The 10 Best Characters To Only Appear In One Movie

The recent rumors that Brie Larson’s casting in Fast X could mean a female spinoff is coming has fans of the franchise buzzing. When the original arrived in 2001, nobody could’ve predicted it would grow to the level that it reached and become a multi-billion dollar box office sensation.

With the story and franchise expanding over time, characters from Brian to Dom to Letty to Han to Ramsay have become well known and iconic. In that same time, plenty of characters have popped up for a single installment and though they aren’t as famous, have still left a lasting impact.

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Fenix Calderon – Fast & Furious (2009)

More often than not, memorable one-off characters in a franchise like this tend to be the villains. In the case of Fenix Calderon (Laz Alonso), he is an antagonist but he wasn’t the main bad guy of Fast & Furious. That honor went to Arturo Braga.

That said, Fenix was the guy behind the film’s standout moment. Fans everywhere were excited about the return of original characters like Letty, so they were stunned when she seemingly died. It was Fenix who was behind this. He didn’t have a big role but he was vicious, physical, and threatening, making for the perfect henchman.

Suki – 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

In the eyes of most critics and fans, 2 Fast 2 Furious ranks at the bottom of the Fast & Furious movies. It is important to look back on though since it introduced long-running characters like Tej and Roman to the franchise.

It also features a slew of memorable people who appeared in a single movie like Devon Aoki’s Suki. She doesn’t have a major role, yet she is someone who most fans remember fondly. Suki has an all-female crew and is a badass racer with a cool vibe that made her stand out.

Hernan Reyes – Fast Five (2011)

In a lot of ways, it was Fast Five that turned the franchise into something special. It grossed the most money to that point, added Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs to the series, and upped the ante and the stakes in a major way.

A key aspect of that was having a powerful villain in Hernan Reys (Joaquim de Almeida). He wasn’t physically dominant like others and instead was a threat because he was cunning, influential, and cruel. Reyes seemed to delight in his evil ways, which made him a great antagonist.

Johnny Tran – The Fast And The Furious (2001)

Every series has to start somewhere and for The Fast and the Furious, that was with Johnny Tran as the main villain. Portrayed by Rick Yune, Tran wasn’t nearly the threat that later baddies were and that was fine because of the small scale of the film.

What worked about Johnny Tran was that he felt like a cool bad guy who was perfect for the early 2000s. From his entire demeanor to the motorcycle he rode to him laughing while fighting Dom, Johnny was entertaining from start to finish.

Carter Verone – 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Since this franchise didn’t get too over the top until nearly a decade later, 2 Fast 2 Furious saw a drug lord as the main antagonist. That person was Carter Verone (Cole Hauser) and he was just delightfully a bit too much at points.

This is a character who tortured someone by trapping a hungry rat in a bucket placed on their stomach. It was literally done years later in Game of Thrones and is indeed ruthless. Carter brought that energy to the movie and came across as someone everyone wanted to hate.

Elle – F9 (2021)

Fans everywhere had great reactions when the F9 trailer dropped the reveal that Han was still alive and returning to the team. It turned out that he wasn’t alone as he had saved a young girl named Elle (Anna Sawai), who became his ward.

Elle’s DNA was a key aspect of getting Project Aries to work, so she plays a huge role in the climax of the film. She more than holds her own in the difficult setting, utilizing her martial arts skills and helping to save the day.

Hattie Shaw – Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

The Shaw name has become surprisingly important to this franchise. Owen and Deckard Shaw went from two of the best villains in the series to allies of the core family, yet their own family has started to pop up elsewhere. That includes their mother Magdalene and their sister Hattie.

While their mom has appeared in two films, Hattie, played by the talented Vanessa Kirby, has only been in the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. Being a film’s MacGuffin can harm a character, yet Hattie still manages to steal every scene. She has sharp banter, fights with the best of them, and is likable.

Monica Fuentes – 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Once again, 2 Fast 2 Furious delivered on the front of introducing an enjoyable one-off character. To be fair, Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) does show up once more as she’s part of the post-credits scene in Fast Five to set up the reveal that Letty is still alive.

Alas, her only true appearance as an actual character does happen in the 2003 sequel. Monica is the U.S. Customs agent working undercover as Carter’s girlfriend and she ends up as Brian’s love interest. She’s another in a long line of tough women in the series and it’s a shame viewers didn’t get more of her.

Jakob Toretto – F9 (2021)

Like the Shaw family before him, Jakob Toretto is another of the franchise’s villains to turn to the side of the good guys. The long-lost relative concept is a trope in long-running franchises that can induce eye rolls but it mostly worked here.

John Cena delivered a strong performance in the role and felt like one of the toughest threats Dom and his crew ever faced. His decision to help his siblings in the end was a feel-good moment (though many feel it was a bit rushed) and he should appear in future entries.

Brixton Lore – Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

By the time Hobbs & Shaw rolled around, this series was at its peak. Giving huge stars like Johnson and Statham their own spin-off came with high expectations so they needed a villain that could legitimately battle them together.

They got that in Brixton Lore, an enhanced terrorist who is basically a superpowered being. Brixton gives the duo all they can handle and more while getting to deliver memorable lines like “I’m Black Superman.” It’s all made even better by the charismatic performance of Idris Elba.
NEXT: 10 Best Movies About Street Racing (That Aren’t Fast & Furious)