Brian O'Conner is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
and one of the two main protagonists of the ''
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a t ...
'' franchise. He is portrayed by
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist
Dominic Toretto
Dominic "Dom" Toretto is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Vin Diesel and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Brian O'Conner, in ''The Fast and ...
, in ''
The Fast and the Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'' (2001). Brian was created by screenwriter
Gary Scott Thompson
Gary Scott Thompson (born October 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. Scott is notable for his work on ''The Fast and the Furious'' starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, the sequel ''2 Fast 2 Furious'', '' Ho ...
, who was inspired by an article on
street racing
Street racing is typically an unsanctioned and illegal form of auto racing that occurs on a public road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, as horse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing in automobiles is ...
that was published in the May 1998 issue of ''
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' magazine. Walker was directly approached by director
Rob Cohen
Rob Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, inc ...
to play the character.
O'Conner, under the alias Brian Earl Spilner, first interacts with Dominic as an undercover police officer tasked with bringing him to the law. However, he helps him evade police capture twice, and also helps erase the criminal record of childhood friend
Roman Pearce
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
. These events help build many of his attributes: often the second in command to Dominic, Brian is shown to be honorable, honest, and protective, especially in regards to his family and wife,
Mia Toretto
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
. Brian is also respectful and believes in delivering fair justice. He is also a keen driver, and challenges Dominic, the implied strongest racer in the group, to races throughout the series.
The role's popularity allowed Walker to become a bankable Hollywood star. He won the 2002 and 2014
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...
for Best On-Screen Team with
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began audition ...
for his performances, and Walker became strongly identified with the character, with Brian being widely considered among the primary reasons of the longevity of the series. After Walker's death, the character was retired in ''
Furious 7
''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006), and ser ...
'' (2015).
Character biography
Early life
Brian was born on July 14, 1978 and raised by his mother in
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...
. He remembers little of his father and is close childhood friends with
Roman Pearce
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
; attending the same high school, the pair also dated the same women.
Once Brian earned his drivers permit, he was involved in a five-car pile-up on
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
driving with his mother. The brakes of the car in front locked up, while another car hit them from behind. He joined the
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
(LAPD), and two months into his tenure on the force, Roman was arrested for housing stolen cars in a garage. While Brian was not involved in the arrest, Roman assumed Brian may have helped him in some capacity; Roman then resents his childhood friend and his association with law enforcement.
Appearances
''The Fast and the Furious''
During the events of the first film, Brian is working as an undercover detective with the LAPD, who assigns him the task of solving a series of semi-trailer truck hijackings. He is given a very short amount of time to find the people responsible before the truckers start arming themselves with shotguns and taking matters into their own hands. Their only lead is a description of the vehicles used, black Honda Civics with green neon underglow.
When investigating the street race scene, he then meets Dominic Toretto whose crew he later infiltrates, first as a rival racer, in a race which he loses, then as a member after helping Dom escape the police. While running with Dom, he proceeds to investigate rival race crews led by
Johnny Tran
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
(
Rick Yune
Rick Yune (born August 22, 1971) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the movies ''Snow Falling on Cedars'', the first ''Fast and Furious'' film ''The Fast and ...
) and Hector (played by
Noel Gugliemi
Noel Albert Gugliemi (also known as Noel G.) is an American actor best known for his portrayals of Southern Californian gangsters. Gugliemi has received some notoriety for having played characters named ''Hector'' in several movies and TV shows.
...
). He even goes as far as to organize and lead a large SWAT team into Johnny Tran's house after finding large amounts of merchandise, the kind from the highway robberies, while infiltrating his garage. Although the merchandise is illegal, they find nothing on Tran except a few minor charges—which leaves only Dom as a suspect. Brian soon finds out Toretto is responsible after watching him suddenly leave in the middle of a party at Race Wars and seeing Mia weeping to herself. He then reveals himself to Mia as a police officer and convinces her that if he does not get to her brother and his crew fast, they could get seriously injured or killed by the truckers who have begun to carry firearms.
As Brian and Mia race out to stop Dominic from making another highway robbery, two of his drivers,
Letty (
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress.
Rodriguez began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Award and Gotha ...
) and Vincent, are injured in the process, with Letty rolling her car on the side of the road and Vincent being shot in the side by a shotgun from the truck driver who they tried to hijack. Brian saves Vincent only to reveal to Dom that he's a cop. Brian later finds Dominic at his house attempting to look for Jesse (played by
Chad Lindberg) when Tran and his accomplice roll up on their motorbikes pulling a
drive by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
on the Toretto house, narrowly missing everyone there except for Jesse who is killed in the process.
