Who Is In The Blue Car At The End Of F9

Who is in the blue Nissan at the end of F9? The ninth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, directed by Justin Lin, sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) reuniting with his estranged brother Jakob (John Cena). The film includes a lot of familiar faces from past films, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift crew. But the arrival of the blue car at the end of F9 hints at the arrival of another beloved character who has been off-grid for a while. After the action was completed and the main events of the plot were generally wrapped up, Dom brings everyone together for a backyard barbecue in the now-rebuilt house. As per usual with Dom and his family (found and otherwise), they hang out and, just as they’re about to say grace over food and beer, Dom points out that there’s an empty chair, to which Mia confirms, “he’s on the way.” A car is shown pulling up to the house with a mystery person driving.
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The blue Nissan suggests that the identity of the driver is none other than Brian O’Connor, who watched over his and Dom’s kids in F9 but was noticeably absent. While Brian O’Connor’s cars have multiplied and grown into an impressive collection over seven films, he is mostly known for driving blue Nissan GT-Rs. This means that the appearance of this exact car in the F9 ending confirms Brian is still around. The Fast and the Furious franchise has been without the late Paul Walker since Furious 7, following the actor’s untimely and tragic death in a car accident. The aforementioned film, which he was filming at the time of his passing, was dedicated to Walker’s memory and officially retired the character from the adventures Brian and Dom so often got up to.

Is Brian In The Blue Car At The End Of F9?

The way filmmakers chose to retire Brian instead of killing him off suggests he can always return in the future. The blue Nissan didn’t need to be seen in F9, but it’s definitely a distinct teaser for what’s to come. This could mean bringing Brian back digitally for the beginning of the end of The Fast Saga, Fast X. Brian has always been a part of the family and the filmmakers perhaps wanted to remind the audience that he was still central in their lives despite not being able to show him.

For those who have been watching the series from the start, the blue Nissan’s appearance is an obvious and direct callback to Brian (and Walker’s) time with The Fast and the Furious franchise. And Brian pulling up just as his family and friends are about to eat makes it seem like he is simply late to the party, but is still a crucial part of the crew. It’s a brief moment, but the decision to have it in the movie ensures that Brian’s presence in F9 is still felt no matter what.

Brian’s Blue Nissan Is More Tasteful Than A CGI Comeback

F9’s blue Nissan was the best way for Brian O’Connor to return, especially considering how Brian’s comeback could’ve been a CGI disaster. Curiously, this implies not only that The Fast Saga’s upcoming releases will continue to involve Brian, but that any other future scenes involving the character will also avoid the use of CGI, which is good news for the franchise. Notably, expensive CGI was utilized in Fast and Furious 7 to complete Paul Walker’s scenes after he died, and despite the attention to detail by filmmakers and the Weta VFX team, they still only barely pulled off using CGI to resurrect the character. Apart from the risk of inadvertently disrespecting Paul Walker’s memory by evoking the Uncanny Valley phenomenon, another CGI Brian comeback could be perceived as unnecessary by long-time audiences and might even be seen as a cash grab. Indeed, CGI Brian from Fast and Furious 7 was a necessity for finishing the movie, not a completely pointless return in a different film.

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Thankfully, Brian’s signature blue Nissan in F9 suggests that the franchise will handle any future scenes involving Paul Walker’s character with the same symbolic awareness and respect. As any future Fast and Furious movies can’t just keep using blue Nissans to confirm Brian’s presence, it will be interesting to see how they can pull off more scenes with the character. In lieu of expensive CGI, Brian’s next “outings” will most likely involve more practical effects or clever nods to the character instead.

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