WARNING: The following contains spoilers for F9, now in theaters
F9 is finally in theaters and is a chaotic, action-packed spectacle about family. The film brought back fan-favorite character Han Lue (Sung Kang). Lucas Black's Sean Boswell also makes his triumphant return to the Fast franchise, joining his mentor and fellow The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift alum Han, bringing their characters full circle. Now, fans finally have an answer to what Sean has been doing since Tokyo Drift.
In F9, Sean works at a rocket test site in Germany with Twinkie (Bow Wow) and Earl Hu (Jason Tobin). The trio is hard at work testing a Pontiac Fiero equipped with rocket engines when Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) show up looking for some wheels. After roasting Twinkie about his name and marveling at the invention, Roman and Tej drop Dom's name. Sean knows they can be trusted and helps them out, but not before they test the rocket-boosted Pontiac Fiero. The scene is short, but Sean, Twinkie and Earl play a pretty crucial part in F9. They provide the means for Roman and Tej to go to space to take out a satellite and provide some much-needed connective tissue to Tokyo Drift.
Sean briefly appears in Furious 7. After Han's death at the end of Fast & Furious 6, Dom goes to Tokyo to find out who killed Han. Dom races Sean before the two discuss what happened to Han. Sean gives Dom Han's belongings, including a picture of Gisele (Gal Gadot) and the crucifix chain that Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) leaves at Han's car after "killing" him. Sean meeting Dom in Furious 7 is also supposed to be the ending scene of Tokyo Drift, connecting two movies that came out almost a decade apart. The Fast and Furious franchise's timeline is confusing, but the recent films have gone out of their way to make sure everything links up.
As such, it's nice to see Sean and the Tokyo Drift gang doing well with an unbelievable job in Germany, where they strap rockets to cars for a living. Sean, Twinkie and Earl have come a long way from the underground Tokyo street racer life audiences last saw them in. Now they are essentially a part of the Toretto family, helping the crew get to space and getting the coveted invite to Dom's backyard barbeque.
Sean, Twinkie and Earl are invited to the Toretto house for food, family and, of course, Coronas. Han, the man once thought dead, shows up and greets his Tokyo Drift buddies in a touching moment. Han tells Sean being alive is a long story, and they should just enjoy each other and the party. Tokyo Drift has now come full circle in the Fast universe, and Sean is officially a part of the Toretto family.
Sean's contribution in F9 was great to see for long-time fans. There's a big chance he comes back in the fold for Fast and Furious 10. Not to mention fans probably want to see more of Han and Sean together for old time's sake.
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.Â
KEEP READING: What's Next for the Fast & Furious Franchise After F9