Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Botched A Potentially Perfect Ending For Ethan Hunt

The following contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, now playing in theatersMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning botched the perfect ending for Ethan Hunt, with a potentially ideal send-off for the character complicated by the build-up to the film’s final moments. Tom Cruise has been playing Ethan Hunt for almost thirty years, with the character becoming a fixture of the big screen across eight blockbuster films. The fate of the character and the franchise has as a whole has been in question, however. While Cruise’s future in the franchise remains a topic of debate, The Final Reckoning does work as a solid send-off for the series.

This includes the ending of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which gives Ethan the perfect final mission. However, there are some elements of the ending that contradict the stakes established earlier in the film while also tying everything up with too neat of a bow. A few small changes could have given the film’s final moments a bittersweet touch of ambiguity that retains the emotions but raises some interesting questions about the future of the franchise. Here’s what’s wrong with the ending of The Final Reckoning, and how it could have been better.

The Final Reckoning Gives Ethan Hunt A Perfect Final Mission

The Final Reckoning’s Finale Gives Ethan Responsibility Over The Entity

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning had the perfect opportunity to leave Ethan Hunt’s final fate somewhat ambiguous, and it’s frustrating that the film went with a more basic conclusion. The film ends with Ethan surviving his fight with Gabriel and landing back on solid ground after ensuring Grace had a chance to capture the Entity within a 5D drive. Making peace with Briggs and annoying Kittridge with the ruined remains of the tech that could have controlled the Entity, Ethan is seemingly released by the US Government.

The film’s final scene sees the IMF come together in a busy London square, exchanging glances but no words as Grace gives Ethan the drive containing the Entity. The implication is that Ethan will now go on the move with the drive in his possession, preventing any world government from using the A.I. for their own ends. This way, Ethan doesn’t have to destroy the Entity (which would cause untold death and destruction around the world) but keeps it out of dangerous hands. It’s a fitting way to send off the character, even if the actual execution is frustrating.

Why I Don’t Like Ethan’s Ending In The Final Reckoning

Ethan’s Survival And Fate Feel Too Clean After The Stakes Of The Final Reckoning’s Climax

There are a few things wrong with the way The Final Reckoning ends, even if the core idea is great. Ethan taking the Entity and going into hiding is an ideal way to give the character a motivation going forward, whether or not he reappears on screen. It’s a fitting responsibility for the character to take on and lets him end the series tasking himself with one more heroic goal. However, what’s frustrating is the way the film brushes aside the numerous complications that should arise from this being Ethan’s plan.

Ethan’s fall from the airplane after his fight with Gabriel is treated as the intense climax of the film, the hero entering free fall as his parachute burns up while he focuses on getting the Entity sent to Grace. There’s a moment where Grace traps the Entity, but Ethan’s fate isn’t immediately revealed. This would have been a perfect time to raise the tension about his fate, but instead, the film cuts to Ethan gracefully landing with his parachute, the danger of crashing to his death seemingly resolved with no fuss.

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Kitridge (and by extension the United States government) seems content to let Ethan go after his actions resolve the Entity crisis, even though several members of the government were wary or fearful of the damage Ethan could cause. Even the resolution of his tensions with Briggs is taken care of with a handshake and an embrace. It’s all very clean and with little fuss, which feels like a contradiction of the stakes that the film has been leaning into all along.

It’s a symptom of a greater problem with tension in The Final Reckoning. After Ethan survives being trapped under a frozen ocean, it’s hard to believe anything will kill him. This now extends to him taking the 5D drive, as the ending of the film seems to ignore any threat posed by an American government (or any government for that matter) that might seek to reclaim the Entity. It feels too clean, with none of the natural stakes that the situation demands. The core idea of the ending is good, but the execution is frustrating.

How To Fix Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s Ethan Hunt Ending

I Wish Ethan’s Fate Was More Ambiguous

The biggest way to improve the ending of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning without actively changing it is to leave Ethan’s fate somewhat ambiguous. After Ethan successfully gets the code sent to Grace and she stops the Entity, the film should not have cut back to Ethan. Instead, the IMF team could learn that Ethan hasn’t been found or turned up, leaving him to be declared M.I.A. This would raise the stakes for audience members, who could wonder if Ethan’s final act was to stop the Entity at the cost of his own life.

If the film wanted to still resolve the Ethan/Briggs conflict, it could have had Briggs find a discarded parachute and cover for Ethan. This could have given the film a greater sense of bittersweet farewell, as the true nature of Ethan’s survival would have left the heroes and the audience with questions about the hero. The ending scene in London could have even been largely the same, only with Ethan briefly showing up at the very end in a way that leaves it ambiguous whether he was there or if Benji was seeing what he wanted to see.

Ethan could have then blended into the crowd, leaving the character and the viewers wondering if that’s it for Ethan. This secrecy would have been justified by the stakes surrounding the meeting, keeping Ethan hidden away from governments or the Entity’s cult, who might seek to hunt him down. It also works as a perfect sequel set-up if the Mission: Impossible franchise were to return to the character, as the discovery of Ethan’s survival and the existence of the Entity drive could give plenty of organizations and governments reason to hunt him down.

Making the ending to The Final Reckoning more ambiguous could have played into the stakes of the story while still giving audiences the possible farewell they needed. It would have fit the themes of the films as a whole, focusing on the heroes who will never be known by the world they’ve saved, blending into the shadows once again. It would have given the series the perfect way to send off Ethan, allowing him to return or be retired after this story. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has a great final moment, but the ending could be better.