Revving Up the Timeline: Fast X's Role in the Fast & Furious Universe

Sung Kang, who portrays Han in Fast X, has commented on a continuity error in the film's post-credits scene. Despite his character sporting long hair in the scene, Kang had a shorter haircut in the F9 post-credits scene, which serves as a direct continuation of the story. Kang revealed in an interview with Insider that production had initially asked him to cut his hair to match, but they ultimately found another solution.

I decided to give Han a new look for F9 since he's in hiding. It wouldn't make sense for him to walk around looking like himself, so I thought short hair would help him blend in better. However, I understand that people associate certain things with Han, such as snacks, cool cars, and his signature hair. His hair is almost like a superpower that defines him, so it was important to find a balance between keeping his iconic style and fitting the story.

"Attention to detail was a top priority for everyone involved in the project. This led to extensive discussions and notes about Han's hair in the tag, which was noted as being short. We conducted several tests to find a solution, experimenting with tucking in the hair to achieve a closer match."

Fast X's Place In The Fast & Furious Timeline Explained

The Fast & Furious franchise has a convoluted timeline, which is only made more confusing by the series' tendency to retcon deaths and events. For instance, Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift actually takes place after the events of three other movies in the franchise: Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6. In the latter film, a post-credits scene introduces Statham's Shaw as the person responsible for Han's supposed death in Tokyo Drift.

The movies follow a chronological order, with Fast X taking place approximately four years after the events of F9. This means that Han's post-credits scene where he confronts Shaw is somewhat temporally disconnected from the main narrative. Ideally, to maintain continuity, Han should have had short hair throughout Fast X. Despite efforts made during production, Han's hairstyle remains a noticeable continuity error. However, given the franchise's tendency to play fast and loose with timelines, character arcs, and deaths, this is a relatively minor issue. Although Han's reunion with Shaw in Fast X may not have satisfied all viewers hoping for "Justice for Han," Kang is dedicated to providing the best possible portrayal of the character for fans.

Source: Insider