Towards the end of Hobbs & Shaw’s first foray into spinning off the Fast & Furious franchise, the moment feels like it’s right for a typical reveal. As the nefarious organization Eteon has been represented by a shadowy figure who serves as its director through the whole film, you’d think that we’d get to see who that person was in a post-credit scene reveal.
Well, we’re sorry to say, that just doesn’t happen. “The Director” is still at large, and still under the cover of anonymity by time the film has ended. That decision was ultimately reached for the following reasons, as described by Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch during my recent interview with him, on behalf of CinemaBlend:
Just when you think you’re used to the rhythm of a series like this one, someone like David Leitch comes along and lays out a curveball. To have revealed who that mysterious figure was at the end of Hobbs & Shaw wouldn’t have been a surprise, as we’ve see similar reveals at the end of Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 setting up future villains such as the resurrected Letty and Deckard Shaw himself.
It’s no secret that Hobbs & Shaw is playing at becoming another franchise in the Fast & Furious universe, with all of the building blocks there to make it happen. If anything, the decision to keep the lid on the identity of the universe’s big bad puts the potential series at an advantage over its progenitor.
With Eteon set up as an overarching evil for the Hobbs & Shaw universe, teasing out who exactly is running the show is the perfect plan if you want to have a more cohesive plotline in play. It’s something that, to a certain extent, the home franchise had done with The Fate of The Furious, as Charlize Theron’s Cipher is one of the few villains who have gotten away at the end of the film.
So while we don’t know who’s running Eteon, the subject of who that person could be can easily last over the course of as many films as it takes for Hobbs & Shaw’s creative team to get comfortable enough to do a big reveal. Though, if we’re being totally honest, it wouldn’t be that bad of an idea to have Cipher be the big bad in the grand scheme of things. Her potential spinoff could be a chance for the villainous universe of both series to really get its due, and would lead to an even more unique look into what makes these two series tick.
A more carefully plotted approach could not only give Hobbs & Shaw the perfect opportunity to crossover with its big brother franchise in the future, but it could also ensure its survival when and if the Fast & Furious series concludes with its 10th film. Were there ever a plan to make this sort of spectacle a reality, you can bet that Eteon’s future would be the perfect card to play when that time comes; as it’d be a threat so big, only the entire family could take it down.
Hobbs & Shaw will keep you guessing, when you’re not glued to its insane action sequences, in theaters this weekend. If you’ve taken that journey already, and want to see what other options you currently have at the movies, you can take a look at our 2019 release schedule for further information!
