Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Fast X!
With the film finally racing in theaters, Jason Momoa’s Fast X villain is getting nothing but love from the internet. Momoa stars in the latest installment of the action franchise as Dante Reyes, the son of Fast Five villain Hernan Reyes who is targeting Dom and his family for revenge after a decade of planning. Unlike previous villain, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto, Dante is a more flamboyant and methodical antagonist than solely relying on brute force.
This weekend saw the release of Fast X, the first of a planned two-part finale for the mainline Fast and Furious movies, which featured the introduction of Momoa’s Dante. As audiences finally get to see his villainy in full, they are taking to social media to celebrate the Aquaman star’s performance in the movie, with many citing him as the “MVP” of the franchise and even feeling him to be the best part of the sequel. See some of the reactions below:
Why Momoa’s Fast X Villain Is Already A Franchise Favorite
Much like Cena in its predecessor, much of the anticipation for Fast X was aimed towards Momoa going against-type and portraying a villain. The actor’s teases in the lead up to its release of Dante being more of a peacock and flamboyant antagonist than simply a physically imposing threat to Vin Diesel’s former street-racing hero further boosted this excitement for his franchise debut, indicating the Game of Thrones alum would be embracing an entirely different persona than audiences are used to.
From the reactions seen above and elsewhere online, the anticipation proved true for Momoa’s Fast X villain, especially as many are considering Dante the best antagonist for the entire franchise. Outside of his outrageous personality, one of the biggest reasons Dante is already outshining the likes of Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw and Charlize Theron’s Cipher is the level of planning he’s put in to his mission for revenge, which largely results in success as Ramsey, Tej, Han and Roman are seemingly killed and Dom and Little B are left for dead in Fast X‘s jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending.
While Theron’s Cipher brought with her debut the surprising reveal of Dom’s son in The Fate of the Furious, her plans were thwarted twice by Dom and his family, yet she herself was left to die by Dante near the start of the new movie, making some comparison’s between Momoa’s Fast X villain and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thanos understandable. With the next chapter, or a potential Fast and Furious 12, set to end the franchise, it will be interesting to see how Dante’s quest for vengeance comes to a close.
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