Warning! Spoilers ahead for Fast X.
Fast X star Sung Kang defends how the "Justice for Han" storyline plays out in the film and does a deep dive into what "justice" actually means. Fast X assembles the franchise's biggest cast yet, including Kang's Han, who was revealed to be alive in F9 after his apparent death at the hands of Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw. The latest sequel sees Han and Shaw come face to face for the first time since the incident, but the encounter didn't result in the epic showdown that some were expecting.
In a recent interview with Han's arc in Fast X and his reunion with Shaw. While the star teases that the "Justice for Han" campaign will continue to play out in future films, he also explains that, for Han, justice can take many forms, some of which have nothing to do with Shaw. Check out Kang's thoughtful comment below:
“This theme of ‘Justice for Han,’ Han comes to see Deckard for justice. In ‘Fast 9,’ that's what it was set up as. What is that justice? Is it to pound on Deckard for ‘killing’ me? He didn't. Han and Mr. Nobody set up Deckard to fake my death, but Deckard did not know that. So I could go and hide and raise this adopted daughter of mine and be discreet.
"So he was set up. He thinks I'm coming there to enact revenge, but I'm there to bring him into the fold to finally explain and give justice to the fans. I think in eight, fans were questioning why would the person who killed the beloved family member be accepted into the family circle?
This is addressing that for our larger mythology of the ‘Fast’ universe to go: Why is Deckard Shaw now part of the ‘Fast’ family? How could Dominic Toretto and the rest of the team accept this murderer into the fold? And this explains it. So that is the justice.
‘And, the beauty of that theme is, is justice fighting? Is it violence? No. Sometimes justice is peace and accepting and explaining, and this is the justice that happens. Now, Han and Deckard can team up. Deckard can now the team and use his powers for good. So it's great. And it's Jason Statham. He has to be a hero. He has to be a good guy.
“I mean, justice is not just on a physical level. It's internal too. I think it's a great setup for the next one. Is the ‘Justice for Han’ to find his lost love again? Is that the justice? And does he deserve it? Has he earned it? Does he deserve that justice in his life for sacrificing? In a way he probably walks around with guilt that he's the one that should have died, not Gisele, right? How did that happen? So where is that justice? How is that served?”
Sung Kang Is Right About Fast X's "Justice For Han" Moment
In any other franchise, when Han returned from the grave he would go straight for Shaw and an epic showdown would ensue. This option, however, became a lot more complicated when Shaw became a part of Toretto's crew in Fate of the Furious. This choice has actually drawn some understandable criticism because of Shaw's violent past (he basically wipes out an entire hospital in Furious 7), but considering Statham's character is no longer a villain, a peaceful resolution between Shaw and Han is the best possible outcome.
Instead of Han physically besting Shaw as a form of justice, which looks like it's not going to happen, the best hope for the character now is a satisfying franchise conclusion. Kang's suggestion that true "Justice for Han" may rest with other characters is now a much more interesting resolution to the storyline. Fast X's ending sees the return of Gal Gadot's Gisele after her apparent death in Fast & Furious 6, and the best possible outcome for Han at this point would be to reunite and live happily ever after with his former love.
Instead of justice against another character then, Han can receive some storytelling justice for his past treatment as a character, including his somewhat sloppily-retconned death in F9. With Kang's tease that "Justice for Han" will continue to play out over the course of Fast & Furious 11 or Fast & Furious 12, there will undoubtedly be plenty of opportunities to make further peace with Shaw. Perhaps, after Fast X, a major win for the "Justice for Han" campaign would be if Shaw actually sacrificed his life so that Han and Gisele get their happy ending.
Source: Insider
