makes several callbacks to moments and characters from the franchise's past, making two earlier installments among the most important Mission: Impossible films. The Final Reckoning picks up two months after the ending of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, and features much of the same cast. are referenced in important ways to two earlier films.

The Mission: Impossible movies have had two distinct phases. since Brian De Palma, John Woo, and J.J. Abrams brought their own signature styles to their films. Following that, Brad Bird revitalized the franchise with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which brought in Tom Cruise's frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie as an uncredited scriptwriter. From there, McQuarrie took the reins of the series and has found a more consistent tone. However, the latest film does call back to films from before his time.

While Easter eggs from Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning feature references to details from throughout much of Ethan's past, One of the most apparent of these details concerns Briggs, an agent who seems to dislike Ethan greatly. It is revealed in the film that this is because he is actually the son of Jim Phelps, the villain from the first film, and does not believe Ethan's account of what occurred. In addition to this, another minor character from that film plays an important role.

More than that,. That film saw Owen Davian as one of the most fearsome foes that Ethan had yet faced, who complicated his entire personal life and set him on a path where he could not have a real romantic relationship. However, it is the story of the Rabbit's Foot, a maguffin introduced by J.J. Abrams without much explanation, that ties into the new film, with the details of what that device is and its consequences finally being shared.

CIA analyst William Donloe played a minor part in one of the greatest scenes in the first Mission: Impossible and recurs in the new film. In one of the earliest and best Mission: Impossible stunts, Ethan and his team must break into a CIA site in Langley, Virginia to steal the NOC list. The scene is intense and involves them having to drug William Donloe to keep him out of the room for long enough for them to access the computer and download the necessary files.

In a surprising move, The Final Reckoning brings back Donloe in an important supporting role. After being held at least partially responsible for what Ethan did following that theft, Donloe was shipped out to Alaska to live out the rest of his days in a distant, undesirable post. However, because of this, working to defuse the bomb in the climax of The Final Reckoning.

In Mission: Impossible III, Ethan is tasked with stealing the Rabbit's Foot to save his wife. He does this, and These events are given new context in the new film, which reveals that the Rabbit's Foot is actually the precursor to the AI villain that hangs over the events of the last two films. The Rabbit’s Foot contains source code which, when used by Denlinger, can evolve and become the villainous Entity that must be taken down in the new film.

Tying the story of the Rabbit's Foot in with the new movie makes sense. While the item was shown with a biohazard symbol, and was speculated to be some kind of doomsday or war weapon, the device was never fully explained. Allowing the new films to take what occurred in the past, and to tie it in with the relevant threat of artificial intelligence, While the Entity itself does not have much screen time in the new film, it is a frightening prospect that hovers over every event.

does a great deal to tie the franchise together and make all of these disparate moments feel important to the story. In this, it is a very special entry in the popular action franchise. Ethan has grown so much as a character throughout the series, and or objects like the Rabbit's Foot helps to make each entry feel that much more essential. The new film makes the first and third franchise installments absolutely necessary to the series.