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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Reader discretion is advised.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning failed to resolve one of the biggest mysteries from Dead Reckoning Part One. Being the final chapter where Tom Cruise will star as Ethan Hunt, it was expected to tie most narrative threads introduced throughout the past seven films. The Final Reckoning brings elements and characters all the way back from its 1996 film, yet it didn't resolve a major mystery about a character that was specifically introduced to offer more depth to Ethan's personality.
The character we're talking about is Marie (Mariela Garriga), who briefly appeared through Ethan's flashbacks in Dead Reckoning Part One (2023). Co-written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film does what every McQuarrie-MI film has done so far: it shows Ethan contemplating beyond the scope of his mission. McQuarrie's films have consistently tried to add layers to his personality, and his alleged relationship with Marie was a part of the same attempt.
Dead Reckoning Part One suggests that Ethan and Gabriel (Esai Morales) have some bad blood, and it involves Marie. However, The Final Reckoning abandons her arc altogether, offering no resolution to the mystery.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning should have explored Marie's character in more detail
Much like its predecessor, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning revolves around Entity, an artificial intelligence, being the biggest threat to the world. Ethan wants no one to be in charge of something that powerful since he understands the implications. Gabriel, on the other hand, acts as its liaison. Throughout Dead Reckoning Part One, his only goal seems to be to settle his scores with Ethan. The film hints that this has something to do with Marie. It also reveals that Ethan had a criminal past before joining the IMF, and the IMF was his way out of crime.
Yet, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning doesn't even address Marie, let alone explain how she is connected to Ethan and Gabriel. If Ethan were responsible for her death, it could have added another layer to his character. So, his journey wouldn't have been just about saving the world. He would have also had something personal at stake. However, ignoring that part of his arc also weakens Gabriel's position as his arch-nemesis. It leaves you wondering why he was out to get Ethan throughout the previous chapter. After all, Gabriel was hell-bent on seeing Ethan suffer. What made him turn sour on Ethan?
Unlike Marie, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning introduces some old characters (and connections)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning shows the Entity being connected to the Rabbit's Foot — the item that Ethan procured to save his then-wife Julia in the third MI film. The Entity came into being at least partially because he delivered it without questioning what it was going to be used for. That makes Ethan contemplate the choices he has made and grieve over his regrets.
Similarly, Eugene Kittridge and William Donloe return to Ethan's life, while Jasper Briggs is revealed to be the son of Jim Phelps — the mole in the IMF that catapulted Ethan's adventurous journey. While bringing these characters back, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning doesn't bring Marie back, nor does it dive into her connection to Ethan's origins. One might argue that Brian De Palma's film was the perfect launchpad for Ethan's character. Ethan Hunt has grown and has managed to evolve into a much more complex character with a rich backstory since then. So, if the creative team didn't want to disclose the mystery about Marie, perhaps it should not have introduced it in the first place.
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