One of the things that separates the Fast and Furious movies from other high-octane action movies centering around a group of anti-heroes saving the world time and time again is the franchise’s long history of putting the relationships of the central characters at the forefront of each installment. Throughout the highly successful series so far, few compare to the saga shared by Dominic Toretto and Letty Ortiz.
Ever since Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel first started playing the modern day Bonnie and Clyde in The Fast and the Furious back in the summer of 2001, the couple’s ups and downs and near-death experiences have been paramount to the saga's success, and has provided for some of the best moments overall. While we wait for the eventual release of Fast X, let’s spend some time by taking a trip down memory lane and explaining the Fast and Furious couple’s history.
Dom And Letty Met And Became Friends As Kids
When out on a date with Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) in The Fast and the Furious, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) revealed that her brother and Letty had known each other since they were kids (Letty lived down the street and had a thing for working on cars). Although the relationship started out as friendship shared by two neighborhood kids, Mia revealed that Dom began to notice Letty when she was a teenager, and things just progressed from there.
We finally got to see a look at this period in Dom and Letty’s story during one of the many flashbacks in F9: The Fast Saga when a young Letty (Azia Dinea Hale) waved off Dom (Vinnie Bennett) and his brother Jakob (Finn Cole).
The Couple Later Became Two Major Players In The Toretto Gang
Dom and Letty would become two of the major players in the Toretto gang prior to the events of The Fast and the Furious, further strengthening their relationship both on and off the street-racing circuit. Throughout the movie, Letty was apprehensive about her boyfriend’s string of robberies, but didn’t let her own fears stop her from being at his side for pretty much every single one of his big plans.
Their relationship was put to biggest test (at that point in their story, anyway) during the failed highway robbery in the movie’s final act, when the whole gang was pretty much torn apart after it was discovered that Brian was working undercover. But, the pair would end up getting married (this was later revealed in a Furious 7 flashback).
Dom And Letty Got Back Together Following A Multi-Year Split
In the short film Los Bandoleros, set five years following the events of The Fast and the Furious, it was revealed that Dom and Letty had split in the aftermath of that highway robbery gone awry when Dom, a wanted man, left the country. They eventually reconciled several years down the road after Letty finally found her man.
The pair would eventually tie the knot around this time, but their wedding wasn’t shown until much later on, during one of the Furious 7 flashbacks (more on that later).
Letty Was Believed To Have Been Killed In A Fiery Crash
One of the most shocking moments in Fast and Furious and the franchise as a whole came early on in the 2009 sequel when Mia Toretto told Dom that Letty had been murdered by Fenix Calderon (Laz Alonso) following the conclusion of a job she was doing for the villainous character. Hearing this, Dom went on a path of vengeance to find the man responsible for Letty’s death and make him pay for taking the love of his life.
However, in the Fast Five end credits sequence, it was revealed that Letty was very much alive but was suffering from an extreme case of amnesia following the murder attempt.
Letty Returned But Had No Recollection Of Her Past With Dom
When Fast and Furious 6 came around, Letty was working as one of Owen Shaw’s (Luke Evans) most talented drivers, someone who would do anything on a job. As time went on, her true nature began to expose itself and Letty turned against her employer and eventually teamed up with Dom and company near the end.
It wasn’t necessarily the happy ending everyone wanted, as Letty still had no memory of her time with the crew, her relationship with Dom, or all the great memories they had shared throughout their years-long partnership.
Letty Reunited With Dom And Her Memory Was Restored
Furious 7 will forever be the most emotional entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, considering the movie played out like a two-hour tribute to former franchise star Paul Walker, who tragically died in a car crash in late 2013. But, another emotional aspect of the incredibly successful blockbuster was Dom’s quest to reunite with Letty and help her remember their past, which proves to be no easy task.
Between skydiving in cars, driving cars through multiple skyscrapers, and going toe-to-toe with former UFC champions, Dom and Letty worked on their relationship. Dom’s attempts weren’t immediately successful, but Letty was eventually able to remember everything, including the fact they were secretly married, a fact he withheld because “you can’t tell someone they love you.”
Dom Betrayed His Crew, Including Letty, To Save His Son
The Fate of the Furious started off well enough for Dom and Letty as the couple finally got to celebrate their long-delayed honeymoon in Havana, Cuba. But there was trouble in paradise in the form of Cipher (Charlize Theron), a techno-terrorist who held Dom’s still unnamed son hostage along with the child’s mother and threatened to kill them both, forcing Dom to work for her. Letty wasn’t going to give up on her husband, though, and continued to see the good in him.
Eventually, Dom turned the tides and revealed that he was actually working against Cipher the whole time and just wanted to protect his child. In the end, Dom and Letty (and the rest of the crew) reunited once again and named the young child Little Brian.
Dom And Letty Settled Down To Focus On Family, But Not For Long
When F9: The Fast Saga kicked off, Dom, Letty, and Little Brian were living their best life on an isolated farm, but trouble wasn’t far behind. Their retirement was put on hold as the Toretto crew faced off with Cipher once more, as well as some new villains, including Dom’s little brother Jakob Toretto (John Cena).
After going their separate ways to prevent Project Aries (an extremely powerful hacking tool) from going online, Dom and Letty reunited once again during the F9: The Fast Saga ending. This time, they were at their old stomping grounds in Los Angeles where they were rebuilding the old Toretto house to start a new life.
Who knows what the future will hold for Dom, Letty, or the rest of Toretto crew in Fast X, but you can get all caught up with the story so far by watching the Fast and Furious movies streaming.