Both men then drive after Tran and his accomplice, with Dom running the accomplice of the road while Brian fatally shoots Tran. Afterward he chases Dominic, who he then races resulting in Dominic winning closely just before he is hit by another car. After surviving his car rolling over, Brian later pulls him out of the wreckage only to give him the keys to his vehicle, claiming "I owe you a ten second car" (the price he paid for losing the earlier race was his car). This leads to his
aiding and abetting
Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another's suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally allo ...
charge, resulting in his removal from the
LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
.
''The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious''
Brian leaves Los Angeles before the
LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
gets chance to arrest him for letting Dominic escape. While the FBI launch a national manhunt for him, Brian travels across
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, winning every
street race he participates in, with his red
Dodge Stealth
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plym ...
. However, he is forced to ditch his car at a motel in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
when police officers are notified of his presence. When they collect the car, he manages to hitch a ride from an unknown woman (
Minka Kelly
Minka Kelly (born June 24, 1980) is an American actress and model. Her first starring role was in the NBC drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2009) and she has also appeared on the shows '' Parenthood'' (2010–2011), ''Charlie's Ang ...
), despite her knowing who he really is. She drops him at a used car lot, with him realizing she knows that he is a wanted man. There, he buys a green
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. Later, collecting money from street races, he modifies the car with new rims and repaints it silver before traveling eastbound and winning more races on the way. Upon reaching
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, Brian heads south toward
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
''2 Fast 2 Furious''
Brian, now living in Miami, Florida competes part time as a street racer for his friend Tej Parker (
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
). While racing, he is caught by the local authorities and is facing jail time for his minor charges such as destruction of property (while infiltrating Toretto in the first film) and aiding and abetting Dominic Toretto. However,
US Customs
The United States Customs Service was the very first federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted c ...
Agent Markham (
James Remar
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (1984 ...
) later gives him an offer to work undercover to infiltrate a local drug kingpin named Carter Verone (
Cole Hauser
Cole Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for film roles in ''Higher Learning'', '' School Ties'', '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Good Will Hunting'', '' Pitch Black'', '' Tigerland'', '' Hart's War'', '' Tears of the Sun'' ...
) in exchange for a clean record. Seeing that they could not pin any charges on Verone until evidence of his payoff is in transit, O'Conner was in charge of being placed as a driver while undercover for Verone. Brian is given a partner named Dunn, who he quizzes regarding his knowledge of cars, and Dunn fails. Brian then proceeded to request his own driver, saying if he doesn't get the driver he wants, he won't participate in the operation and take his chances in Chino.
When Markham agrees to Brian's terms, Brian and his old
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
boss, Agent Bilkins (
Thom Barry
Thom Barry is an American former actor who was born in Cleveland, Ohio. In the 1980s, he was a disc jockey for WUBE-FM in Cincinnati. He appeared in television advertisements for The Home Depot, Sears, and United Parcel Service, and did voice ...
) seek out his childhood friend
Roman Pearce
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
(
Tyrese Gibson
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
) who is now a
Demolition Derby driver. Not being on good terms, they scuffle on the ground much like from their childhood days since Pearce is unhappy with Brian being a police officer and was arrested two months after Brian got out of Police Academy for possessing eight stolen cars, which Pearce blames Brian for, despite his knowing nothing about it. He is able to convince Pearce to accept the deal. After the agreement is settled, Bilkins and Markham then introduce Brian and Roman to Monica Fuentes (
Eva Mendes
Eva de la Caridad Méndez (, ; born March 5, 1974), known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American actress, model and fashion designer. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as '' Children of the Cor ...
), an undercover US Customs agent working with Carter. Brian and Roman are then given their cars. Brian drives a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, and Roman drives a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder.
While infiltrating Carter Verone, both men are successful in getting into the organization, aided by Monica Fuentes. Monica, who has fallen in love with Brian, warns him that Verone intends to kill them at the end of their mission. Now the stakes are that if they fail, they go to jail or if they succeed, they get executed. With those choices, both men hatch a scheme to avoid jail time and being shot dead. Pearce reconciles with Brian, accepting that his arrest was not his fault. With help from Tej, they orchestrate a "scramble"—after driving into a garage they later have hundreds of race cars coming out, having switched cars with Tej and Suki (
Devon Aoki
Devon Edwenna Aoki (born August 10, 1982) is an actress and fashion model. Aoki's film roles include supporting roles in '' 2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003) and ''Sin City'' (2005) and lead roles in '' DOA: Dead or Alive'' (2006) and ''Mutant Chronicle ...
