Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning could be the last installment of Tom Cruise’s long-running series, meaning many things must happen to make it a satisfying culmination. Since the ending of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, the eighth entry into the franchise has been highly anticipated. Originally billed as Dead Reckoning – Part Two, the newly-titled story of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will see Ethan Hunt and his IMF team going up against the AI villain known only as the Entity in a race against time to defeat it.
Much of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s cast members were part of Dead Reckoning, and will return for what is sure to be another epic installment in the action franchise. If the trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is anything to go by, however, the film could be the end of the franchise altogether. From the titular use of the word “final” to the “everything has led to this” feeling of the film’s marketing, Cruise’s time as Ethan Hunt may be at an end.
Some of the elements that hint at this reality from the trailer are as follows. Firstly, Henry Czerny’s Eugene Kitridge can be heard saying “Everything you were… everything you’ve done, has come to this.” Shortly before this, Ving Rhames’ voice is heard, with Luther Stickle saying that our lives are defined by the sum of our choices. Finally, the trailer ends with Ethan stating “I need you to trust me, one last time,” hinting that the end is nigh. If so, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning must deliver several elements.
7Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt Needs To Be Given A Satisfying Ending
If Indeed His Character Arc Is Over
Although there has not yet been any outright confirmation that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the last entry into the franchise, the aforementioned elements mean it can be perceived this way before release. With that in mind, the first thing Mission: Impossible 8 needs to do is give Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt a satisfying ending. Ethan Hunt’s exact origin story may be murky, but his arc between the first movie and The Final Reckoning has been excellent, compelling, and above all, satisfying, largely due to Cruise’s performance.
As such, his ending needs to be equally satisfying. Be it Hunt’s death or his retirement from the IMF in one way or another, Mission: Impossible 8 needs to give the character a good send-off. Either could work so long as the chosen direction is handled correctly. If not, Mission: Impossible 8 risks ending the franchise on a sour note if the character that is so inextricably entwined with its success is closed out poorly.
6The Entity Needs To Be Destroyed
The AI Villain Being Defeated Sums Up Various Themes
With Ethan’s fate hanging in the balance, many may think the same applies to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s villain. That villain is the AI program known as the Entity. To be destroyed, Hunt and his team will have to reach the sunken submarine known as the Sevastopol and dismantle the Entity from its source. While it could be left off to be the central antagonist of future M:I movies beyond The Final Reckoning, this is unlikely, especially if the latter is the franchise’s final film.
With such a message at the heart of Mission: Impossible 8 , it is hard to imagine the film – and franchise – ending with AI coming out on top…
The reason for this is fairly simple. Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 are overtly anti-AI movies. In a world in which AI is becoming more and more commonplace, the use of these elements in creative industries is a massive cause for concern. Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise know this, crafting the Entity as Ethan Hunt’s biggest threat thus far as an allegory for that. With such a message at the heart of Mission: Impossible 8, it is hard to imagine the film – and franchise – ending with AI coming out on top, thus pointing to the Entity’s destruction in the end.
5Hunt’s Mysterious Past With Gabriel Needs To Be Shown
What Drove Them To Hate Each Other?
One of the more intriguing elements of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning was the relationship between Ethan Hunt and Esai Morales’ Gabriel. Gabriel was Mission: Impossible 7‘s human villain, the main agent carrying out the Entity’s will. Throughout the film, it is made clear that Hunt and Gabriel hate each other, stemming from an altercation they had before the former became an IMF agent. A brief hint at this flashback was provided, and with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s trailer teasing elements from the past coming to the fore, the film must reveal what happened on this fateful night.
From the brief teases in M:I 7, it is clear that Gabriel harmed someone Ethan cared about. Mariela Garriga plays a woman named Marie in Dead Reckoning and is reprising her role for The Final Reckoning. Thankfully, this likely means the film will detail exactly what happened between Ethan and Gabriel, who Marie is, and the mysteries of Ethan’s pre-IMF life before the franchise ends.
4The Stories Of Mission: Impossible’s Central Team Need To Be Resolved
Luther & Benji Need Solid Endings Too
Besides concluding the story of Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning also needs to wrap up the stories of his longtime allies: Benji and Luther. Many are theorizing Luther will die in Mission: Impossible 8, with Benji also potentially following suit. Either way, like the aforementioned point about Ethan’s ending, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning needs to give each of these characters a good send-off one way or another if the franchise is to meet a satisfying end.
3Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt Should Return
An Important Character May Have A Role Yet
One of the more important supporting characters in any Mission: Impossible movie is Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt. Brandt was introduced in the fourth entry and returned for the fifth, proving to be not only a compelling member of Ethan’s IMF team but someone who is tied to the personal story of Ethan and his ex-wife Julia in an emotionally resonant way. However, since Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Brandt has not been part of the franchise.
As such, Renner and Brandt should return for The Final Reckoning. For one, this would simply make sense. The Entity has proven to be a big enough threat that many organizations in Mission: Impossible‘s world want to see it destroyed or used against their enemies. It is likely Brandt would fall under the former category and could help Ethan and his team. Secondly, on a more personal level, it would simply be heartwarming to see Brandt back in action after Jeremy Renner’s snowplow accident in 2023.
2Mission: Impossible 8’s Ties To The Past Need Resolving
How Do Hunt’s Prior Adventures Link To The Entity?
As mentioned, the trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning provides many teases that this is the last installment in the franchise, but also that the past entries will tie into the story. Obviously, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning will connect intrinsically to the movie, yet the trailer shows shots from other movies, including Mission: Impossible III, for example. Ethan can be seen holding the Rabbit’s Foot, begging the question of how his past adventures link to the Entity.
What kind of weapon the Rabbit’s Foot was was left unclear in Mission: Impossible 3. Many assumed it was a bioweapon, but its true nature can finally be revealed if it returns in M:I 8.
This combines with the point about Gabriel and his connections to Ethan to prove that Mission: Impossible 8 needs to tie up the questions about Ethan’s past. It could be revealed that the Entity orchestrated Ethan’s entire life, leading him to this moment, hence the flashbacks to Mission: Impossible III. Other possibilities could be that the Rabbit’s Foot was not destroyed and the Entity and Gabriel are trying to obtain it. Regardless, Ethan’s past adventures in the Mission: Impossible franchise will be part of The Final Reckoning, with the latter having to explain exactly why and how.
1The Future Of The Mission: Impossible Franchise Needs To Be Solidified
What Lies Beyond Ethan Hunt’s Story?
The final major thing that needs to happen in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning if it is the last in the franchise is establishing the concrete direction of the series going forward. This may seem like a contradiction, but it is clear that this iteration of the Mission: Impossible franchise will end with Cruise’s involvement. If Hunt does not go beyond The Final Reckoning, a new version of the franchise will be born that still marks the film as an ending of sorts.
That said, a successor will need to be crowned. Since Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, this has been attempted by the various filmmakers involved in the series. Be it Renner’s Brandt, Henry Cavill’s August Walker (before his villain twist), Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, or, more recently, Hayley Atwell’s Grace, there have been several candidates raised to replace Cruise’s Hunt as the future of the franchise. If Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning ends the franchise via Cruise’s retirement from it, the film must present a way forward, or prove it to be an ending beyond all doubt.
