Instead of bringing Brian O'Connor back using CGI, Fast X finds several ways to beautifully honor Paul Walker's legacy in life and the franchise.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fast X!Brian O'Connor does not return in Fast X, but the movie still includes excellent Paul Walker tributes that showcase his importance for the franchise. The Fast Saga has missed Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor for the last three installments following the actor's tragic passing during the production of Furious 7.
The movies have made the decision to keep Brian alive in the universe, but it has become increasingly difficult to explain his continued absence from the various missions Dominic Toretto and his team has gone on since. It has led to continued speculation that Brian will return in another Fast & Furious movie somehow.
There was some thought that Fast X would bring Paul Walker back using similar techniques to how Furious 7 finished Brian's scenes after the actor's passing. Paul Walker's family has been open to the idea of seeing Brian again, while even Vin Diesel has teased Brian will get a proper sendoff as the franchise ends.
Instead of the character popping up at some point during Fast X's ending, he is completely absent from the main story and only mentioned once. That did not prevent Fast X from perfectly honoring Paul Walker's legacy as Brian O'Connor in a few ways.
Brian O'Connor does appear in Fast X thanks to archival footage used during flashback scenes. The movie begins with Fast Five flashbacks to the heist to steal Hernan Reyes' safe. It is through this sequence that audiences see Paul Walker's character again, but all his scenes were pulled directly from the prior movie.
This allowed Fast X's flashbacks to bring Paul Walker back without needing to use any digital doubles or other CGI tricks, ensuring that the footage of Brian used is authentic to how the actor played the franchise's co-lead.
Instead of bringing Brian back in Fast X using CGI, the film makes a better decision by having Paul Walker's daughter cameo in the film. Meadow Walker plays the flight attendant who helps Jakob. The Fast X Easter egg allows the movie to show Paul Walker's real-life legacy.
Meadow is Paul Walker's only child and the actual legacy he left behind. His role in Fast & Furious will be remembered too, but it is not bigger than his family. Fast X having Meadow film the cameo is a way to bring those two parts of his life together without any of the discomforts of a CGI Paul Walker replacement.
Fast X's Paul Walker tributes prove that he cannot be replaced in the franchise, either by another character or even a CGI double. This is evident in the classic Toretto family barbecue scene, which leaves an open seat at the table next to Mia for Brian.
The vacant chair is not addressed in the film, but it is very clearly reserved for Brian so he can sit next to his wife. Instead of having a CGI Paul Walker in the scene or using a body double to bring Brian O'Connor back without showing his face, Fast X follows F9 in leaving a seat at the table open for Brian forever.
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