Even though the timeline and mythology as a whole has only grown more convoluted over time, nobody in the history of the Fast & Furious franchise has experienced a canonical ride quite as wild as Sung Kang’s fan favorite Han.
First introduced in Tokyo Drift, the character proved to be so popular that he was invited back for Vin Diesel-directed short film Los Bandoleros, before being integrated into the family full-time when the fifth and sixth installments were revealed to take place before he was killed onscreen.
Of course, he was then bumped off for a second time (with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw retconned to be the culprit), before eventually being brought back from the dead when the #JusticeForHan movement gained such serious traction that it was taken as gospel and incorporated into last year’s F9.
Taking to Instagram to share more behind the scenes insight into Fast X, producer and leading man Diesel reflected on the long and arduous journey required to bring Han back into the fold in the first place.
We haven’t even mentioned Justin Lin’s 2002 crime thriller Better Luck Tomorrow, either, which was folded into official Fast & Furious lore when the director confirmed that the two separate figures named Han played by Kang were in fact one and the same, adding another wrinkle to his long and winding backstory.
Having proven himself as one of The Fast Saga‘s key players, there’s surely no way replacement Louis Letterier or Diesel will conspire to kill Han again based on the backlash first time around. Or will they?