Nevertheless, it was revealed in 2021 that Han was still alive, as Mr. Nobody helped fake Han’s death in F9. Fans of the franchise were looking forward him seeking revenge on Deckard, but that never properly happened. In one of the series’ greatest upsets, the villain killed one of the best characters of the franchise, and Deckard was welcomed into the group with open arms. He even got a spinoff movie with Hobbs & Shaw. This was one of the biggest mistakes the Fast & Furious franchise made, and the series is already repeating the same error with another character.

Fast X Fixed Justice For Han But Started Justice For Elena

Fast X saw Han get some sort of justice, as he came face to face with Deckard. Although he was forgiving and ended up working with Deckard, the initial injustice toward his character was addressed. However, in the very same movie, an identical mistake was made. In Fate of the Furious, Cipher ordered the death of Elena, the mother of Dom’s child and the biological sister of Isabel, who was introduced in the Fast X cast. However, Fast X made it easy to forget that Cipher was a Thanos-level threat to the Fast & Furious crew.

Cipher was pure evil in Fate of the Furious, and in F9, the real villain of the movie was so afraid of her that she was caged in a glass cell. However, in Fast X, she visited Dom seeking help after meeting Dante Reyes. She then formed an alliance with the crew. While Cipher and Letty had a brief altercation, they quickly learned to trust each other. By the end of the film, Cipher seemed to have become a full-fledged member of the Fast family. That’s completely insulting to the memory of Elena, and it’s exactly how the franchise treated the situation with Han and Deckard.

While Isabel’s role in Fast X was minimal, she’s clearly being set up for a much bigger role in Fast & Furious 11 and any follow-ups. Isabel and Cipher might not have met yet, but if they’re both members of the crew, they’ll face each other at some point. When that happens, it’s likely Isabel will want to avenge her sister. There’s no way that Isabel would want to work with the woman who killed her sister. However, Dom was already willing to work with the monster who killed his son’s mother — and even threatened to kill Little B.

Fast & Furious Can’t Retcon Elena’s Death Like F9 Did For Han

The Fast & Furious franchise clearly has a habit of retconning character deaths. Han’s death and return were already farfetched, and one of the biggest criticisms of F9 was the lack of a satisfying explanation for Han’s survival. Fast & Furious 11 also faces the challenge of explaining Gisele’s return at the end of Fast X despite falling from a plane in Fast & Furious 6. However, Elena’s potential comeback would make way less sense than any of those. Elena was shot by Connor Rhodes, Cipher’s right-hand man and second-in-command, in front of Dom, and it’s clear from Dom’s reaction that Elena was brutally murdered.

Given that Dom witnessed Elena’s killing, it would be difficult to bring her back to the franchise. If she lived, it would mean that Dom would have been involved and known her true fate all along. However, that would be totally out of character and change his backstory too drastically. Such a retcon would be impossible to explain, as it raises questions about why Cipher and Dom would put on such a show. The only characters in the room when Elena was killed were Cipher, Rhodes, Little B, Dom, and Elena, so there was no reason for them to fake anything.

Fast & Furious 11 Will Make Justice For Elena Even Worse

As the ending of Fast X saw Letty and Cipher discovering that Gisele was still alive, the three will clearly be working together in Fast & Furious 11. A bulk of the movie will likely focus on their own adventure, further cementing Cipher as one of the team. However, there’s no knowing what’s in the submarine from which Gisele emerges, and Elena could even be hiding in there. At this point in the Fast & Furious franchise, that is entirely plausible. Nevertheless, if Fast & Furious 11 does bring back Elena, the movie will feature a comedic number of characters who have died and returned.