Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoninghas confirmed a major connection toMission: Impossible IIIwith the return of the Rabbit’s Foot, making for the movie’s most exciting reveal yet. Ever since Christopher McQuarrie got involved in the action franchise, he’s worked to connect all of Tom Cruise’sMission: Impossiblemoviestogether to make the franchise feel more whole. This has meant bringing back forgotten characters, resolving major plotlines, and building up the overall world. That’s all helped putThe Final Reckoningin a good position toend theMission: Impossiblefranchisepossibly.
The idea of ending theMission: Impossiblefranchise puts extra pressure onThe Final Reckoningto be a major hit and give Cruise’s Ethan Hunt a proper sendoff. But it also adds weight to any franchise connections to previous films that it includes. It’s long beenknown that the eighth installment would dive deep into the franchise’s loreto pay off some central mysteries by bringing back William Donloe from the original 1996 movie. However, theMission: Impossible 8trailerhas now confirmed a massively importantMission: Impossible 3connection with the Rabbit’s Foot.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Is Connected To Mission: Impossible 3’s Rabbit’s Foot
The Mysterious Weapon Is Back
In a brief moment in the firstMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningteaser trailer, it is revealed that the mysterious MacGuffin from JJ Abrams in the franchise’s third installment is making a return. The recognizableMission: Impossible 3’s Rabbit’s Footis seen as Ethan grabs it from a container. While the Rabbit’s Foot played a central role inMission: Impossible 3,the movie left out the scene of Ethan stealing the potential biological superweapon. There is no archival footage of that scene forThe Final Reckoningto repurpose, confirming this is a brand-new shot meant forThe Final Reckoning.
Mission: Impossible 8’s Title Explained: What The Final Reckoning Means
Mission: Impossible 8 has been officially titled Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, but what does that mean for the Tom Cruise spy franchise?
This implies that McQuarrie shot new footage for the eighth installment showing Ethan stealing the Rabbit’s Foot in this previous mission. That decision and including the MacGuffin in such a clear manner inthe trailer provides evidence that the Rabbit’s Foot factors intoMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s storysomehow. There was no way this Easter egg was going to sneak past viewers who are in touch with the action franchise’s history, so seeing the Rabbit’s Foot in the trailer is meant to spark more theories about its role and purpose.
The Rabbit’s Foot Makes Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning More Exciting
The Franchise Is Tying Everything Together
The fact thatMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis making the Rabbit’s Foot important again afterMission: Impossible 3is incredibly exciting.The mystery of what the Rabbit’s Foot really is has lingered for far too long, and there is now a chance that McQuarrie and Cruise intend to answer Abrams' mystery box. But even if that does not come, the fact thatThe Final Reckoningis tying intoMission: Impossible 3at all is still incredibly fun. The third installment is often overlooked and underappreciated, but its still a massively important installment for Hunt’s story.
Mission: Impossible 3 was the last Mission: Impossible movie Christopher McQuarrie was not involved in
Ethan’s search for the Rabbit’s Foot inMission: Impossible IIIwas the first time he worked with Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). The series made Benji, Ethan, and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) the core for future installments. However,The Final Reckoningcould be the last time they are together, as the trailer sets up Luther’s death, while Ethan’s death has been theorized. IfMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningdoes close out this era of the franchise for Ethan, Benji, and Luther, connecting it back to where it started for them with the Rabbit’s Foot andMission: Impossible IIIis brilliant.
