Fast and Furious Star Sung Kang Addresses How Fast X Delivers "Justice for Han"
The post-credits scene of Fast & Furious 6 showed what many assumed was the death of Sung Kang's Han at the hands of Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw, resulting in the cry of "Justice for Han" in the years following the fan-favorite character's demise. Kang returned as Han in F9, confirming that the death was staged, which gave peace to some audiences, though with the pair finally coming face to face in Fast X, some fans were hoping for a more explosive display of "justice." Kang, however, addressed what it means to have justice for a character and how that justice will factor into the franchise's future. Fast X is in theaters now.
"This theme of 'Justice for Han,' Han comes to see Deckard for justice. In [F9], that's what it was set up as. What is that justice? Is it to pound on Deckard for 'killing' me? He didn't. Han and Mr. Nobody set up Deckard to fake my death, but Deckard did not know that. So I could go and hide and raise this adopted daughter of mine and be discreet," Kang shared with Insider. "So he was set up. He thinks I'm coming there to enact revenge, but I'm there to bring him into the fold to finally explain and give justice to the fans. I think in [Fate of the Furious], fans were questioning why would the person who killed the beloved family member be accepted into the family circle?"
He added, "This is addressing that for our larger mythology of the Fast universe to go: Why is Deckard Shaw now part of the Fast family? How could Dominic Toretto and the rest of the team accept this murderer into the fold? And this explains it. So that is the justice. And, the beauty of that theme is, is justice fighting? Is it violence? No. Sometimes justice is peace and accepting and explaining, and this is the justice that happens. Now, Han and Deckard can team up. Deckard can now join the team and use his powers for good. So it's great. And it's Jason Statham. He has to be a hero. He has to be a good guy."
The overall "Justice for Han" campaign never had specific goals for what that justice would look like, other than audiences were disappointed by the character's death and, as Kang pointed out, the frustration of Deckard being let into the gang despite killing Han. With Fast & Furious 6 also seeing the death of Gal Gadot's Gisele, some fans would consider justice being impossible, unless the pair were reunited. Now that Fast X has confirmed Gisele's return, it's possible that this form of justice is now possible.
As far as whether he personally thinks there has been "Justice for Han," Kang confirmed, "Oh, yeah. I mean, justice is not just on a physical level. It's internal too. I think it's a great setup for the next one. Is the 'Justice for Han' to find his lost love again? Is that the justice? And does he deserve it? Has he earned it? Does he deserve that justice in his life for sacrificing? In a way he probably walks around with guilt that he's the one that should have died, not Gisele, right? How did that happen? So where is that justice? How is that served?"
Fast X is in theaters now. Stay tuned for updates on the future of the franchise.
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