Mission Impossible 8's Callback to Mi3, Explained (2024)

Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning will finally hit theaters on May 23, 2025. The highly anticipated eighth installment of Tom Cruise's spy thriller franchise picks up immediately after the landmark events of Dead Reckoning, which saw Ethan Hunt's team take on their most difficult enemy yet: an artificial intelligence known as the Entity. Working through the terrorist Gabriel and his team of assassins, the Entity wrought havoc all over the globe as a mere precursor demonstrating its true power. The Final Reckoning will see Hunt's team as they desperately try to stop the Entity from achieving its horrifying plans. After the film's first trailer, those plans may be clearer than ever.

The first trailer for Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning sets up several exciting scenes for the upcoming film, including several callbacks to previous entries in the franchise. While the trailer references Tom Cruise's iconic wire stunt from the first Mission: Impossible, the scene with fans buzzing the most comes from the franchise's third installment. A surprising shot depicts Ethan Hunt grasping for a strange glass container with biohazard warning stickers on its exterior. Hardcore fans immediately recognized this tube as the Rabbit's Foot, the MacGuffin that drove the plot of Mission: Impossible III. The surprise return of the Rabbit's Foot might mean major things for The Final Reckoning--perhaps even hinting at the mysterious plot of the Entity in the upcoming film.

The Rabbit's Foot Is a Dangerous Weapon

The Rabbit's Foot was the main item that different parties were trying to obtain during the events of Mission: Impossible III. The Rabbit's Foot is a vial that contains biohazardous material that could be used to wipe out scores of people if it fell into the wrong hands. The substance was manufactured by the Chinese military, who now guarded it with the highest security possible. In the third Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is hired to come out of retirement to track down the item before the Impossible Mission Force's enemies can do the same. He races against the villainous Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an arms dealer who plans to sell the Rabbit's Foot to the highest bidder. Davian received aid from the mysterious organization known as The Syndicate, which would later return in subsequent Mission: Impossible movies, to obtain the Rabbit's Foot and wreak havoc on the world.

After a thrilling exchange of spy tactics, Ethan and his team obtain the Rabbit's Foot its holding facility in Shanghai. However, Ethan soon ascertains that Musgrave, the IMF agent who brought him out of retirement, had been working with Davian all along. Davian planned to sell the Rabbit's Foot to a terrorist organization that would inevitably launch its destructive power on their enemies, therefore giving Musgrave and the IMF an excuse to invade the Middle East and "spread democracy." Ethan does everything he can to stop this villainous pair, who have captured his wife to ensure his cooperation. The Hunts manage to kill both Davian and Musgrave, putting an end to their plot and securing the Rabbit's Foot once more. The film's ending doesn't explicitly explain what happened to the Rabbit's Foot after Davian's death, but it was last seen in Ethan's possession. Though it is implied that he delivered the weapon to the IMF for safekeeping, given Ethan's history of not trusting his agency, he may have taken it upon himself to hide the Rabbit's Foot to ensure that no one would ever have the chance to use it.

How the Rabbit's Foot Will Affect Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning

The Entity Might Have a Connection to the Rabbit's Foot

Mission: Impossible III ends by reinforcing the mystery of what the Rabbit's Foot is, with Ethan giving up his chance to learn the truth about the weapon when he leaves the IMF to go on his honeymoon. The newest Mission: Impossible movie may finally answer this question. The Rabbit's Foot is by far the most memorable MacGuffin from the Mission: Impossible franchise and therefore makes the most sense to return as a callback in the latest (and perhaps last) installment. There remains an air of mystery about this item that needs to finally be answered in The Final Reckoning. Though it was last seen in safe hands, its return suggests that villainous parties may have their sights set on obtaining the biohazard yet again.

Dead Reckoning's villain, Gabriel, was described as a dark figure who enjoyed "sharing the gift of death" with the world. Someone like him would be more than willing to unleash a devastating bioweapon on the world. However, what remains to be seen is why his superior, the villainous artificial intelligence known as the Entity, would want to obtain the Rabbit's Foot. The Entity's motivations are not made clear in Dead Reckoning. The AI may want to rule the world, or it may want to destroy it. The return of the Rabbit's Foot in The Final Reckoning could hint toward the latter, forcing Ethan to stop yet another malicious villain from obtaining the item nearly a decade after stopping Davian and Musgrave. The return of the Rabbit's Foot greatly raises the stakes after Dead Reckoning, putting the entire world in mortal peril. If the Rabbit's Foot is finally unleashed, it could result in billions of deaths, making this Ethan's most important mission yet.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is coming full circle in its eighth installment, as The Final Reckoning prepares to look back at previous adventures. The return of the Rabbit's Foot is a moment that fans have been waiting for, but it could mean devastation if Ethan Hunt finally fails his last mission.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Crime

Mission: Impossible 8 is the direct sequel to Dead Reckoning - Part One and is the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Said to be the final film, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and more will reprise their roles in Ethan Hunt's IMF team as they face off against a dangerous foe from their past.

Director

Christopher McQuarrie

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Cast

Tom Cruise , Pom Klementieff , Rebecca Ferguson , Vanessa Kirby , Hayley Atwell , Hannah Waddingham , Simon Pegg , Ving Rhames , Esai Morales , Henry Czerny , Holt McCallany , Nick Offerman , Angela Bassett , Shea Whigham , Charles Parnell

Writers

Christopher McQuarrie , Erik Jendresen

Main Genre

Action

YouTube Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOhDyUmT9z0

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures , Skydance

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

prequel(s)

Mission: Impossible , Mission: Impossible 2 , Mission: Impossible III , Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation , Mission: Impossible - Fallout , Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning

Franchise(s)

Mission: Impossible