Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor still managed to make an impact in Fast & Furious 10 even after the actor's death.
Walker died in a car accident in 2013, leaving everyone shocked. Still, 2015's Fast and Furious 7 managed to pay an emotional tribute to Walker's Brian O'Connor in a memorable "See You Again" sequence featuring him and Vin Diesel's Dom.
In Fast 9, Jordana Brewster's Mia revealed that Brian was busy babysitting their kids, thus explaining his absence from Dom's crew.
At the end of the movie, though, the crew left an empty seat for Brian at the dinner table before a car (which many presumed to be driven by Walker's character) was shown pulling up to the house at the last minute.
Is Paul Walker's Brian in Fast X?
Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor did appear in Fast X through flashbacks from his scenes in Fast Five.
The movie's opening scene revisited Fast Five's central heist where Vin Diesel's Dom and Walker's Brian stole Hernan Reyes' vault from a police station.
The sequence also managed to seamlessly incorporate Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes, the son of Hernan, to establish why he is seeking revenge against Dom's crew in Fast X.
Moreover, Fast X also continued Fast 9's callback by leaving a seat open for Brian during the Toretto family barbecue.
In February, Fast X director Louis Leterrier spoke with Total Film, via GamesRadar, to explain Brian's appearance in the movie, noting that he and his family are "still very much part" of the franchise:
“You will see Brian in the past, you won’t see Brian in the present. It’s something that everybody has to be on board with. The Walker family is still very much a part of this franchise, you’ll see how in this movie. It just has to be the right moment, the right tone.”
Will Paul Walker’s Brian Appear in Future Fast Movies?
Although Brian's appearance in Fast X was brief, the character was referenced again by Mia when she rushed home to warn and protect him from the threat of Dante Reyes.
It remains to be seen if Paul Walker's Brian will return in another cameo in Fast and Furious 11, but Vin Diesel did tease in a previous interview with Total Film that he "couldn't imagine" the Fast Saga ending "without truly saying goodbye" to the character.
Although there are concerns about using CGI to recreate Brian O'Connor using Paul Walker's likeness in Fast 11 (a move that already happened in Furious 7's touching tribute), Diesel's past comments may indicate that the character might end up returning in the present day to help the franchise bid goodbye to its diehard fans.
It's possible that the extent of recreating Brian could primarily focus on emotional reunions instead of heavy action scenes to acknowledge the character's retirement.
Fast X is now playing in theaters worldwide.
