Even though Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is meant to be a celebration of the entire franchise, several characters from past movies in the series do not appear in the film. It has not been confirmed whether the recently released action blockbuster will be the last movie in the franchise. While Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have both expressed interest in making another entry, the ending of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is very satisfying. Therefore, there’s a chance that the long-running spy franchise is now completed.
This wouldn’t be surprising, but it would be somewhat disappointing since several characters from previous Mission: Impossible movies do not appear in The Final Reckoning. Since the franchise has spanned almost three decades, it’s understandable that the core cast has been shuffled a few times. In fact, other than Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, Luther is the only character that has appeared in every movie. However, it’s still disappointing that some fan-favorite characters have not yet returned to the franchise. Therefore, here are six of Ethan Hunt’s allies who are still seemingly alive but did not return for The Final Reckoning:
6
Nyah Nordoff-Hall
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible 2
It’s somewhat surprising that Nyah hasn’t returned to the franchise since she is a major character and Ethan Hunt’s love interest in Mission: Impossible 2. In the second film in the series, Nyah is played by Thandie Newton, a popular actress who is perhaps best known for playing Maeve in the HBO series Westworld. Before striking up a romantic connection with Ethan Hunt, Nyah dated Sean Ambrose, the main villain in Mission: Impossible 2. Because of her connection to Ambrose, Ethan recruits Nyah to join the IMF and help take him down.
Ethan and Nyah appear to be a happy couple at the end of Mission: Impossible 2, but clearly things did not work out between them since she never returns to the franchise.
In the film, Sean Ambrose wants to spread the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Chimera virus and sell the antidote for profit. Nyah actually gets infected with the Chimera virus in Mission: Impossible 2, but is thankfully saved by Ethan. Nyah was last seen with Ethan in Australia at the end of the second film. Ethan and Nyah appear to be a happy couple at the end of Mission: Impossible 2, but clearly things did not work out between them since she never returns to the franchise. In fact, Ethan has a new love interest at the beginning of Mission: Impossible III.
5
Billy Baird
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible 2
Billy is a member of the IMF who works with Ethan, Luther, and Nyah in Mission: Impossible 2. In the film, Billy is played by John Polson, who is an Australian actor and director. Throughout the movie, Billy works very closely with Ethan Hunt and is instrumental in his mission to stop Sean Ambrose from infecting large populations of people with the Chimera virus. Billy is very loyal to Ethan and the IMF in Mission: Impossible 2, which is sometimes rare in the franchise. Therefore, it’s surprising that Billy hasn’t appeared in any other Mission: Impossible movies.
Billy was last seen saving Nyah in Australia with Ethan and Luther. Since Luther has appeared in every Mission: Impossible movie since, it’s kind of disappointing that Billy has never shown up again. More than likely, the creative team behind Mission: Impossible III and future movies decided not to bring him back since Mission: Impossible 2 is the lowest-rated film in the series. This is also probably why Nyah, another major character in the second film, has never returned.
4
Zhen Lei
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible III
Zhen Lei is an IMF agent and was an ally to Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible III. Compared to the first two movies in the series, Mission: Impossible III showed a more personal side to Ethan and explored his relationships with his fellow IMF agents on a deeper level. Because of this, Zhen is an important character in Mission: Impossible III. She helps Ethan capture Owen Davian in Vatican City and travels with him to Shaghai, China to find the Rabbit’s Foot.
Reportedly, McQuarrie approached Maggie Q about returning to the franchise when he signed on to direct Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, but scheduling conflicts prevented this from happening.
Since The Final Reckoning makes Mission: Impossible III one of the most important movies in the series, it’s disappointing that Zhen didn’t appear in the film. Even though she gets injured near the end of the movie, Zhen is a very capable character who helps Ethan while he is on a mission to save his wife in Mission: Impossible III. She was last seen at the IMF headquarters saying goodbye to Ethan and Julie as they leave for their honeymoon. In the film, Zhen is played by Maggie Q, who has also appeared in shows like Nikita and Designated Survivor.
3
Declan Gormley
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible III
Just like Zhen, Declan is an IMF agent and an important member of Ethan’s team in Mission: Impossible III. As is expected from an IMF agent, Declan is a very skilled fighter and a capable spy who helps Ethan a lot during the third film in the franchise. In Mission: Impossible III, Declan is played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who has also appeared in films like Bend It Like Beckham, Match Point, and the show The Tudors.
Even though Mission: Impossible III is the lowest-grossing film in the entire franchise, critics liked it significantly better than the second film. Therefore, it wouldn’t have necessarily been surprising if Ethan’s allies from the film appeared in future Mission: Impossible movies. After all, after debuting in Mission: Impossible III, Simon Pegg’s Benji became a main character in the series. However, just like Zhen, Declan hasn’t appeared in the franchise since and was last seen at the IMF headquarters at the end of Mission: Impossible III.
2
Jane Carter
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Jane Carter is an IMF agent who works alongside Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Ghost Protocol was definitely the start of a new era for the franchise, as it was much more ambitious than the previous three films. In particular, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s Burj Khalifa sequence is arguably the best in the entire series. Because of how successful Ghost Protocol was, it’s extra surprising that Jane has never returned to the franchise. In Ghost Protocol, Jane is played by Paula Patton, who has also starred in movies like 2 Guns and Warcraft.
Jane was last seen with Ethan and the rest of the team in Seattle at the end of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which suggests that she may become a permanent member of the team.
Patton is exceptional in the role, and Jane is one of the best characters in the entire franchise. Not only is Jane a skilled IMF agent, but she is also on a personal revenge mission in Ghost Protocol since Sabine Moreau, one of the movie’s villains, killed her lover. Jane was last seen with Ethan and the rest of the team in Seattle at the end of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which suggests that she may become a permanent member of the team. However, Patton has unfortunately never reprised her role.
1
William Brandt
Appeared In: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol & Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
William Brandt is the only character on this list who has appeared in more than one Mission: Impossible movie. Brandt, who is played by Jeremy Renner, appeared in both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation. When Renner was cast in the role, it was believed that he might actually become the lead of the franchise. However, after the success of Ghost Protocol and Cruise’s renewed popularity, this obviously never ended up happening. Despite this, Brandt is still one of the best characters in both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation.
In Ghost Protocol, Brandt and Ethan often ʙuтт heads and the former bares the weight of knowing he’s the reason the latter’s wife, Julia, is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, since he led the IMF team that was ᴀssigned to protect her. Because of this, he is reluctant to work with Ethan on field missions. However, once Ethan reveals that he faked Julia’s death to protect her, Brandt finds peace and the two can work together effectively as team members. Brandt was last seen at the Senate committee meeting at the end of Rogue Nation, which sees the IMF get restored.
After appearing in two movies, many fans ᴀssumed Renner would also reprise his fan-favorite role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Apparently, Brandt was originally meant to have a minor role and would have been killed off in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. However, Renner reportedly refused to appear in the movie if Brandt wasn’t going to be one of the core characters. Therefore, Brandt hasn’t been seen since the ending of Rogue Nation and also doesn’t appear in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which could be the last movie in the series.
