| “ | Now, if you dominate the people with violence, they will eventually fight back because they have nothing to lose. And that's the key. I go into the favelas and give them something to lose. Electricity, running water, school rooms for their kids. And for that taste of a better life, I own them. | „ |
| ~ Reyes's most famous quote. |
| “ | Kill them. You show them mercy? No, my son. When suffering is owed, never accept death as repayment. Make Toretto suffer. | „ |
| ~ Hernan to his son Dante. |
Hernan Reyes is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside Arturo Braga) of the Fast & Furious franchise.
He is a notorious Portuguese-Brazilian businessman and crime kingpin in Rio de Janeiro, controlling most of the city's police force and criminal operations in the process. Reyes hires protagonist Dominic Toretto and his crew to retrieve a valuable car for him; however, when Dominic's sister Mia runs away with the car, Reyes turns against Toretto and his crew to the point of trying to eliminate him. He is also the employer of Zizi as well as the late father of Dante Reyes.
He was portrayed by Joaquim de Almeida.
His Evil Ranking[]
His Villainous Deeds[]
Background[]
- While Dante was unhinged, had sociopathic tendencies and spent multiple stints in prisons and institutions in his childhood, Hernan would always bail his son out of trouble, much to the dismay of his wife who believed Dante needed proper help. The disagreement between them led to the pair getting divorced.
- Eventually became a powerful drug kingpin in Rio's criminal underworld and garnered a massive influence over the city, having much of Rio's police force under his payroll as well as a number of corporations and shell companies. He also saw potential in Dante's violent tendencies and made him his primary enforcer. However, Hernan masqueraded as a legitimate businessman, having a good reputation in the eyes of most of the public, who were unaware of his criminal activities.
- Regularly conveys the message into Dante that death should never be accepted when suffering is owed. Later, he formed a partnership with Aimes, presumably to expand his criminal activities globally.
Fast Five[]
- Sends his henchmen, right hand Zizi, Dominic and Mia Toretto, Brian O'Conner and Vince to hijack three DEA seized cares from a train. However, Reyes was only interested in one car - a Ford GT40 that contained a computer chip holding the whereabouts of his ten cash houses.
- When Mia escapes with the car, he captures and interrogates Brian and Dom with the intention of receiving the location of the car, though the duo managed to escape.
- Frames Dom, Mia and Brain after Zizi murders three DEA agents on the train, setting a manhunt on the three to ensure he gets the chip.
- He is indirectly responsible for Dom and Vince briefly turning against each other since the latter was caught trying to steal the chip and hand it to Reyes. While Vince had good intentions-stopping the manhunt and bounty on Dom, Dom saw this as a betrayal and kicked him off the team.
- His men attack the safe house just as Luke Hobbs and his fellow agents of the Diplomatic Security Service do and a chase entails. The trio manage to escape and Hobbs' agents kill Reyes' men, except for Zizi.
- Struck one of his mean over the head with a bust in a fit of rage, killing him instantly, after he reported to him and learning that Dom and his team broke into one of his cash houses and burned the $10 million stored there.
- Transfer his money into a locked vault inside the police station, putting all the officers there on his payroll to keep guard over it at all times.
- As Hobbs eventually arrests Dom, Mia, Brian and Vince in order to transport them back to America for extradition, Reyes has his men attack their convoy. His men also kill all of Hobbs' team members (and Vince), but all are later killed by Dom, Brian and Vince, save for Zizi, who escapes death once more.
- Although it is minor, he is shown to be cowardly in his final moments. When Dom makes the vault flips and leaves Reyes to scream as the vault hits his car, and hypocritically begs Hobbs to spare his life, despite having his team murdered. However, Hobbs executes him, avenging his team in the process.
- While he offers to provide worldly amenities such as running water and schools, this is mainly pragamtic because he understands that if he tries to control people with simple fear and brutality, they will eventually revolt because they have nothing to lose.
Fast X[]
- Following his death, the heist instigated by Dom and his crew would come back to haunt them as Dante survived and vowed revenge on Dom and his team by continuing his partnership with Aimes and the two kept surveillance on the family for ten years before Dante decided to enact his revenge. Dante's revenge spree in his father's name would result in Dom, his team, and anyone associated with them being put in danger. Dante also bombed Vatican City and framed Dominic and his team for it. Dante eventually turned his sights onto Luke Hobbs, who was the true killer of his father.
- Therefore, he is the film's posthumous overarching villain and indirectly responsible for Dante becoming the sociopathic monster he is.
Why He Doesn't Stand Out?[]
- While he passes the baseline due to his vast control and influence over Rio and having a corrupt police force on his payroll, his personal villainy towards Dom and his team and indirectly killing Vince and Hobbs' team, he fails the heinous standards to Dante and Cipher, who both did far worse than him with similar resources and were more personal enemies to Dom and his family.
- While he was posthumously responsible for his son's actions due to making him the sociopathic monster he is, he couldn't have known how far Dante would go to avenge him. However, given his own corruption of Rio and personal villainy against Dom's crew and Luke Hobbs, this is a minor prevention.
- He is genuinely affable and polite, hardly losing his composure throughout most of the film.
- He has a good relationship with his son Dante, as he constantly bailed him out of trouble. Even though Dante acknowledges he was a bad person, he still cared for his father enough to wish to avenge his death by targeting those who killed him. He even tells Dom that he "kind of liked him". However, given how ruthless Dante had become, this is also a minor prevention.
- Despite it being pragmatic, he is still honorable as he prefers to keep the population of Rio dependent on him and prefers using his resources to provide for them, instead of ruling through fear and brutality, though this is yet another minor prevention as he is still a vicious businessman and drug lord.
External Links[]
- Hernan Reyes on the Villains Wiki
- Hernan Reyes on the Fast and Furious Wiki
- Hernan Reyes on the Universal Studios Wiki