) while in the garage.
The cars they later move out in are outfitted with ejection seats to rid themselves of unwanted guests. Brian is forced to meet up with Verone, but after beating up Carter's henchman (with help from Pearce) he proceeds to do a classic car jump onto Verone's boat. Afterward they arrest Verone and are off the hook. He and Monica exchange a meaningful glance, and the end scene is shown between O'Conner and Pearce walking away with their pockets full of Verone's drug money planning to open up a high-performance garage.
''Fast & Furious''
Paul Walker reprises his role as Brian O'Conner in the fourth installment of the film series. This film takes place after the events of ''
The Fast and the Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'' and ''
2 Fast 2 Furious'', much before the events of ''
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''.
Brian O'Conner, now a fully reinstated FBI Agent, is given the task of bringing down Arturo Braga, a known drug trafficker in Los Angeles and his connections to the street racing world, although his real identity is unknown to the public. Brian is also not surprised to see Dominic Toretto doing a
Suge Knight
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...
style balcony interrogation of possible lead David Park. Brian knows that it is because of
Letty's recent murder that Dominic has returned to get answers. Also, it was Brian who was contacted by Letty with her proposal to infiltrate Braga's organization in exchange for Dom's safe return to Los Angeles.
Despite being a full agent again, he is still seen doing his trademark bending the rules and occasionally breaking them to solve the case. Similar to the first film, Brian is under pressure by his superiors to bring in Dom, who is still a fugitive in the film.
Brian and Dom both infiltrate Braga's crew, despite neither being aware of who Braga really is. Following the hijacking a Hummer H1 with $60 million worth of heroin in it, Brian sets up a sting operation to meet Braga to exchange some of the heroin for $6 million in cash, but not before making a deal with his superiors to have Dom pardoned for his past crimes if the operation is successful. After having the FBI do a fingerprint database search for Braga, whose real identity turns out to be his "second-in-command" Ramon Campos, fellow FBI agent Michael Stasiak, envious of and at odds with O'Conner, sends in a SWAT team to ruin the bust, forcing Braga to go back into hiding. As a result of this, Brian is taken off active duty.
Later, as O'Conner and Dominic go into Mexico to search for Braga, they are given a tip off by one of Braga's people, in this case, his liaison
Gisele Yashar
Gisele Yashar is a fictional character portrayed by Gal Gadot who appears in ''The Fast and The Furious'' franchise. Introduced in the 2009 film ''Fast & Furious'', she helps Dominic Toretto's team while forming a romantic relationship with te ...
(
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot-Varsano ( he, גל גדות ; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years as a combat fitness instructor, whereafter sh ...
), who has taken an attraction to Dom. Brian and Dom successfully apprehend Braga at a church in Mexico, and helps Dom kill Fenix Calderon (
Laz Alonso Laz or LAZ may refer to:
People
* Laz people of the Black Sea area
**Laz language
First name
* Laz Alonso (born 1975), American actor
* Laz Barrera (1924–1991), Cuban-born American racehorse trainer
* Laz-D (born 1982), American rapper
*Laz Dí ...
), who is responsible for Letty's death, by holding his ankles while Dominic impales him with a henchman's '73
Chevy Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
F-Bomb. Despite requesting clemency for Dom, he is given a sentence of "25 years to life without the possibility of early parole". This leads Brian to resign from the FBI, and he joins Mia and two of Dom's Latino accomplices from the beginning of the film (Leo and Santos, played by
Don Omar
William Omar Landrón Rivera (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he would retire after a ...
and
Tego Calderón
Tegui Calderón Rosario (born February 1, 1972) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and actor. He began his musical career in 1996 (as Tego Tec) and was supported by the famous Puerto Rican rapper Eddie Dee, who invited him on his second studio albu ...
respectively) in freeing Dom from his prison bus by driving towards the bus in similar style to Dominic's heists, which later leads to Dominic's appearance in Tokyo, Japan during the end film events of ''
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''.
There is no mention of the fate regarding his plans for opening an automotive shop with childhood friend Roman Pearce in Miami. It is also revealed in this film why he let Dominic go in the first film—that he respected Dominic more than he did himself, and perhaps due to the fact that his raid on Tran's estate indirectly caused Jesse's death.
