The Fast & Furious Character Who Changed The Most In 20 Years Is Not Dominic Toretto

The Fast and Furious franchise has had a few changes over the years, however, the character who changed the most is surprisingly not Dominic Toretto. Releasing in 2001 and grossing $207 million worldwide, The Fast and the Furious introduced a world of illegal action-packed street racing starring Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker). Since then, the racing franchise has released a total of 11 movies, including one spin-off, providing a complex timeline for the Fast and Furious movies and an ever-growing cast list. However, the release of Fast 11 will mark the end of the main series.

Although Vin Diesel has been the figurehead of the franchise since the death of his co-lead, Paul Walker, he didn’t appear in the second installment, 2 Fast 2 Furious, at all. Instead, the sequel focuses on Brian O’Conner and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson). This was because Roman Pearce was supposed to replace Dom Toretto as the lead character. However, Dom’s presence was missed, and he eventually returned in the fourth film, Fast & Furious, following a cameo in the third, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Roman Pearce didn’t return until Fast Five, where his character completely changed.

Roman Is The Fast & Furious Character Who Changed The Most In 20 Years

Other Character Changes Don’t Come Close

While Fast X had some of the biggest retcons and changes, Roman Pearce’s character is the one who changed the most in the franchise. Fast X changed a lot of characters, especially their backstories; Fast Five’s villain Hernan Reyes is humanized through Dante’s flashbacks, Gal Gadot’s Gisele Yashar returns from the dead, and Dwayne Johnson reappears in The Fast Saga, despite his previous comments of not wanting to return. While there were a lot of changes, especially regarding family members, the characters themselves remained relatively unchanged. However, Dominic Toretto’s character has changed over the course of The Fast Saga.

In the first few Fast & Furious films, family-oriented Dominic Toretto was depicted as a deeply flawed criminal character with trust and anger issues. He even fought with Brian O’Conner in Fast & Furious. Yet in later films, Dom is portrayed as a hero character, and his inward (and outward) conflicts seem to disappear. The Fate of the Furious (F9) forced Dom Toretto to turn on his family-like team to protect his ex and newly discovered child, marking a big character change for him. However, this was only temporary. Therefore, Roman Pearce’s personality transformation remains the biggest character change.

Fast & Furious Drastically Changed Its Plans For Roman After 2 Fast 2 Furious

Roman Was Set To Be Dom’s Replacement

The reason why Roman Pearce is considered the character who changed the most in the franchise is because he changed after 2 Fast 2 Furious. When Roman Pearce took over as Dom Toretto’s replacement in the second film, he was introduced as a witty ex-convict. Despite Tyrese Gibson’s performance, Roman’s character opposed Dom’s serious personality in The Fast and The Furious, which may have contributed to audiences preferring Dom as a main lead. Subsequently, Vin Diesel returned as the lead character, Dom Toretto, in future films and Tyrese Gibson was demoted to a supporting role following 2 Fast 2 Furious.

When Tyrese Gibson returned in Fast Five, marking Roman’s first on-screen appearance alongside Dom Toretto, audiences were surprised by the change in Roman’s character. Roman suddenly became the butt of every joke, seemingly bullied by the other characters for his comments and ideas. He transformed from a leading role in 2 Fast 2 Furious where he performed impressive car stunts alongside Brian, to becoming a background character that provides comedic relief for the audience. While Roman is not the only Fast & Furious character to be downgraded, he is undoubtedly the biggest considering his role in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

2 Fast 2 Furious Had The Best Version Of Roman

Roman Wasn’t Just Comedic Relief

Roman Pearce stood out in 2 Fast 2 Furious as the best version of his character. As Brian O’Conner’s childhood friend, Roman fleshed out Brian’s character by expanding his roots. The pair had a good dynamic due to the complications surrounding their previous situations; Brian worked in the LAPD and Roman was a convict. As an ex-convict, Roman was portrayed as a tough guy, though admittedly scared by crazy schemes, like when Brian O’Conner launched his car onto a yacht. He is also quite witty at times, providing levity to situations in a way which Dom didn’t in his role.

Brian O’Connor: Pockets ain’t empty, cuz.

Roman Pearce: And we ain’t hungry no more either, brah.

However, later in the Fast & Furious franchise, Roman fears most of the team’s schemes, and his character is often used as the punchline. In his friendship with Ludacris’s Trej, he often gets laughed at by the other character for his comments. Despite Roman’s wild invincibility theories and his position as the team’s scapegoat, there are times when he is quite smart, as he has come up with some successful plans for the team throughout the franchise. However, the character that Roman is now will never compete with 2 Fast 2 Furious because he has simply changed too much.

Fast & Furious

The Fast & Furious franchise revs through the adrenaline-fueled lives of Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers turned global heroes. From the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles to the bustling cities and remote outposts worldwide, they take on high-stakes heists, espionage, and the underground world of street racing. Bound by loyalty and driven by the need for speed, they confront mercenaries, corrupt officials, and personal vendettas all in the name of their found family.

Movie(s)

The Fast And The Furious , 2 Fast 2 Furious , The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , Fast & Furious , Fast Five , Fast and Furious 6 , Furious 7 , The Fate of the Furious , Hobbs and Shaw , F9: The Fast Saga , Fast X , Hobbs and Shaw 2 , Fast X: Part 2 (2026)

Cast

Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Michelle Rodriguez , Tyrese Gibson , Eva Mendes , Lucas Black , Sung Kang , Bow Wow , Jordana Brewster , Dwayne Johnson , Jason Statham , Charlize Theron , Idris Elba , John Cena

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