Warning: the following article contains spoilers for ‘Fast X.’
Fast X has received a warm reception from fans despite being panned by critics for its limitless action ventures. After two decades, the franchise has gone from street racing dramas to practically superhero-esque espionage thrillers. Over time, countless others have joined the family, adding more chairs to the open barbeque they share. A new potential member (well, almost) introduced in the movie is Reacher star Alan Ritchson. Ritchson stars as Aimes, the new head of The Agency, working to bring down Dom and his team after taking over Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) as Chief.
Aimes goes from being an independent obstacle in Dom’s plans to a secondary antagonist in the film, revealing that he was always in cahoots with Dante (Jason Momoa). In a shocking twist, he blows up Dom’s team members and confirms the two have been partners since Fast Five. As surprising as it is, the movie had an alternate, relatively more twisted revelation about the character.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Ritchson said the original plans were to establish Dante and Aimes as brothers. The idea was to add this genetic link to their relationship, further solidifying Aimes’ turning on Dom:
“I don’t know if this is divulging too much, but we shot a couple different stories. One was that Jason Momoa’s character and Aimes were blood brothers. They were actually related, and one of the reasons why they were unified was because of their genetic link.”
Ritchson further added that there is a version that they shot which was left behind in the editing room. They decided to go forward with a lasting alliance instead of a relationship between the two.
“There is a version in the editing room of that film, but at the end of the day, it was decided that the other version, which is what’s in the film now — we learn at the end of the movie that really surprising twist that there was an alliance between them the whole time making him maybe the bad guy — that’s what we’re left with. I wasn’t really sure which version of that was going to live, but I did know that there was a lot of duplicity in the character and that he was ultimately a bad guy, at least for now. We’ll see what the future holds.”
Aimes’ involvement with the Agency was a long ruse Dante played to ensure he made Dom suffer the worst fate as his vengeance. Now, Dom’s team must deal with not one sociopathic element but an alliance of villainy in the next segment. Ritchson will likely have more screen time and a significant appearance in the next movie. He didn’t reveal any plans for his characters for the next part, but he says he is excited to return.
“There have been a lot of conversations. I’m amped to play the bad guy and put the gas on the floor. Let’s see him try and succeed at what he wants to do. You can decide if he’s bad or not, but yeah, I’m ready.”
Fast & Furious is a blend of twists, turns, and retcons, so who knows what the future holds? But the film has set up a strong premise for the series’ culmination, and we are equally excited to see what visual spectacle it brings to us in the eleventh part.