During the course of the film, Brian also rekindles his old romance with
Mia Toretto
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
, Dominic's younger sister. After seeing her in an FBI interrogation room, he releases her, and the two go out for coffee. During the conversation they share, she reveals her anger at his "betrayal" of their group at the end of the first film, questions why he let Dom go (to which Brian claims he doesn't know) and tells him how hurt she was when he left her suddenly, with no explanation. While Brian initially puts professional distance between himself and Mia, he finally admits to her that leaving her was the hardest thing he ever did, and later, when Mia breaks down, Brian comforts her, resulting in a passionate reunion between the two.
''Fast Five''
O'Conner and
Toretto get caught in a crossfire with corrupt businessman and ruthless drug lord Hernan Reyes's in Rio de Janeiro and plot to steal all of Reyes' money to buy their freedom. It is revealed in ''Fast Five'' that O'Conner's father was not there for him and O'Conner does not know anything about him, unlike the close bond that Toretto's father had with both his children. He is often worried that he will behave in the manner that his father did, but Toretto reassured him that he won't because he will keep an eye on him if he does. O'Conner had been in juvenile detention with Roman before he became a cop. O'Conner has also rekindled his relationship with Mia, and she becomes pregnant with his child.
''Fast & Furious 6''
O'Conner, Toretto, and Mia live peacefully in the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
in Spain, where Mia gives birth to their son. O'Conner joins Toretto's team in complying with the request of Agent Hobbs to take down rival gang leader Owen Shaw. When the team realizes that Braga worked for Shaw, O'Conner decides to enter the United States to interrogate him about Shaw. After successfully questioning Braga and returning to London, O'Conner starts to feel guilty for letting Letty go undercover, which led to her amnesia and subsequent work for Shaw. The group captures Shaw and convinces Letty to side with them. O'Conner apologizes to Letty, who says that she might not remember him, but if she did work for him, she would have done of her own free will. Shaw reveals that he had captured Mia, leading to a high-speed chase after Shaw's airplane, where Mia is rescued and Shaw is crippled and put into a coma. Hobbs then grants the group's amnesty, and the entire crew move back to America, where Mia, Toretto and O'Conner have decided to reside in the old Toretto home.
''Furious 7''
Brian and the rest of the crew return to the U.S. and live normal lives again. Brian begins to accustom himself to life as a father, but misses the old life he once enjoyed. Meanwhile, Dom learns from his sister, Mia, that she is pregnant again, but fears to tell Brian because of his longing for ''missing the bullets''. However, their house is destroyed by Deckard Shaw, brother to Owen Shaw, who has come out of hiding for vengeance, which forces Brian, Roman, Tej, Letty and Dom to go after him. Before leaving, Brian makes a promise to Mia that after Shaw is dealt with, he will dedicate himself to his family. To rescue Ramsey, a hacker who has a device known as 'God's Eye' that can locate anyone on Earth, the team airdrops their cars over the Caucasus Mountains and ambush Jakande's convoy and rescue Ramsey, finding out that she is a young woman. They then head to Abu Dhabi, where a billionaire has acquired the flash drive containing God's Eye. The team break into his penthouse and manage to steal the flash drive. On both occasions, the team is pursued by Shaw, who engages in combat with Dom, with the team barely managing to escape. With God's Eye, the team manages to track down Shaw, who is waiting at a remote factory. Dom, Brian and Mr. Nobody, along with a covert ops unit, attempt to capture Shaw but are ambushed by Jakande and Jakande's militants, who have allied with Deckard. After the ambush, Nobody's men are killed and Nobody is injured, though he manages to escape with Toretto and Brian, while Jakande obtains God's Eye. Nobody warns Brian and Dom that Jakande will use God's Eye to hunt down Ramsey, who is the only one who can destroy it. They drive off, leaving Nobody behind to be evacuated by one of his 'stand-by' helicopters. Left with no other choice, the team return to Los Angeles to fight Shaw, Jakande and his men on their home turf. Dom plans to confront Shaw alone while Brian and the rest of the crew prepare to deal with Jakande. Just as they are preparing, Brian calls Mia and professes his love, fearing he may not survive, and learns that she is pregnant with a baby girl, motivating him to come back alive. While Jakande pursues Brian and the rest of the crew with a stealth attack helicopter and a UAV, using God's Eye to track down Ramsey, they barely survive and manage to shut down God's Eye with Brian's help to establish a connection for Ramsey to hack it. In the aftermath, Hobbs kills Jakande by shooting the bag of grenades that Dom managed to throw inside the helicopter, while also taking out the UAV. Deckard is defeated by Dom and imprisoned. Finally at peace, the team celebrate at the beach. While Brian and Mia play with their son, Dom, Letty, Ramsey, Roman and Tej observe, appreciating their happiness and acknowledging that Brian is better off retired with his family. Dom silently leaves, not wanting to disturb the happy moment and drives off. Brian notices and manages to catch up to him, asking Dom "You thought you could leave without saying goodbye?" As he pulls up beside Dom's car in his white Toyota Supra, they look at each other and smile, then bid each other farewell as Brian turns off the main road, and Dom continues on ahead.
