The Fast & Furious series resurrected Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty, but the films would be substantially different if she had stayed dead. Letty Ortiz was a key character in The Fast and the Furious, however she was murdered off in just her second appearance. The fourth Fast & Furious film incorporated Letty’s death early in the plot and utilised the occasion to reunite Brian O’Connor and Dominic Toretto. The post-credits sequence in Fast Five, on the other hand, built up the dramatic surprise that Letty was still alive, enabling her to return in a prominent role in Fast & Furious 6.
Despite the fact that Fast & Furious hinted Letty dying after being shot, Fast & Furious 6 showed the bullet impacted her vehicle, causing an explosion that sent her off the road. This enabled Owen Shaw to locate Letty with severe amnesia, enabling her to forget her history and become a villain. The franchise reversed these choices by reintroducing Letty to Dom’s team and reintroducing her as his major love interest, which included them marrying.
Michelle Rodriguez’s role has been featured regularly in the Fast & Furious sequels, and she has become one of the franchise’s core characters. She’s been in every major series film since Fast & Furious 6, and she’ll be back in Fast X and, presumably, Fast & Furious 11.
In an alternative universe, Letty’s part in the Fast and Furious series was not resurrected. The films may have stayed with the original choice to murder Letty. Given the importance she’s played since her return and how it’s affected the series as a whole, moviegoers would have seen a drastically different tale if Fast & Furious didn’t bring Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty back to life. Here’s how the sequels and stories may have turned out instead.
Dom’s Story Is Changed Due to Letty’s Death
Because Letty is such an important part of Dom’s Fast & Furious plot following her surprising return, the movies would drastically alter Vin Diesel’s character’s path without her. With Letty’s comeback in Fast & Furious 6, the sequel resurrected Dom and Letty’s love story. This meant relegating Elsa Pataky’s Elena to the background so Dom could resume his affair with Letty. But if the Fast & Furious movies hadn’t brought Letty back, Dom and Elena’s relationship would have continued.
They live together in the Canary Islands and seem to be content that they are no longer engaged in missions to rescue the planet. Elena became pregnant with Dom’s kid, but she conceals the news owing to his desire to return to Letty. If Michelle Rodriguez’s character had not returned, Elena and Dom would have been able to raise their son, Brian, together.
Based on how Letty and Dom’s tale went after Fast & Furious 6, it seems that his life without her would have proceeded in a similar manner, although with Elena by his side instead. This might imply that Elena will join Dom’s team in Furious 7, but it could also have a significant impact on The Fate of the Furious. Elena was slain in the eighth film as part of Cipher’s plan to influence and control Dom.
Cipher, the villain in The Fate of the Furious, kidnaps Elena and her son without Dom’s knowledge, however that may not be the case if they were still together in a universe where Letty died. The film would have had to explain why Cipher grabbed them while Dom was not there, or discover another reason for Dom’s bad turn. In any case, it’s impossible to picture Elena being killed by The Fate of the Furious in a situation where Letty’s death was permanent.
Deaths of Fast & Furious characters would be permanent.
Not bringing back Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty may have also meant that the Fast & Furious franchise’s character fatalities would be permanent. The films had previously discovered a way to bring Han back by altering the Fast & Furious chronology, but the sixth film proved that he perished at the hands of Deckard Shaw.
However, F9 revealed that Han survived and faked his death with the assistance of Mr. Nobody. It may have brought back a fan favourite in the process, but reversing Han’s death in this manner happened only after the series had done the same for Letty. The return of Letty in Fast & Furious marked the beginning of the series, making deaths seem less final.
It has given the impression that any character who died may return in some way, even if it is not in the best interests of the tale. However, if Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty did not return after what was advertised as her death, Fast & Furious character deaths would be more meaningful in the future.