How Did ‘Fast And Furious 8’ Explain Brian’s Absence?

“Fast and Furious 8,” also titled “The Fate of the Furious,” is the first movie that does not have Paul Walker in it. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed actor, who died in a car accident in November 2013, was not there in the recently released movie. Although fans of the franchise fondly remember the star, who had become a member of the movie’s main cast, many wondered how the film would explain his character Brian O’Conner’s absence.

Well, with “The Fate of the Furious” now released worldwide, we have an answer.

[Warning: Spoilers of “The Fate of the Furious” ahead.]

Brian and his wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) are nowhere to be seen in the movie. That makes sense in the starting since, at the end of “Fast and Furious 7,” the couple rode off to live a life without bullets, adventure and car racing. Instead, they decided to focus on their children.

READ: “Fast and Furious” star remeber Paul Walker on third anniversary of his death.

However, when Dom (Vin Diesel) betrays his team and steals a large electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from under their nose, fans are left wondering why his brother-in-law isn’t brought into the picture. He then works with Cipher (Charlize Theron) and goes rogue.

The question of getting Brian’s help is eventually raised by Roman (Tyrese Gibson). Dom and Cipher break into Mr. Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) secret facility and steal God’s Eye. To ensure Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) that Dom is now completely under her thumb, she plants a kiss on Dom.

After the incident, Dom’s wife is distraught. “That wasn’t Dom,” she tells Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Now at her lowest point, Roman suggests, “Brian would know what to do.” Letty replies, “No!” and reminds him of the promise they made to him and Mia to keep them out of their troubles which almost always includes bullets, explosions, car racing and gravity-defying stunts.

While Brian and Mia were certainly missed in “Fast and Furious 8,” the film managed to do a good job without them. Dom even pays a nice tribute to Walker by naming his son Brian.

“The Fate of the Furious” is now playing in theatres.