The first trailer for F9 includes some surprise characters returning to the Fast & Furious franchise - but when does it take place in the timeline? For a series that revolves around cars, family, and big set pieces, the Fast & Furious timeline is a bit more complicated than many may anticipate. Through nine films, the chronology of events was changed due to when the death of Han Lue (Sung Kang) takes place.
Han died during one of the climactic chase scenes of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, the third movie in the franchise. This was not the end of Han's time in the franchise, though. Kang reprised his role as Han in Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6, but the latter ended with Han's death scene happening again. In this version, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is revealed to be responsible for killing Han as revenge for what happened to his brother Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). That changed the timeline to move Tokyo Drift from third to seventh, so that it takes place concurrently with Furious 7.
The trailer for F9 surprised fans with the return of Han once again, so does this make the ninth installment of the main franchise another prequel? The answer is a clear no, with Han's return taking place after when he appeared to have died - leaving another question for F9 to answer. The giveaway for when F9 takes place in the timeline is the age of Dom's son, Brian, who was just a baby during The Fate of the Furious but is a few years older in the F9 trailer.
There's also another quick moment in the F9 trailer that helps place the film in context with Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. That movie ended with Deckard and his sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) visiting their mother Magdalene Shaw (Helen Mirren) in prison, with interest in getting her out. Magdalene makes an appearance in the trailer and is clearly free, signaling that Deckard and Hattie were successful and that Hobbs & Shaw does indeed take place prior to the next entry in the Fast Saga.
With the timeline straightened out, the trailer for F9 will still leave fans wondering how Han is back in this story after his apparent death. That isn't the only reveal that the movie needs to explain either, as the trailer reveals John Cena's Jakob is the brother of Dom, even though it has never been mentioned that he has other siblings besides Mia. And speaking of Mia, her return in the movie raises questions about how F9 will explain Brian O'Conner not being part of the story anymore. As the franchise continues to move forward, F9 will be able to fill in gaps, answer some of these questions, and set up more stories for the future.
