Fast X Paves the Way To Fix Elena’s Blatant Fridging
Written by on May 25, 2023
The following contains spoilers for Fast X, now playing in theaters.
In The Fast and the Furious series, the concept of death hasn’t really stuck. It’s been proven with Letty and Han, who returned after many thought they died. However, one death that has stuck is that of Dominic Toretto’s ex, Elena. She and Dom began a romance in Fast Five, but it ended when he got back with Letty.
Unfortunately, fans felt the series doubled down on mistreating Elena when she was killed in the eighth film, The Fate of the Furious. Cipher had her taken out, which really felt like this was a fridging done for Dom’s character development. However, Louis Leterrier’s Fast X has now provided a path for the franchise to atone by having Elena’s fiery spirit return through someone close to her.
Fast X Introduces Isabel as Elena’s Sister
In Fast X, Dom goes to Brazil to stop Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes. There, Dom saves Isabel from a street race. Dante tries to kill her, but Dom nurses the young lady back to health. There, it’s revealed she’s Elena’s sister, who wants to be better after a turbulent past. Isabel felt she was the bad sister, compared to Elena, who tried to root out corruption in Rio de Janeiro.
Elena was the only cop Dante’s father couldn’t make dirty, so Isabel regrets how her sister ended up. There wasn’t any good karma for such a pure hero, especially as many felt Elena was just used as a prop. Her fate felt cold as she loved Dom, only to be dropped once Letty was resurrected. Given that she and Dom also had Little Brian together, her character, for all the good she did, just wasn’t serviced properly. But Isabel paves a road to live up to her sister’s name, which feels right as opposed to just elevating Dom’s tragic life.
Fast X Hints Isabel Will Become a Soldier
Apart from Dante trying to kill Isabel in the Rio race, he kidnaps her later on in the film. Luckily, Brie Larson’s Tess (from the Agency) saves Isabel, with Dom helping them during a shootout. While Dante escapes, Isabel takes a wounded Tess to the hospital, inspiring Dom to go save her nephew. With Dante having more numbers and Team Toretto splintered at the end of the film, the heroes need backup.
With Luke Hobbs returning in the post-credits, Isabel can join. Elena did work with Hobbs when she was alive, so Isabel working with him would feel pretty fitting. She has what it takes, as she’s an excellent driver and embodies the sense of family and loyalty Dom does. This can even position Isabel as someone Tess can bring into the Agency. She’d truly be following in Elena’s footsteps, helping end the Reyes legacy this way.
Even if Elena remains an anti-hero off the books, she’s also positioned to take Cipher down at some point. This can give her closure and have her eventually forge that connection to a Little Brian she’s never met. Dom’s son is isolated from the Brazilian half of his roots in LA, so a caring aunt who avenged Little Brian’s mother fits the narrative. Ultimately, the Fast & Furious series can redeem Elena’s arc this way, making up for how it treated her with little substance.
See how Isabel sets up her own path in Fast X, now playing in theaters.
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