The Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning Trailer Has A Franchise Throwback We Didn't See Coming

It is time to rejoice, as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back to save every living human from doom in "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," which will continue the convoluted saga of "Dead Reckoning." The newly released trailer for "The Final Reckoning" is as thrilling and exciting as you would expect, with a lot of characters from previous installments — including Rolf Saxon's William Donloe and Angela Bassett's Erika Sloane — coming back with covert intentions. And you know what else is back? The Rabbit's Foot, the dangerous biological hazard from "Mission: Impossible III," makes an appearance in the "Final Reckoning" trailer, leaving us to mull over its fate since we last saw it in Ethan's hands and what its return could mean for the conclusion to the "Mission: Impossible" films.

Before we dive into the Rabbit's Foot, let's take a moment to try and understand what kind of endgame Ethan might be dealing with, especially with regards to the evil A.I. known as the Entity (which emerged as the central MacGuffin in " Dead Reckoning"). The last "Mission: Impossible" film ended with Ethan and Gabriel (Esai Morales) facing one another and the latter running away, leaving it up to Ethan and co. to dig up the submerged submarine that seemingly set this whole chain of events in motion. There's also a super mysterious key that can unlock unsavory secrets about the Entity and what it wants, while the threat of a world torn apart by the A.I. looms over everyone involved (who, naturally, appear to be struggling with the prospect of facing an enemy who inherently lacks humanity).

Keeping these factors in mind, it is possible that the Rabbit's Foot has made a resurgence in the present timeline to serve a specific purpose, or is it a part of a flashback sequence that explains what Ethan ended up doing with it? Let's investigate a little, "Mission: Impossible" style. 

In "Mission: Impossible III," black market dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) intended to sell the Rabbit's Foot to extremist groups for profit, but after a series of tense events, Ethan and Julia (Michelle Monaghan) manage to take it back from the antagonists. However, we are never privy to what actually happens to the biological weapon, as it is assumed that Ethan has averted the crisis and kept it safe from falling into the wrong hands. The return of this weapon in "The Final Reckoning" could point to the gang preventing Gabriel and the Entity from obtaining it, or it could be a flashback sequence revisiting Ethan's most important missions to date. The Rabbit's Foot shot could also be a deleted scene "Mission: Impossible III," though this seems very unlikely, especially considering that Cruise looks a tiny bit de-aged in that particular shot from the trailer.

If we are to entertain the de-aging angle and propose that director Christopher McQuarrie has finally decided to use de-aging technology to further a crucial plot point in his upcoming film, it is worth noting that the director spoke to The Hollywood Reporter last year about potentially employing this technology after having "cracked the code:"

"I was so distracted by how an actor that I had known for however long was now suddenly this young person [...] In researching that [technology], I cracked the code — I think — on how best to approach it. By then, we had kind of moved away from it. We may still play with it. We never say never."

McQuarrie did note that he found de-aging technology incredibly distracting, to the point that it made him lose focus and miss out on the performance. The shot in the trailer could be the only inclusion of the Rabbit's Foot in the film, with the focus on the biological weapon itself instead of Cruise's Ethan. This would allow newly shot footage to establish a plot point without distracting us with de-aging, provided that it is part of a compilation of Ethan Hunt's greatest hits when it comes to doing what he does best. But hey, this is just a theory — a "Mission: Impossible" theory — and it's best to wait for "The Final Reckoning" with bated breath to learn the truth behind the return of the Rabbit's Foot.

"Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" arrives in theaters on May 23, 2025.