''The Fate of the Furious''
Brian does not appear in ''The Fate of the Furious'', but he, alongside Mia, is seen in a photo in Dom's car. He is also mentioned by Roman and Letty as when Dom betrays the team, Roman suggests that Brian be called to help them figure out why Dom betrayed them. But Letty reminded him that they all agreed to keep Brian and Mia retired from the team due to them wanting a normal life and for the safety of their children. Dom later names his son after Brian.
''F9''
Brian does not appear in ''F9''. However, Mia returns to the team when she learns that their current target is Jakob, the third Toretto sibling, who was separated from the family years ago, and informs Dom that Brian is looking after the children (including Dom's own son). The film concludes with Brian arriving at Dom's house in his blue Nissan Skyline to join the rest of the team in a post-mission barbecue, although he is not seen directly.
Character, traits and abilities
His charismatic, level-headed personality often contrasts with Toretto's aggressive behavior. Despite his composure, Brian is a secret adrenalin junkie; once, he confides in Dom (when describing the challenges of fatherhood) that he misses the dangerous lifestyle. He is also shown to be brave, particularly when protecting friends or loved ones by making seemingly lethal, impulsive or courageous decisions.
O'Conner was first unknown with the car tuning community, but after with meeting Toretto, he became more positive, active in the racing scene, becoming a skilled mechanic.
He is very interested in tuners, especially Nissan Skyline models. He owned two
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34's (one in the second movie and one in the fourth),
Nissan C10 Skyline and finally a
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alth ...
.
Apart from Skylines, he has owned: a tuned Mitsubishi Eclipse in the first film (but it's hinted this was paid for by the LAPD-FBI task force he had gone undercover for), a Lancer Evo, a Subaru (twice) and a Supra (twice).
Cars
![Nissan Skyline - 2 Fast 2 Furious](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Nissan_Skyline_-_2_Fast_2_Furious.JPG)
The following cars are driven by Brian O'Conner throughout the series:
* 1995
Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a sport compact car that was produced by Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi in four generations from 1989 until 2011. A convertible body style was added during the 1996 model year.
The first two generations share the autom ...
- Shot at by Johnny Tran and later destroyed after ruptured nitrous tanks explode; equipped with a 420A motor with an upgrade to a T3 turbo and front mount intercooler, standalone fuel management and nitrous. This was the car Brian used to race Dom in the beginning of the first film.
* 1995
Toyota Supra
is a sports car and grand tourer manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation beginning in 1978. The name "supra" is derived from the Latin prefix, meaning "above", "to surpass" or "go beyond".
The initial four generations of the Supra were pr ...
- Brian handed over the keys to Dominic after he crashed his Dodge Charger R/T, claiming he owed him a ten second car. In the movie, Jesse referred to spending $10,000-$15,000 on this car when in reality there was over $150,000 dollars invested in the Supra.
* 1999
Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a battery electric full-size light duty truck unveiled by Ford in May 2021 as part of the fourteenth generation Ford F-Series. Four models have been announced, and all models initially will be dual-motor, four- ...
- Seen bumping the curb outside of Harry's performance shop "The Racer's Edge", and when Brian is pulled over and arrested by Sergeant Tanner.
* 1995
Dodge Stealth
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plym ...
- Seen in ''
The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious
''The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious'' is a 2003 American short film directed by Philip G. Atwell, produced by Chris Palladino, and written by Keith Dinielli. It is the first short film in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, and stars P ...
''; now a fugitive, he races with it until it's impounded by the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
then later replaces it with a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 on his way to Miami.
* 2002
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII - Provided for Brian, in ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' for his undercover mission of taking down drug lord Carter Verone in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. It is fitted with a tracking device. He later switches cars in an elaborate scramble sequence, continuing his mission undetected.
