The trailer forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis teasing the end of the franchise, and could finally answer a nearly 20-year mystery. J.J. Abrams made his directorial debut withMission: Impossible 3, where Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt had to juggle saving the world with being a new husband to wife, Julia (Michelle Monaghan). Abrams also brought his mystery box storytelling formula to the series with the central MacGuffin “The Rabbit’s Foot,” which was said to be a weapon of enormous destructive power.
In keeping with the mystery box style, the thirdMission: Impossiblemovienever actually revealed what the Rabbit’s Foot is or what it can do. Now,the first trailer forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningteases the end of Hunt’s story, and features some callbacks to the franchise’s past. This includes Ethan stealing the Rabbit’s Foot, suggesting the device will play a role in the story. In fact,the series may havealreadyrevealed what the Rabbit’s Foot is.
The Final Reckoning Might Reveal That Mission: Impossible’s 3 “Rabbit’s Foot” Was The Entity
Will Mission: Impossible 8 finally open J.J.’s mystery box?
It was, of course, an intentional choice by Abrams not to reveal the exact nature ofMission: Impossible 3’sRabbit’s Foot. Instead of explaining it away as some kind of virus or nuclear device, he felt it was more fun for audiences to bring their own readings to it. That said,the presence of the Rabbit’s Foot inThe Final Reckoning’strailer could suggest the device housed an early version of The Entityitself.
The issue with Abrams' mystery box formula is that the question isalwaysmore compelling than the answer, as shows likeLostproved. Even so, ifMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningrevealed the Rabbit’s Foot was an early version of The Entity, that would be a genuinely shocking reveal. It feels like the eighth entry will focus on Ethan’s past and where his actions have led him. If the sequel reveals Hunt had a chance to destroy The Entity long before it could become a threat, this would only compound his sense of responsibility.
… if the Rabbit’s Foot is featured in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, it’s not just there as an easter egg.
An alternative use for the Rabbit’s Foot could be that the weapon will be a countermeasure to The Entity- or possibly a means of destroying it. Director Christopher McQuarrie has often stated his dislike of easter eggs and references for the sake of having them, so if the Rabbit’s Foot is featured inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, it’s there for a good reason.
Why Simon Pegg’s Benji Described The Rabbit’s Foot As The “Anti-God”
Mission: Impossible’s resident techie described it as potential “End-of-the-world kinda stuff”
Simon Pegg’s Benji made his debut inMission: Impossible 3, where he was completely confined to an IMF lab doing techie stuff. It wasn’t until the next entry,Ghost Protocol,that he got to go into the field and do real spy stuff. Pegg’s best moment in the third installment is when Ethan asks him what the Rabbit’s Foot weapon everybody is chasing can do, and Benji delivers a spine-tingling monologue. This is where he describes his former professor at Oxford detailing the inevitable emergence of the ultimate doomsday device.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s Rabbit’s Foot Connection Is The Most Exciting Reveal Yet
Mission: Impossible 3’s Rabbit’s Foot has been revealed to be in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning that makes the sequel more exciting.
And he used to sort of scare the underclassmen with this story about how the world would eventually be eviscerated by technology. You see, it was inevitable that a compound would be created which he referred to as the ‘Anti-God’. It was like an accelerated mutator or sort of, you know, like a, an unstoppable force of destructive power, that would just lay waste to everything - to buildings and parks and streets and children and ice cream parlors, you know? So whenever I see, like, a rogue organization willing to spend this amount of money on a mystery tech, I always assume… it’s the Anti-God. End-of-the-world kinda stuff, you know…
In short, Benji felt this device could be the mythical weapon his professor warned of - even though, by his own admission, he has no clue what the Rabbit’s Foot is. While AI isn’t cited in the speech, Benji’s use of “eviscerated by technology” suggests the weapon doesn’t need to be a bomb or virus. It could very well be an early version of the rogue AI that would evolve into The Entity, andasDead Reckoningproved with its abilities to hack into any government or manipulate data, this AI holds the power to destroy the world should it choose.
Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only actors to appear in everyMission: Impossiblemovie.
The Rabbit’s Foot Being The Entity Would Tie Into Final Reckoning’s Themes
Ethan could have prevented The Entity from becoming a threat
The finale ofMission: Impossible 3involves Ethan being blackmailed into stealing the Rabbit’s Foot from a lab in Shanghai, and hand-delivering it to the villains. This was to save Julia’s life, but of course, Ethan managed to save herandkill the bad guys. He then hands the Rabbit’s Foot back to IMF - who still refuses to tell him what it is.The McQuarrie era ofMission: Impossiblehas zeroed in on what drives Ethan, which includes an inability to sacrifice any members of his teamand his immense guilt over perceived failures.
If Ethan failed to stop The Entity before it could even activate, he must seek redemption by destroying it.
For example, inFallout,Hunt carries the weight of his failed marriage to Julia and the sense that he ruined her life. Instead, the movie ends with Julia revealing she loves how her life turned out - and it wouldn’t have been that way if they hadn’t met. This lets him off the hook emotionally, but Hunt can almost feel like a high-stakes gambler during the franchise, where he bets the lives of millions on his ability to pull “impossible” feats.
InMission: Impossible 3, he again risked millions of lives to just save Julia, andif The Rabbit’s Foot is indeed The Entity, Ethan missed the perfect chance to destroy it. Considering the damage this malignant AI has already caused - includingthe death of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust- that realization could really bring Ethan low.The Final Reckoningtrailer constantly references Ethan’s past actions and the price he must pay for them, which will be a key theme of the film. If he failed to stop The Entity before it could even activate, he must seek redemption by destroying it.
The Case For Mission: Impossible’s Rabbit’s Foot NOT Being The Entity
Maybe The Final Reckoning’s trailer is offering some misdirection
Mission: Impossible 3didn’t explain the true nature of the Rabbit’s Foot, but the biohazard symbol on the casing didn’t set it up as a piece of tech. If anything, the sequel heavily implies it’s some sort of biological agent and one that could do untold damage if unleashed.The Entity is certainly living up to the “Anti-God” label Benji placed on the Rabbit’s Foot- being that it’s a piece of tech with the power to undo humanity - but it still doesn’t feel like that was the weapon’s intent in the third entry.
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If the Rabbit’s Foot is revealed to have housed The Entity, McQuarrie is taking a gamble by answering one of the series' longest-running mysteries. It feels like a satisfying answer, but not every fan might feel that way. Still, it’s exciting to have the device making a comeback inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and discovering just what kind of role it will play in the story.
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.
Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III: Released in 2006, this film follows agent Ethan Hunt, who is retired from active duty and training recruits for the Impossible Mission Force. He faces the cunning arms dealer Owen Davian, whose threats endanger Hunt and those he cares about, including his love interest.
