7 unanswered questions after watching Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning brings Tom Cruise's action-filled espionage series to what many believe is its endgame. After eight films and thirty years of unbelievable stunts and risky adventures, fans finally witness Ethan Hunt face his most formidable challenge.

However, while the film delivers unique action and closes some narratives, it leaves fans with many questions. The latest film focuses on Ethan Hunt's final battle against a dangerous computer system called the Entity.

This artificial intelligence threatens to damage the world, and only Ethan and his team can prevent it. While Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning finishes this major threat, it doesn't answer everything fans wish to know.

Here are seven big questions that viewers are still wondering about after the movie ends.

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7 burning questions after watching Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

1) What happened to the missing members of Ethan's team?

A still image from the trailer of the series (Image via Youtube/@ Paramount Pictures)

One of the biggest disappointments for franchise fans is that many favorite characters from earlier movies do not have any screen time in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Over the years, Ethan Hunt worked with many agents who aided him on risky missions.

However, most of these characters disappeared after one or two films and never reappeared. William Brandt (portrayed by Jeremy Renner) is a popular character who appeared in two earlier movies but has completely vanished from the later Mission: Impossible films.

Fans hoped to see him return for one final adventure, even for a small scene. Other missing characters include Zhen Lei and Jane Carter, who helped Ethan in previous missions.

Many viewers also hoped that Ilsa Faust might return, even though she was shown dead in the former movie. Since Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was supposed to be the final film, it seemed the perfect opportunity to bring back these fan-favorite characters. Unfortunately, audiences never get to see these crucial people from Ethan's journey in the past.

2) Who is Hannah Waddingham's character?

A still image from the trailer of the movie (Image via youtube/@Paramount Pictures)3

Ethan meets Rear Admiral Neely (portrayed by Hannah Waddingham) during his quest in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. She led a significant Navy fleet when the world was close to nuclear war.

The president sends Ethan to meet her with a special letter mentioning the date "May 22, 1996." This date seems crucial to Admiral Neely, but the movie never explains why. Surprisingly, May 22, 1996, was the exact date when the very first Mission: Impossible film appeared in theaters.

While this might be a fun reference to the original film, it could mean something more profound. The movie hints that Admiral Neely lost someone close to her on that date. Some fans think she might be related to one of Ethan's original team members who was killed during a mission in Prague.

However, she also mentions something happening in Serbia on that same date, which makes the mystery even more perplexing. This hints that viewers may never learn the truth about this connection.

3) Will Jasper Briggs join the secret agency?

A still image from the trailer of the movie (Image via youtube/@Paramount Pictures)

One of the biggest surprises in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is learning that Jasper Briggs is portrayed as an imposter. The movie reveals that his original name is Jim Phelps Jr., and he's the son of Ethan Hunt's original team leader. His father betrayed the secret agency and was killed for it.

Jim Phelps Jr. spent years despising Ethan because he blamed him for his father's death. However, by the end of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he understands that Ethan is not accountable for what unfolded. This revelation makes viewers wonder if he might join Ethan's team.

4) Why did Gabriel hate Ethan so much?

Gabriel is the main antagonist in both the previous movie and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. From the moment viewers first meet him, it's clear that he and Ethan Hunt have a hate-filled history. The movies reveal that Gabriel killed a woman named Marie, Ethan's love interest. This tragedy led Ethan to join the secret agency and become an espionage agent.

While fans learn the reason behind Ethan's hatred for Gabriel, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning never explains why Gabriel hated Ethan in the first place. When Gabriel killed Marie, Ethan wasn't even a secret agent; he was just an ordinary person, so there must be another reason for Gabriel's hatred.

There has to be more to their story than what happened before Marie's death, which goes unnoticed. Maybe they knew each other as kids, or perhaps they were involved in some other fight. But the movie doesn't answer what started their years-long rivalry.

5) Could the Entity return in the future?

The Entity is the lethal computer program that is the main threat in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. This artificial intelligence wants to destroy every human and nearly succeeds in taking over the globe's nuclear weapons.

After a long fight, Ethan traps the Entity in a digital prison, saving humanity. However, the film doesn't eradicate the Entity. Instead, Ethan keeps it locked away in its digital prison.

This means the dangerous program could escape someday if someone releases it or finds a way to escape independently.

Moreover, according to several theories, a computer program as innovative as the Entity might have created backup copies of itself in other locations around the world. These backup versions could be hiding and waiting for the right moment to attack humanity again. While the immediate threat is over, the Entity could still pose a danger in the future.

6) Do Ethan and Grace have romantic feelings for each other?

Throughout Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, there are many hints that Ethan Hunt and Grace (portrayed by Hayley Atwell) might have romantic feelings for each other. For years, Ethan avoided relationships to serve and protect the people he cared about. His marriage to Julia collapsed due to the looming danger to her while she was with him.

However, after reuniting with Julia in an earlier movie and seeing that she's happily married to someone else, Ethan seems ready to move on.

In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he and Grace share several intimate moments that suggest they care intensely about each other.

Despite all these romantic hints, the movie never shows them expressing their feelings or even sharing a kiss. By the film's end, audiences still don't know if Ethan has truly moved on from Julia or if he and Grace will commit to each other. This leaves their potential romance completely unresolved, with viewers' anticipation.

7) Is this the end of the franchise?

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has been rumored to be the final movie in the series. However, the open ending doesn't feel like a closure when the credits roll; Ethan Hunt and his team are still active and ready for more missions. This leaves the door wide open for forthcoming adventures.

Given the film's success at the box office, Mission: Impossible 9 could still happen. However, Tom Cruise might decide to part ways with the character of Ethan Hunt after thirty years.

Other characters like Grace, Benji, or Paris could take over as the main protagonist if that happens. The movie series could then continue following these other agents as they move forward with impossible missions worldwide.

This would allow the franchise to continue while giving Cruise a chance to retire from the demanding role. While Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning provides plenty of excitement and thrills, it leaves viewers with more questions than answers.

These unresolved questions have viewers talking and wondering about what might happen next in the Mission: Impossible multiverse.

About the author

Mannjari Gupta is a Listicle writer in the entertainment division at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and brings four years of experience in digital media, having worked with platforms like Pocket FM, Pepper Content, FilmyFiles, and BookGeeks.

Mannjari's passion for her field is driven by her belief that different genres fuel her imagination, enhancing her writing skills. She prioritizes thorough research and ethical reporting, ensuring that her articles reflect factual information rather than personal opinions.

Fascinated by powerful female-led empires, she admires figures like the Kardashians and Martha Stewart for their ability to redefine influence and build lasting legacies. If given a time machine, she'd delve into the Kardashian universe, not for the drama but to witness their ability to transform criticism into entrepreneurial success.

Outside of writing, Mannjari is a trained classical dancer specializing in Kathak. She also enjoys reading and relaxing during her leisure time.

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Edited by Somava