Han Lue, also known as Han Seoul-Oh, is a fictional character in the Fast & Furious franchise, portrayed by Korean-American actor Sung Kang. He first appeared in the 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow, directed by Justin Lin, who later incorporated him into the Fast & Furious series.
Han became a fan favorite character, who was seemingly killed in a car explosion in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), but later returned in the subsequent prequel films Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and the short film Los Bandoleros (2009). He also reappeared in F9 (2021), his first appearance set after the events of Tokyo Drift, in which his death is retconned.
But what about the actor behind the character? Is Sung Kang dead in real life? Here is what we know.
Is Han From Fast And Furious Dead in Real Life?
No, the character of Han from the Fast and Furious movies has not really died. Sung Kang, who plays him in real life, is living. People make the mistake of mixing actors up with their characters sometimes, but Sung Kang is still there, working as an actor. Han’s storyline could go something like him dying in the movies. However, Michael Kang, the person behind the Han, is living for real.
In the movie, Han’s future is a big part of the plot. It is unknown as long as his death is staged in one place. This plot twist is often used in action movies where the character might seem dead earlier but return later. In Fast and Furious movies, however, you can find Han alive, though that happened of much importance in the series.
You must be mindful that the actor and the character the actor portrays are two separate things. Unlike Kang, the actor who plays Han, Han is presumably alive, but he would certainly have been a target when fighting in the movies. The boundary between our reality and these stories makes it easier to enjoy the movies without wondering if the actors are right about any unpleasant scene.
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Is Han Dead In Fast And Furious 7?
No, one should not presume that Han is dead in Eighth Fast and Furious. In the movie, it’s revealed that Han’s supposed death in The Fast and The Furious: The driving scenes of Tokyo Drift were filmed. At first, it was presumed that Han fell off the road in an accident on the streets of Tokyo Drift, whereas later, it was revealed that his death was a plan by Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. Contrary to Fast and Furious 7, however, Han’s death was fake, with Mr. Nobody aiding the plot.
In addition to death, their mission to avenge Han is a major theme throughout Fast and Furious 7. On the other hand, his survival is discovered in due course, and the truth is known. As Han’s return is an important milestone in the film, it alters the nature of the story and gives the film a climax by providing the answer to the question of his fate. Furthermore, it has the advantage of providing a source of ongoing disputes and conflicts within the franchise.
Han’s very existence in Fast and Furious 7 will introduce opportunities for the growth of his character throughout the series in future films. The return makes the storyline fuller and brings more possibilities for revealing the characters’ communication, mainly with Deckard Shaw, whose actions made many people think Han is dead. Generally, Han’s survival in Fast and Furious 7 marks a pivotal moment in the film and takes the series to another level.
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Sung Kang’s Early Life and Career
Sung Kang was born to South Korean immigrant parents on April 8, 1972, in Clarkston, Georgia. His Korean mother and African American stepfather raised him in Gainesville, Georgia. He moved to Barstow, California, while in high school. He attended the University of California, Riverside, where he chose acting over law school, a decision that disappointed his parents, who worried about the lack of Asian Americans on American television1
Kang’s first major role was as Han Lue in Better Luck Tomorrow, a crime drama about a group of Asian American high school students engaging in illegal activities. The film was directed by Justin Lin, who later became the main director of the Fast & Furious franchise.
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Lin decided to bring Kang’s character into the Fast & Furious series, starting with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, where Han is a street racer and mentor to the protagonist Sean Boswell (Lucas Black). Han dies in a car crash caused by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the film’s main antagonist.
However, due to the positive response from the fans, Lin decided to make the fourth, fifth, and sixth Fast & Furious films as prequels to Tokyo Drift, allowing Kang to reprise his role as Han.
In these films, Han is a member of Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) crew and Gisele Yashar’s (Gal Gadot) love interest. He also appears in the short film Los Bandoleros, a prelude to Fast & Furious. At the end of Fast & Furious 6, Han returns to Tokyo after Gisele’s death, setting up the events of Tokyo Drift.
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Sung Kang’s Return in F9
In 2021, Kang made a surprising comeback as Han in F9, the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious series. The film reveals that Han’s death was faked by Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a covert operative who recruited Han to protect a young girl named Elle (Anna Sawai), who possesses a key to a dangerous weapon. Han reunites with Dom and his crew and helps them stop a global threat posed by Dom’s estranged brothers, Jakob (John Cena) and Cipher (Charlize Theron). Han also confronts Deckard Shaw, who was revealed to be working for Mr. Nobody in Furious 7 (2015) and who later became an ally of Dom’s team in The Fate of the Furious (2017) and Hobbs & Shaw (2019).
Kang’s return in F9 resulted from the fan campaign #JusticeForHan, which demanded an explanation for Han’s death and redemption for Deckard Shaw, whom Dom and his crew seemingly forgave despite killing Han. Lin, who returned to direct F9 after skipping the previous two films, said the fans’ passion and loyalty moved him to Han, and he wanted to honor the character and the actor. He also said he planned to bring Han back since Fast & Furious 6 and had Kang’s approval.
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Sung Kang’s Other Roles and Projects
Besides the Fast & Furious franchise, Kang has appeared in several other films and television shows, such as Pearl Harbor (2001), War (2007), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), Ninja Assassin (2009), Bullet to the Head (2013), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). He also played FBI Agent Tae Kim in the short-lived crime drama Gang Related (2014) and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mak in the crime drama Power (2017-2020) and its spin-off Power Book II: Ghost (2020).
Kang has also produced and directed some projects, such as Undoing (2006), a neo-noir film in which he starred, and Acting for Action with Sung Kang (2012). This web series teaches aspiring actors how to perform action scenes; Code 8 (2019), a sci-fi film starring Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell, and The Ride Life with Sung Kang (2020), a web series that showcases Kang’s passion for cars and culture.