The Fast & Furious franchise humbly began back in 2001 as a simple action-crime series about the underground world of street racing. Over the years, the franchise morphed into an over-the-top action extravaganza in which our pseudo-family of heroes take on international drug lords, cyber-terrorists, and even superhuman cyborgs.
After the franchise’s soft reboot with its fourth installment, Fast & Furious, the series’ timeline got a little complicated due to the fact that it technically takes place before the third installment, Tokyo Drift. Add in a few retcons and characters coming back from the dead, and you’ve got a series that, while entertaining, doesn't exactly make linear sense.
Luckily, we’ve done the work of de-tangling the complicated Fast & Furious timeline so you can track the Fast Family’s action-packed journey over the years. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a wild ride.
1989: Jack Toretto Dies And Dominic Toretto Goes To Prison For Assault
It all starts in 1989 when Jack Toretto is in the middle of a stock-car race. His car malfunctions, allowing fellow racer Kenny Linder to swerve into it. Jack’s car flips and explodes after striking the track gate, claiming his life in the process. His sons Dom and Jakob watch their father die from the sidelines, helpless to stop it.
As it turns out, Jack had instructed Jakob - unbeknownst to Dom - to purposely sabotage his car so he could throw the race and pay off his debts - an act of sabotage that ultimately caused the vehicle to explode when Kenny knocked into it.
Jakob picks a fight with Kenny, but Dom steps in and delivers a beatdown on the rival driver - impassioned retribution for Kenny ostensibly killing Dom and Jakob's father. Dom is arrested and sent to prison for assault.
1991: Dom Beats Jakob In A Street Race, Forcing Him To Leave Los Angeles For Good
Dom gets released from prison eight months early and starts working in an auto shop, where he realizes that Jakob was the last person to work on their father’s car before the crash. This leads Dom to suspect Jakob purposely sabotaged Jack’s car to kill him, believing Jakob was jealous that Dom was their father’s favorite.
Dom confronts Jakob and challenges him to a street race; if Jakob wins, he can come back home, but if Jakob loses he has to leave Los Angeles for good. Jakob accepts the challenge but is ultimately defeated by Dom, forcing Jakob to drive away and never return.
2004: Brian O’Conner Goes Undercover, Befriends Dom, And Falls In Love With Dom’s Sister Mia
LAPD officer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) is sent undercover to investigate a series of electronics heists and bring in the crew responsible. His investigation leads him to Dom, who has become a notorious underground street racer. The two of them become friends when Brian saves Dom from the police after a street race. Brian continues his undercover investigation while also dating Dom’s sister Mia.
Eventually, Brian discovers that Dom’s crew is responsible for the heists and reveals his identity to Mia in order to locate Dom. Brian finds him after a heist gone wrong, during which a crew member, Vince, is shot. Brian calls for emergency care, revealing his true identity to Dom, who flees from the scene.
When Brian reappears at Dom’s house to arrest him, Dom’s rival Tran and his cousin Lance execute a drive-by shooting that kills Dom’s friend Jesse. Dom and Brian chase them down, killing Tran and injuring Lance. Brian then chases Dom down, and the two of them square off in a drag race… which ends in a tie. Dom accidentally crashes his car after the race, though, but instead of arresting Dom, Brian gives him the keys to his car and lets Dom escape to Mexico.
2004-2007: Brian Is Arrested In Miami And Takes Down A Drug Lord In Exchange For A Pardon
Brian becomes a fugitive after allowing Dom to escape, so he flees to Miami. He begins competing in illegal street races organized by his friend Tej Parker (Ludacris) but gets detained after winning a race. Luckily for Brian, however, his former boss, FBI Agent Bilkins, offers him a deal to go undercover and take down drug lord, Carter Verone, in exchange for a full pardon.
Brian recruits his childhood friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) to help him infiltrate Verone’s operation. They ultimately succeed in arresting Verone, and both Brian and Roman’s criminal records are expunged.
Early 2009: Dom And Letty Ortiz Get Married In The Dominican Republic
After fleeing Los Angeles, Dom ultimately ends up in the Dominican Republic running heists with a new crew consisting of Tego, Rico, Cara, Han Seoul-Oh, and his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Happy in their fast-paced life together, Dom and Letty decide to marry in secret.
Unfortunately, their happy married life doesn’t last long, as soon thereafter Han (Sung Kang) learns that the police are closing in on their crew. Dom decides to disband the crew and leaves Letty in the middle of the night to keep her safe.
Mid-2009: Letty Is Hospitalized With Amnesia, Where She Is Recruited By Owen Shaw
Letty is not the kind of woman who sits by the sidelines, so she makes a deal with Brian (who's now working at the FBI) to go undercover and haul in drug lord Arturo Braga in exchange for Dom’s freedom. Unfortunately, Braga catches wind that she’s an informant thanks to Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a mercenary and former Major in the Special Air Service.
Braga sends his henchman Fenix Calderon to take Letty out, blowing up her car and ultimately sending Letty to the hospital with what amnesia. When Owen tracks down Letty to finish the job, he realizes she has no memory of her former life and instead recruits her as a driver on his team. To everyone else, though, Letty Ortiz is pronounced dead.
