Something about the Fast and the Furious franchise doesn't make sense. I'm not talking about the team's sudden development of incredible fighting skills, an international network of contacts, Dom's ability to fly, Tej's ludicrous hacking skills, or...
Something about the Fast and the Furious franchise doesn't make sense. I'm not talking about the team's sudden development of incredible fighting skills, an international network of contacts, Dom's occasional ability to fly, Tej's ludicrous hacking skills, or even the timing of Dom's son's conception. That's all fine. The mystery for me has always been what happened to Leon. Remember, Leon? He's the jacked white guy who is part of Dom's crew in the original Fast and the Furious. Not Vince. The other one. You know, he's there doing stuff in the background with Jesse and, when the final truck hijacking goes wrong, Dom tells Leon to go back for Letty (who rolled her car or something). Leon is neither seen nor heard from again. He's not in any of the other movies. He's a member of la familia one day, then he's just gone. We don't even get a courtesy explanation like we had for Brian (Paul Walker) in F8, something like: "No, we all agreed not to bring Leon into our further adventures." The most logical explanation is that Leon was allied with Dom in a covert war to save America.
Hear me out.
To understand what Dom and Leon were doing, think back to what was happening in the real world before the Fast and the Furious was released that glorious summer of 2001. Remember the debacle of the 2000 election? Butterfly ballots. A recount. A halted recount. The split Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore. That misadventure was more ridiculous than Dom and Brian's Abu Dhabi escape route. We don't need a 4chan thread to know the insanity of the 2000 election was no accident. I believe Dom's story - the full story - can tell us what was really going on.
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Let's review Dominic Toretto's background.
He spent two years in Lompac prison for nearly beating Kenny Linder to death after Linder caused an accident that killed Dom's father. In the Fast and the Furious, we see Dom's crew hijacking semi trucks with speeding cars on a highway and a grappling gun - an MO that's especially bold in broad daylight). That's not exactly what you'd expect for a street gang - even a gang of racers - interested in money and avoiding jail/death. And this is nothing compared to the dazzling skills that he has demonstrated in subsequent adventures.
How does he go from stock car racing to elaborate international heists and counterterrorism? Here's my theory.
The turning point is Lompac. This is a dark time for Dom. He comes to believe that being part of the racing world is what put him here - not just the direct connection to his father's death, but the mindset and lifestyle that made him the type of person who could nearly kill someone in a fit of rage. Dom swears off racing and asks Letty and co. to stop visiting him. Then something happens.
A rich Wall Street-type becomes Dom's cellmate. Even though Dom isn't exactly emotionally available or interested in friendship, he steps in to prevent a couple of Russian thugs from killing the guy. This puts Dom on a naughty list and earns him a favor from the rich guy who promises to fix Dom up with a job at a New York stock brokerage firm where Dom is certain to make millions. And this does not go unnoticed by a squad of covert operatives fighting to protect democracy.
