The first Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trailer revealed several new key story details and franchise connections that are incredibly important. The eighth installment of Tom Cruise’s action franchise arrives in May 2025, but Paramount provided the first official look at the film much earlier. The Mission: Impossible 8 teaser trailer release came, as expected, before Gladiator II so that audiences could see it on the big screen for months to come. In addition to confirming the film’s new title Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, it provided a glimpse at what’s next for Ethan Hunt.
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Building off of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning‘s ending, the sequel is again based around Ethan’s hunt to find and destroy The Entity, the powerful AI that could bring about the end of humanity. Cruise’s character is joined again by Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Grace (Hayley Atwell), while Gabriel (Esai Morales) and Kittridge (Henry Czerny) return as well. While those details were apparent based on how Dead Reckoning set up a sequel, how everything comes together is more evident thanks to the plot points and franchise connections in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s trailer.
10 The Rabbit’s Foot Is Part Of The Final Reckoning’s Story
Mission: Impossible 3’s MacGuffin Makes A Surprise Return
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A major revelation from the footage is the confirmation that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is connected to the Rabbit’s Foot. The franchise introduced audiences and Ethan to the mysterious superweapon in Mission: Impossible III, as JJ Abrams deployed his mystery box storytelling and provided no answers about the MacGuffin. The trailer shows the moment where Ethan steals the Rabbit’s Foot, which is something that was not shown in Mission: Impossible 3, confirming this is new footage shot for the film.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning looks to be de-aging Tom Cruise for the Mission: Impossible III flashback
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The decision to include Mission: Impossible 3‘s Rabbit’s Foot in the trailer is notable, as this franchise connection was not previously known. It appears that The Final Reckoning is going to incorporate the unspecified weapon in some fashion. The most likely outcome is that the Rabbit’s Foot is an important piece to the puzzle in The Entity’s defeat or the AI’s plan to destroy humanity. In either case, this puts the franchise in a position to answer a major mystery if The Final Reckoning explains what the Rabbit’s Foot really is.
9 Paris & Degas Have Joined Ethan Hunt’s Side – Are They IMF?
They Worked Against Him In Dead Reckoning
It’s also revealed that Ethan Hunt has some new allies in The Final Reckoning. In multiple shots, Paris (Pom Klementieff) and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis) are shown alongside Grace and Benji. This is notable because Paris worked for Gabriel for most of Dead Reckoning before turning to help Ethan, just as the Entity predicted. Meanwhile, Degas worked for Briggs and was part of the group trying to stop Ethan per The Community’s request. They now are both aligned with him and his team for The Final Reckoning.
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The question that comes with Paris and Degas now is whether they are part of the Impossible Mission Force. Dead Reckoning set up Grace joining IMF after talking to Kittridge, but there was no inclination that Paris and Degas would do the same. Both characters making the switch to working with Ethan instead of against him was set up in Dead Reckoning. However, that does not mean that they are officially part of the IMF. That is the likeliest explanation unless Benji and Grace go rogue, making this Ethan’s new IMF team in The Final Reckoning.
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8 Luther Remains In Solidarity To Fight The Entity
He Went Underground In Dead Reckoning
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Luther’s status in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is teased through a few moments in the trailer. He notably decided he needed to leave Ethan’s side in Dead Reckoning so that he could go underground and entirely offline for try and find a path to defeating The Entity. Instead of the sequel bypassing this period of Luther’s journey so that he could stay in the mix with the main characters, the Final Reckoning trailer confirms that Luther is still in isolation.
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Luther will not be in complete isolation for the entirety of the movie, though. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s teaser confirmed that Ethan will visit with Luther at least once in his secret hideout. This potentially means an even smaller role for Luther than in Dead Reckoning. There are even reasons to be concerned about his fate in the film, as months or years in isolation hunting down The Entity could make him a major target of Gabriel’s. The fact that Luther is already seemingly wearing a hospital gown only creates more anxiety.
7 Franz Krieger’s Knife From The Original Mission: Impossible
The 1996 Original Movie Is Seen Again
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One of the fun callbacks in the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning teaser trailer comes with Ethan holding the knife from 1996’s Mission: Impossible in a cargo plane. The moment comes immediately after the trailer shows the iconic moment of Ethan hanging above the floor during the Langley break-in sequence, while the knife he drops during his escape is also shown falling. This knife, which belonged to Franz Krieger (Jean Reno), was last in the possession of CIA analyst William Donloe (Rolf Saxon).
The appearance of Franz Krieger’s knife is notable for The Final Reckoning in terms of connecting the franchise together. There’s a clear desire for the eighth installment to tie Ethan’s battle against The Entity with the entire scope of his IMF career, including the events of 1996’s Mission: Impossible. Ethan holding onto a weapon from arguably his most iconic moment in the franchise signals the ways The Final Reckoning is looking back on what came before.
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6 William Donloe’s Return After Mission: Impossible Is Teased
The Former CIA Analyst Is Coming Back
The return of Franz Krieger’s knife is also important when it comes to setting up William Donloe’s return in Mission: Impossible 8. The trailer includes a shot of Donloe from the original movie holding the knife. The weapon’s return directly connects to the confirmed return of Rolf Saxon, which director Christopher McQuarrie previously revealed.