Note: The Evo VII had the taillights from the
Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally and it was both the 2002 Evo VII and 2002 Lancer OZ Rally.
* 1969
Yenko Camaro
The Yenko Super Camaro was a modified Chevrolet Camaro prepared by Yenko Chevrolet, developed by the dealership owner and racer, Don Yenko.
Background
When the Camaro debuted, a General Motors corporate edict prevented it from carrying an engin ...
- Won from fellow racer Korpi, this is the car Brian switches into after the scramble sequence and drives for the rest of the film. It is outfitted with an ejector seat, which somehow fails, and is forced to drive with Verone's henchman to the checkpoint. Brian later uses the Camaro to drive off the shore onto Verone's boat to rescue Monica after she is taken captive.
*
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 - Driven by Brian in ''
2 Fast 2 Furious'' and ''Fast & Furious''. In the second film, it is colored silver from House of Kolors and blue stripes. In the fourth film, Brian is given a second Skyline and drives this car in the race against Dominic, which he very narrowly loses after Dom cheats near the end of the race. Later, when he and Dom confront Fenix Rise about Letty's death, Dom (having anticipated betrayal) blows up all the racers' cars (including Brian's) by igniting the nitrous tanks equipped in his own car. The car returns in the ending of
Fast 9 with same color in the fourth film.
* 2006
Hummer H1
The Hummer H1 is a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle based on the M998 Humvee, which was developed by AM General when it was a subsidiary of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Originally designed strictly for military use, the off-road vehicle was ...
- Briefly driven by Brian and Dom after his own car is blown up to escape from Rise; it contains the heroin being transported to Braga. He later hides it in the LAPD impound lot in plain sight.
* 2009
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Subaru Leone, Leone, with the predecessor's Subaru EA engine, EA series engines replaced by the new Subaru EJ ...
- "Given" to Brian by Dom after he blows up his Skyline, claiming the line from the first film that Dom now owes him a "ten second car". He drives this car for the rest of the film, using it to apprehend Braga in a cathedral in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and racing against Rise with it. The other one is used in the seventh film to help and prevent Ramsay from Bus in Azerbaijan.
* 1970
Dodge Charger R/T -
Dominic Toretto
Dominic "Dom" Toretto is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Vin Diesel and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Brian O'Conner, in ''The Fast and ...
's car but driven by Brian at the end of ''
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a t ...
'' when he, Mia and the two Latinos intercept Dom's prison bus.
* 2009
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alth ...
- Like in the ending
Fast Five
''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films ...
, Brian got the car the result of a robbery in Rio De Janeiro, just like Dom who bought a black
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
. In 2 films later he switched into a blue color with some modifications.
* 2012
Chrysler Town & Country (minivan)
The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third of the Chrysler minivans introduced, the 1990 Town & Country shared its nameplate with the flagship Chrysler s ...
- This is Brian's first time driving a Minivan in a film, used to take their children to school. The same car appears in the next scene, where Brian's son, Jack, was protected by him via his sliding door when the Toretto family's house exploded.
* 2013
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C, later known simply as the McLaren 12C, is a sports car that was designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It was the first ever production car wholly designed and built by McLaren, and their first production road ...
- for a short scene in his arrival in Abu Dhabi, Brian drives the blue one.
* Another
Toyota Supra
is a sports car and grand tourer manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation beginning in 1978. The name "supra" is derived from the Latin prefix, meaning "above", "to surpass" or "go beyond".
The initial four generations of the Supra were pr ...
(1998 Facelift model) - in the ending of
Furious 7
''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006), and ser ...
, Brian drives the white one to say " See You Again " with Dom, unlike in the first movie which is coloured in Orange.
Reception
The role won Walker the
MTV Movie Award
The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...
in 2002 and (posthumously) 2014, for Best On-Screen Team, both of which he shared with
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began audition ...
.
Further recognition came in the 2015
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
, again posthumously. Walker's portrayal has made the actor becoming strongly identified with the character.
His relationship with
Dominic Toretto
Dominic "Dom" Toretto is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Vin Diesel and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Brian O'Conner, in ''The Fast and ...
has been described as a
bromance.
Family Tree
Notes
References
External links
Brian O'Connerat the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconner, Brian
Fictional Los Angeles Police Department detectives
Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel
Fictional characters from California
Film characters introduced in 2001
Fictional Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners
Fictional Jeet Kune Do practitioners
Fictional mechanics
Fictional outlaws
Fictional racing drivers
Action film characters
Thriller film characters
Fast & Furious characters