What Happened to Leon From ‘Fast and Furious’? Explained

Spread across nearly two decades, the Fast and Furious franchise is one of the most successful film series of all time, bringing in more than $7 billion collectively.

Apart from its high-octane chase sequences and star-studded cast, the film series has repeatedly emphasized values like family over everything and brotherhood, to the point where it has become a well-known meme. The franchise abiding by these traits can be seen off-screen as well, as evidenced by Paul Walker’s unfortunate demise and the core cast being a close-knit group beyond the formalities of filmmaking.

However, there is one family member from the cast of the first film who has never been brought up in the other nine movies and the spin-off: Leon, who was played by Johnny Strong. To refresh your memory, here’s what Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) crew looked like in the entry film in the series: Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Jesse (Chad Linberg), Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), who goes on to become a part of the team, and Leon. While all these characters appeared in different capacities in the sequels, there is no further mention of the character of Leon.

In 2017, Johnny Strong spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the fate of his character, theorizing the key factor that led to him not appearing in subsequent Fast and Furious movies. Here’s what Strong had to say:

“As the film progresses, towards the end, there’s a scene where Leon kind of voices his disapproval and he’s shut down by Dom, which showed at this point, Leon is doubting his leader and Dom is losing control over his gang and mission.”

Johnny Strong/Entertainment Weekly

Strong continued:

“After that, Jesse is killed, Letty and Vince almost die, so I think it’s understood that Leon had had enough of that situation. The heat had become too risky and he didn’t want anything more to do with the gang.”

Johnny Strong/Entertainment Weekly

Over the years, Strong has appeared in multiple movies while also making a career in music. He has composed music for films, apart from being the lead vocalist and founder of the American band Operator. He was last seen in the 2023 action drama film Warhorse One, which he wrote, co-directed, edited, and composed the music for.

Meanwhile, the Fast and Furious movies have taken a drastic turn in terms of genre, transforming from L.A-based street racing films to global heist capers. The shift in the tone and storylines has brought in grand success, as has the inclusion of popular superstars like Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the cast.