diesel) crew, helping in multiple heists and falling in love with his fellow crew member Gisele (Gal Gadot). The crew was re-recruited by Toretto to confront Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) and an amnesiac Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in Fast & Furious 6, proving to be crucial to Shaw's defeat. However, Gisele was lost in the ensuing climactic battle. Han was then retconned to have died in Tokyo Drift's conclusion at the hands of Shaw's vengeful brother Deckard (Jason Statham).

However, F9 reveals that Han never died during that race. Instead, he faked his death with the help of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). A reoccurring government agent who has recruited Toretto and his allies multiple times over the years, Mr. Nobody approached Han after Gisele -- who'd secretly been one of his agents -- was killed. He plopped Han in her place, giving the bereaved man a new purpose in life after leaving the Toretto family behind.

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Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift's Confusing Timeline, Explained
Han is remembered for his death in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but somehow, he returned in the franchise's next three films.

One of his missions was to recover one-half of the Aries device, which could be used to commandeer almost any computer system in the world if completed. Although his mission was successful, Han also found himself forced to save a young girl named Elle, the daughter of the device's designers. Taking Elle under his wing, Han and Mr. Nobody arranged his staged death to make the world believe he -- the last possible connection to Elle, secretly the key to activating the device -- had perished. The two remained in hiding for years until Jakob's hunt for the Aries brought Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and Letty to Tokyo to learn more about his death.

Han was quickly and happily reintegrated into the crew, bringing a young adult Elle (Anna Sawai) along with him. Although Elle was briefly kidnapped and used to almost activate the device, Han rescued her during F9's climactic chase -- with the film ending with him and Elle being present for a celebratory barbecue at the rebuilt Toretto home. However, F9: The Fast Saga also teased the potential fallout of his "death" in the post-credits scene. Deckard Shaw (as well as his entire family) had been subsequently revealed to be more heroic than they initially appeared, with Deckard even becoming something of an honorary crew member.

Does Han Seek Revenge Against the Shaw Family in Fast X?

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Trivia

  • Sung Kang appears as Han Lue in six Fast and Furious movies, beginning with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. His most recent appearance is in Fast X, though he is expected to return in the franchise's upcoming eleventh installment.

F9's post-credits scene saw Deckard interrogating a criminal, looking for information on a mysterious new case. Hearing a banging on the door, Deckard opened it and was shocked to see Han alive. It's an enticing set-up, with questions remaining about how Han will respond to Deckard and his place within the group. Fast X reunites Deckard and Han as they let the past lie and focus on their future as prospective allies instead.

Deckard automatically assumed that Han wanted revenge and fought him in retaliation. After much convincing, Han explained that he didn't visit Deckard for revenge -- he actually came for help. However, Han's future with the crew and the Shaw family is unknown once again, as he was shot down in a plane at the end of the film with no indication if he's alive or not.

Does Han Survive Fast X?

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15 Best Quotes About Family In The Fast & Furious Franchise
Letty, Han, Roman, and Tej are all members of Dominic Toretto's crew, and he frequently refers to them as his family in the Fast & Furious franchise.

Trivia

  • Fast and Furious 11 is set to hit theaters on April 4, 2025, though the film may yet be delayed. A spinoff following Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs and Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes is also in the works.

Audiences are anxiously awaiting any news on Fast X, Part 2, which will finish off the long-running franchise and resolve the explosive cliffhanger from the previous film. One of the many questions that Fast X left viewers with is whether or not Han Lue is even still alive. The film ended with Dante Reyes and the traitorous secret agent Aimes shooting down a plane filled with Dominic Toretto's friends, including Han, Roman Pearce, Tej Parker, and Ramsey. Their fates are not shown, suggesting that not all of these fan-favorite characters will still be alive by the beginning of Fast and Furious 11.

Fans certainly want Han to have survived the plane crash at the end of Fast X, especially since his long-thought-deceased girlfriend Gisele Yashar has recently returned. It would be truly tragic if it were revealed that Han died just before getting his chance to finally reunite with Gisele after all these years. The Fast and Furious franchise usually steers away from such heartbreaking endings but may choose to go down this tragic road to add extra gravity to its final installment. Even so, Han has cheated death in the past and could still do so again, fighting his way back to his family one last time.

Whether he lives or dies, Han Lue's story will finally come to an end in Fast and Furious 11, set to release next year. The franchise could choose to leave Han's character on a happy note, reuniting him with Gisele, or take a more tragic direction by killing him off for a second time.

The Fast and the Furious Film Poster
Fast and Furious

Fast & Furious is an American media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. 

Created by
Ken Li
First Film
The Fast And The Furious
Latest Film
Fast X
First TV Show
Fast & Furious Spy Racers
Cast
Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Sung Kang , Michelle Rodriguez , Jordana Brewster , Ludacris , Tyrese Gibson , Dwayne Johnson , John Cena , Jason Statham , Jason Momoa , Helen Mirren , Kurt Russell , Charlize Theron
Video Game(s)
Fast & Furious Arcade , Fast & Furious Crossroads