The teaser trailer forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis finally here, and here are eight fan theories that have popped up after the reveal of the eighthMission: Impossiblemovie.Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis set to end the beloved Tom Cruise franchise, with it seemingly putting an end to Ethan Hunt’s story after nearly three decades ofMission: Impossiblemovies. Because of its conclusive story,Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoninghas a lot of ground to cover, meaning that these 10 fan theories regarding the film could come true.
Thefirst teaser trailer forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningoffers a first look at the follow-up toMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, highlighting Ethan Hunt’s continued battle against the Entity. The trailer shows off an epic plane stunt, some dialogue that foreshadows tragic events, and a lot of returningMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningcast members. While the story is being left pretty vague after the first teaser, it does offer some major hints as to what could happen in the movie, leaving a lot of room for speculation aboutMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
8The Rabbit’s Foot Will Return From Mission: Impossible III
Finally Answering A Major Franchise Mystery
In the aftermath of the trailer’s release, the most popular fan theory regardingMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoninghas been that the movie willbring back the Rabbit’s Foot fromMission: Impossible III. The Rabbit’s Foot is a mysterious item that was first introduced in the thirdMission: Impossibleouting, and as is the case with many MacGuffins throughout director J.J. Abrams' filmography, very little was revealed about it. It is known that the Rabbit’s Foot was an incredibly dangerous item that was sold to terrorists, with Ethan Hunt and the IMF stopping this plot.
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One shot from theMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningtrailer showsEthan Hunt grabbing the Rabbit’s Foot vial, kicking off the speculation. The actual recovery of the Rabbit’s Foot was never shown on-screen, meaning that this is an all-new shot for the 2025 movie. Because of this, the Rabbit’s Foot will undoubtedly play a major role inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, with Ethan and the IMF having to recover it for some unknown reason. However, another theory addresses exactly what the Rabbit’s Foot may be.
7The Entity Is The Rabbit’s Foot
Explaining The Origin Of The AI Antagonist
AlthoughMission: Impossible IIInever explicitly reveals what the Rabbit’s Foot is, there are some moments where its nature is implied, leading to a lot of speculation. The most popular theory has been that the Rabbit’s Foot is a dangerous bioweapon, explaining why it is contained in a vial. However, its return inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningsuggests otherwise, as there is seemingly no reason why Ethan would need to use a bioweapon in a fight against the AI villain The Entity.
However, the return of the Rabbit’s Foot would make a lot more sense if the Rabbit’s Foot actually was The Entity. The nature of The Entity still has a lot of unanswered questions, withMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Oneonly scratching the surface of what the AI is. However, it is entirely possible that the mechanical vial could contain the computer that The Entity is on, with Ethan Hunt controlling The Entity by controlling the Rabbit’s Foot. While this may seem like a stretch, it is the simplest explanation for why the Rabbit’s Foot is back inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
6Erika Sloane Is The President In The Final Reckoning
Possibly the most likely theory after the first trailer for the eighthMission: Impossiblemovie has to do withAngela Bassett’sMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningcharacter, Erika Sloane. Erika Sloane was last seen inMission: Impossible - Fallout, with her being the former director of the CIA before being promoted to Secretary of the IMF at the end of the film. Despite this major promotion, Sloane didn’t appear inMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Oneat all, with her not appearing again untilMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
Sloane has seemingly gotten a major upgrade in the years since she has been seen,as theMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningteaser implies that she is now the President of the United States. Her shot in the teaser sees her getting off of Air Force One to the greetings of a major welcome wagon, something that wouldn’t be happening if she were overseeing a secretive organization like the IMF. So, it is clear that Erika Sloane was busy campaigning in the last movie, with Erika Sloane now being the President of the United States.
5Degas Will Join Ethan’s Team (Without Briggs)
He May Have Betrayed His Partner
Jasper Briggs and Degas were two of the most interesting new characters inMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, with them being two agents who were tasked by the United States Intelligence Community to track down and apprehend Ethan Hunt. In the film, their goal was to get The Entity’s key from Ethan, and while they failed to do this, they will presumably continue doing so inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. However, this may not last long based on the teaser trailer.
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Briggs is barely in theMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningteaser, which is odd considering his major role in the previous film. However, the teaser does contain a shot in which Degas is working alongside Ethan, Benji, and the other IMF agents, implying that he has now joined their side. Briggs isn’t in this scene, meaning that he is either still hunting Ethan’s team down, or that he died before Degas decided to switch sides. This is an interesting character development for Degas, implying that he may have a much bigger role inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
4Kittridge Will Betray The IMF & Work With Gabriel
Turning Him Into A Major Antagonist
Briggs isn’t the only character who seems to be switching allegiances inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s teaser trailer, as it seems that Kittridge will be doing the exact same thing.Eugene Kittridge made his long-awaited return inMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, with him being antagonistic toward Ethan Hunt despite still being opposed to The Entity. However, one shot in the teaser shows him standing with Gabriel, meaning that he may have switched sides.
Since Gabriel is the main human antagonist ofMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Kittridge standing beside himwould be odd if they weren’t working together. Since The Entity is an all-knowing AI, it wouldn’t be hard for it to find a way to flip Kittridge, giving The Entity an incredibly dangerous ally in its fight against Ethan Hunt.
3Luther Will Die In The Final Reckoning
After Surviving Every Other Movie
While there is potential that a lot of death will occur inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, one of the characters who seems most likely to be on the chopping block is Luther. After being mostly sidelined inMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Luther is given a major focus inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s teaser trailer.He is seen wearing a hospital gown in most of his appearances, meaning that something has clearly gone wrong with the character.
Luther provides much of the teaser’s narration, and a lot of the teaser focuses on Ethan having to choose between his friends and his mission. This further implies that some ofEthan’s friends will be sacrificed inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, with Luther tragically being a prime candidate.
2One Of Ethan’s Friends Will Become The Secretary Of The IMF
Succeeding Erika Sloane
The position of Secretary of the IMF has changed a lot throughout theMission: Impossiblefranchise, and it looks like it will be open once again. Although Erika Sloane was appointed to the role inMission: Impossible - Fallout, her potential presidency means that the position is once again vacant. If this truly is the finalMission: Impossiblemovie, then it would only make sense for one of Ethan’s friends to fill the role.
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While Ethan Hunt would be the most obvious candidate due to him being the protagonist of the franchise, it doesn’t seem like the right ending for the character. His frequent conflicts with the IMF mean that he is unlikely to get the job, and even if he could, it doesn’t feel like something he would want to do.Someone like Benji, however, would make a much better secretary, with him being one of the prime candidates for the job.
1Ethan Hunt Will Die
Ending Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Story
IfMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis the lastMission: Impossiblemovie, thenEthan Hunt could end up dying. Ethan sacrificing himself to stop The Entity would be a heroic way to close out his arc, as retiring doesn’t seem like something that Ethan would want to do. Ethan’s death seems like the only way that Tom Cruise can properly close out his time in the series, making this a likely ending.
There are other options, however. As was already mentioned, retirement or a promotion to a higher rank in the IMF would explain Ethan’s absence from futureMission: Impossiblemovies, allowing for a new protagonist to take over. However, killing him off would be the most clean way to do this, meaning that Tom Cruise would never have to return after the end ofMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Cast
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a formidable AI called the Entity that has compromised global intelligence networks. With new allies and a haunting figure from Hunt’s past in pursuit, they must act quickly to avert a global catastrophe.
