Disturbed by the Order's cruelty during his first combat mission, he flees and joins forces with the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron and the scavenger Rey.

[6] Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm and one of the producers of The Force Awakens, said that Boyega had been a top candidate for the role since the beginning of the casting process.

They steal a TIE fighter, and during their getaway Poe creates the name "Finn" for his companion, using the first two letters of his First Order designation FN-2187.

Finn decides to flee the galactic conflict, but changes his mind after the First Order destroys several planets and takes Rey prisoner.

Later, following a deadly First Order attack on the Resistance fleet, Finn decides to board an escape pod to keep both himself and Rey out of danger.

Finn and Rose decide to seek out and disable the tracking device, and are advised by Maz to find an expert code breaker.

Suffering losses, Poe orders a retreat, but Finn flies his speeder towards the cannon, intending to sacrifice himself to destroy it.

In the video game Star Wars Battlefront II, Finn is a playable character through The Last Jedi downloadable content.

Finn and his companions travel to Pasaana, where they find a clue to the location of a Sith wayfinder—a compass showing the way to Exegol.

Finn and Poe are captured and are set to be executed, but are rescued by the First Order's General Hux, who reveals that he is aiding the Resistance.

As the Resistance nears victory, Finn and Jannah are stranded on a First Order Star Destroyer, but are rescued by Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca in the Falcon.

Meanwhile, Finn plans to celebrate the Wookiee holiday Life Day with Poe, Jannah, Rose and Lando, as well as Chewbacca and his family.

During Rey's travels, she learns from Yoda's spirit that patience and understanding are important when instructing an apprentice; she sees Finn prevent the Life Day tree from falling with his wooden lightsaber.

When Rey returns home, she allows Finn to slice the Life Day roast with her lightsaber, but he cuts through the table by mistake.

[16] The film's director, Rian Johnson, realized the dialogue of the two characters was interchangeable, which resulted in what he called a "flat" storyline.

[19] Drew McWeeny of HitFix said Boyega has a "great combination of self-interested fear and reluctant heroism that he plays beautifully" and that he expertly "charts Finn's evolution as a person".

[22] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe offered a critical appraisal, calling Finn a "weak link" who "vacillates between noble impulses and cowardice until our interest drops away".

"[23] Finn's introduction was met with some racist reactions online, to which Boyega responded, "I'm not going to lose sleep over people."

After the first trailer premiered, Boyega responded to critics with, "To whom it may concern ... Get used to it", and further commented that, "All the films I've done have had a secret commentary on stereotypical mentalities.

'"[24] In response to those who desired to boycott the film over their disagreements with the existence of a black stormtrooper, Boyega replied, "I'm proud of my heritage, and no man can take that away from me.

[26] In January 2020, an abandoned script for Episode IX was leaked, titled Star Wars: Duel of the Fates and written by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly.

[30][31][32] In September 2020, John Boyega publicly criticized The Last Jedi for sidelining characters played by people of color.