The Fast and the Furious was already a big success by the time Dwayne Johnson joined the fun, but his star power certainly helped raise the profile of the franchise. When Fast Five premiered, Johnson was on the verge of superstardom, but had not yet closed the gap. His performance as Luke Hobbs was mutually beneficial—he elevated the series, and the series elevated him.
In the next two Fast and Furious films, both Johnson’s star and the box office continued to rise. It seemed like the sky was the limit. Following the tragic death of Paul Walker, Dom and Hobbs’ relationship became even more important, embodying the theme of chosen brotherhood that Dom and Brian once carried. And then, of course, everything fell apart.
Johnson’s feud with Vin Diesel is well documented at this point. The simple theory is that the two massive men apparently developed equally huge egos – big enough that the Fast and the Furious set was no longer big enough for the two of them. With Diesel having more authority on the series (and producer), Johnson eventually left, first being dragged into a dismally received spin-off and then leaving entirely. The franchise has felt the brunt of his absence greatly over the years, and the films have undoubtedly suffered. This major mistake appears to have been corrected by Johnson’s return at the end of Fast & Furious X, but losing him for multiple films is still something that both the franchise and Diesel should be embarrassed about.