TheFast & Furiousfranchise is one that you either get or you don’t. And those of us who love it do so with our entire chest. Mainly because it is filled with rich characters that are willing to die for each other because family is all that they have. Obviously, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is of the utmost importance to the story as a whole, but he’s not the only character who makes the franchise what it is. And the character who brings the most to the series – and is a fan favorite for a reason – is none other than Han Seoul-Oh.
Also known as Han Lue, the character is played bySung Kangand first entered the world of Dom and his family inThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Well, technically, he entered it before that, since the next three films in the series all ended up taking place beforeTokyo DriftintheFast & Furioustimeline. But we, the audience, meet Han for the first time inthe underratedTokyo Drift, and by the end of the film, his final fate seems clear. He dies at the end of the movie, and, though it’s great to see Han again in the next three films, there’s a bit of a cloud hanging over him, even as he joins the team and falls in love with Gisele (Gal Gadot).
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ThenF9went and threw us all for a loop. Though we see Han die again during the end-credits scene inFast & Furious 6, we learn inF9that his death inTokyo Driftwas staged so that he could escape and go on an undercover mission … and, hey, why not? It just meant that we’d get more Han. So the specifics of it weren’t as important as knowing that Han was alive and back for future sequels. Maybe it was a result of the “Justice for Han” campaigns that fans had started because of our growing love for him as the series progressed, or maybe it was just what they’d always planned. But having Han return was huge for the franchise for many reasons.
Again, let’s not underestimate Han’s appeal in this series. The franchise hasso many big names and larger-than-life charactersthat you need someone who can bring you back down to Earth (sometimes literally with this series). And that person is Han. He’s sweet, caring, and always down for whatever Dom and the team have in store. He’s the audience’s guide into Dom’s world because he’s just a regular guy who gets swept up into the gang’s adventures, who has fun things to say, and who mostly just loves eating chips. It’s easy to get lost in a franchise likeThe Fast and the Furious.You could get swallowed up by big personalities, cars being thrown across buildings, the relationships that have been there from the first movie and beyond … and yet it’s Kang’s portrayal of Han that has stayed with the fans. Han sticks out because he’s around to have a good time, fall in love, and eat whenever he can. (Again, you cannot undersell Han’s ability to get the munchies no matter what insane task Dom’s gang is about to take on.) He’s funny, his motivations are simple, and, yes, part of why we love him is because he’sgoodat what he does. It’s also why the team wanted him in the first place. But seeing Han’s smile and knowing that he’s having a good time is what draws you into him as a character.
The Fans Demanded Han’s Return … And for Good Reason!
Han provides balance. MostFast & Furiouscharacters are overly expressive and in your face about what they want, but Han is content to just hang out in the background, mind his own business, and know that he’ll get the job done because he can. It’s why it’s so heartbreaking when Gisele dies inFast & Furious 6because you know what she meant to Han. He’d rather be in the back with her than dealing with these bigger issues. But he loves the team and his chosen family, so it’s into the fire he goes. There are few actors who can play a role like this and bring entire audiences together to formulate a “bring him back!” rallying cry. But Kang can and did. Han could have been a character that died, and we all just shrugged it off and moved on. But Kang has a way about him on screen (especially in this franchise) that draws you in. You want to spend more time with him. Kang took a character who often appears in the background of scenes and made him a character audiences couldn’t live without.
Sure, this franchisecouldhave gone on without Han, but it wouldn’t be the same one we know and love. Han helped to bring it all together because Kang knew exactly when to make us laugh or cry. That’s why his return was such a big deal for us all. It’s easy to dismiss Han. Maybe he’s not the character you thought of when you read this headline. But the thing is Han can be counted on by Dom’s team and audiences alike. That’s why people cheered in the theater during theF9when he walked in eating his chips. We were just so happy to see that he was alive and well – it didn’t matter why or how. All that mattered was Han was alive, and all was right and good with the world. Now, if only we could get Gisele back too, so that Han could get his own happy ending. And, hey, consideringhow death works in the Fast & Furious universe, we can’t entirely rule out the possibility of that happening