Prior to returning for the eighth movie, the last information provided on Donloe was that he was going to be transferred to Alaska as punishment for the Langley break-in. It would seem that he held onto the knife as a symbol of Ethan and his team’s treachery and the day that changed his career. The fact that Ethan has the knife at all indicates that the movie should have him and Donloe come face-to-face at some point in the narrative.
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5 Kittridge Is Seemingly Aligned With Gabriel In Final Reckoning
Kittridge May Once Again Be On Ethan’s Bad Side
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning started the trend of more heavily connecting to the original franchise film by bringing Kittridge back for the first time. He’s once again featured in The Final Reckoning, and the only glimpse at him is revealing. Kittridge was portrayed as more of an ally for Ethan in Dead Reckoning, as he was the one to ask him to go find Ilsa Faust, with Ethan even expressing that Grace can trust him in the end. However, The Final Reckoning appears to put Kittridge back in villain mode, as he’s potentially aligned himself with Gabriel.
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Related Mission: Impossible 8 Is Delivering The Version Of Kittridge Dead Reckoning Needed
While Kittridge was an ally to Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, it looks like he could be a villain in The Final Reckoning.
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The only shot of Kittridge in the trailer comes as he talks to Ethan, but the surprise comes with Gabriel standing behind Kittridge. Their proximity and what Kittridge says suggests that he is no longer an opposing force to Gabriel and The Entity but instead someone who is working with them. He taunts Ethan by saying, “That’s the pattern, isn’t it? You refuse to sacrifice the ones you hold close.” Kittridge is poking at Ethan’s supposed weakness as he’s now working with Gabriel.
4 Erika Sloane Is President Of The United States
Angela Bassett’s Character Was Missing From Dead Reckoning
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There is the confirmation that Angela Bassett returns as Erika Sloane in The Final Reckoning thanks to the trailer, and how it’s done comes with a major new reveal. The former CIA director from Mission: Impossible – Fallout is shown walking off Air Force One as she’s greeted by various military personnel. This moment confirms that Sloane is now the President of the United States by the time that The Final Reckoning takes place.
The reveal that Sloane is now Madame President comes after she was surprisingly absent from Dead Reckoning. However, the movie still used a small detail to help set up her new political position as her picture is hanging in Denlinger’s office. Understandably, Sloane returns in The Final Reckoning since the threat posed by The Entity and Gabriel is coming to a head. The greater threat it poses to all of humanity brings her into the fold, while the shot of her holding the cruciform key shows she’ll be quite hands-on.
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3 Marie Has A Bigger Role To Play In The Final Reckoning
She Might Save Ethan’s Life In A Way
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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s trailer also teases Marie’s larger role in the sequel. Dead Reckoning introduced the character as a woman from Ethan’s past who Gabriel killed, prompting him to join the IMF. The flashback left questions about their relationship, and it was expected that The Final Reckoning would build on it. Marie is shown in the trailer swimming to the bottom of the water where Ethan lays – seemingly without any life – and breathing air into his mouth.
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What’s unclear about this scene with Marie is its true nature. Ethan looks to be as old as he is in the present day, so this isn’t a flashback sequence. This could be a dream that Ethan has where Marie helps save his life. However, there’s also the chance that Marie, or more so the memory of her, comes to Ethan at a moment when he is dying and helps breathe new life into him. In any case, this is unlikely to be a literal scene where Marie gives Ethan oxygen but more so some type of metaphor.
2 Ethan Finds Sevastopol (& The Entity’s Source Code?)
He Looks To Accomplish A Goal
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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning set up Ethan’s new task to find the Sevastopol submarine and possibly the Entity’s source code in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The trailer footage shows that Ethan does make it to the giant, sunken submarine and searches through it for answers. It’s unclear through the footage if this is where the story begins or ends, but the former appears more likely as Ethan could be on his own looking for the Entity after Dead Reckoning.
The question that the trailer does leave viewers with is whether he found the Entity’s source code in the submarine. There’s a moment where he pulls some piece of technology out of the submarine and stares at it. This may be the moment where Ethan finds the source of the Entity. That would give him, Luther, and the team a chance to possibly find a way to help defeat the AI and take it offline throughout the main narrative.
1 The Final Reckoning Could Be Ethan’s Last Mission
Ethan Needs Trust “One Last Time”
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The overarching message of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s title and trailer is that this is the end. The consistent franchise connections and reflection on Ethan’s career all work to help create a culminating feeling to what is coming. This includes moments like Ethan telling someone he needs them to trust him “one more time.” That line being chosen to end the trailer before the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning title card is shown creates a certain amount of finality.
The possibility of The Final Reckoning ending the Mission: Impossible franchise is not overly surprising. The eighth film was rumored to be Cruise’s swansong in the franchise from the moment it was first reported to be in development. That was before various delays and changes were made to the movie, so that plan may have evolved and no longer be accurate. That does not change the fact that the marketing is clearly setting up Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning to be the last time audiences see Ethan Hunt.
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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the direct sequel to Dead Reckoning – Part One and is the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Said to be the final film, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and more will reprise their roles in Ethan Hunt’s IMF team as they face off against a dangerous foe from their past.