Is This How Han Returns In Fast And Furious 9?

Soon after getting a first look at Han's return in F9, fan theories began to fly. Could he be revealed as sibling of some new character? Was the scene in the trailer actually flashback? Was it a dream sequence? In the end, the dominant theory to emerge was much simpler: Han was resurrected by a franchise willing to do just about anything the imagination and CGI would allow. 

Still, in a cinematic universe where a car can swing from one island to another, Han's reemergence goes beyond affirming that the street-racing saga is as much a wild fantasy as an action franchise. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, F9 director Justin Lin explained how the development of the films' theme of family, as well as the family the movies built on and off-screen, played a role in why fans will see Han once again.

"When I left after Fast 6, I really thought that was it, like, there's no more Fast stories I can tell," Lin said. "Then two years ago, I woke up with an idea for the new chapter. And a big part of that is exploring this theme of family that is always tied to Fast, but doing it through blood."

Not to mention, after being with each other for more than a decade, the cast had grown up together and into a family as much as the characters had. Han was part of that, which helped convince the director to put the character's fate ⁠— and place in Dom's circle ⁠— back on the creative table. As Lin told EW, "I think it's really up to us to bring him back and explore it throughout the themes that we're all used to."