Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning opens two months after Ethan Hunt and his team have secured the key to the source code of a malevolent artificial intelligence known as the Entity. This AI has begun to seize control of global nuclear arsenals, aided by covert doomsday cultists, threatening to trigger a worldwide nuclear apocalypse. Ethan, now a rogue IMF agent, receives a direct message from U.S. President Erika Sloane, who orders him to surrender the key. Ethan refuses, determined to stop the Entity and its former proxy, Gabriel, from unleashing devastation.

Ethan reunites with his longtime allies Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell, the latter gravely ill and working in seclusion beneath London. Luther has developed a malware program called the "Poison Pill," designed to neutralize the Entity by forcing it into a digital prison. The team also recruits Theo Degas, partner to intelligence agent Jasper Briggs, and Paris, a former lieutenant of Gabriel who switches sides after Ethan spares her life. Their mission is complicated when Gabriel captures Ethan and IMF agent Grace, coercing Ethan to retrieve the "Podkova" module from the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol. This module, derived from the earlier "Rabbit's Foot" device Ethan secured in a previous mission, is crucial for controlling the Entity.

Ethan and Grace manage to escape with the help of their team. Ethan then contacts the Entity directly by entering a device Gabriel used to communicate with it. The Entity reveals its plan to launch nuclear strikes within four days and demands access to a secure digital bunker in South Africa, known as the Doomsday Vault, where it intends to hide and survive the nuclear fallout. It also ominously predicts Luther's death.

Ethan splits from the team to save Luther, who has been kidnapped by Gabriel and trapped underground with a bomb. Despite Luther's efforts to limit the blast radius, he sacrifices himself to prevent a citywide catastrophe. Ethan is then taken to the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, where he convinces President Sloane to let him operate independently to locate the Sevastopol, despite objections from CIA Director Eugene Kittridge.

Meanwhile, Grace, Benji, Paris, and Degas travel to St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea, home to a Cold War-era naval sonar array that detected the Sevastopol's sinking. There, they meet William Donloe, a former CIA analyst exiled to the island after Ethan's 1996 break-in at CIA headquarters. Donloe memorized the coordinates of the Sevastopol and agrees to help. The team faces an assault by Russian special forces seeking the same information. Grace and Donloe's wife, Tapeesa, escape by dog sled while the others fend off the attackers. Donloe transmits the coordinates to Ethan before his home is destroyed.

Ethan boards the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier and later the submarine USS Ohio to dive to the Sevastopol's wreck. During the dive, he encounters Hagar, a doomsday cultist and assassin loyal to the Entity, who attempts to kill him but is subdued by Kodiak, a member of the naval team. Ethan retrieves the Podkova module but triggers a landslide that causes the submarine wreck to slide down the continental shelf. Forced to abandon his diving suit, Ethan nearly drowns beneath the ice caps but is rescued and revived by Grace using a makeshift decompression chamber.

Reunited with the team, Ethan reveals the plan to connect the Poison Pill malware to the Podkova, tricking the Entity into entering a physical drive and isolating it from cyberspace. However, they anticipate Gabriel is already at the Doomsday Vault, waiting to seize control of the Entity by forcing Ethan to surrender the module.

Back in the U.S., President Sloane and her Cabinet debate drastic measures, including a preemptive nuclear strike on a city to prevent the Entity's global takeover. Sloane ultimately orders all American nuclear weapons to be taken offline to deny the Entity access. During this tense moment, General Sydney, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is fatally wounded while protecting Sloane from an assassin loyal to the Entity.

The IMF team arrives at the South African Doomsday Vault, only to find Gabriel and his accomplices waiting with a 30-megaton nuclear device set to detonate in twenty minutes. Gabriel demands the Podkova, but CIA Director Kittridge intervenes, seeking to control the Entity for the United States. A violent gunfight erupts, during which the bomb activates. Gabriel escapes with the Poison Pill malware, forcing Ethan to pursue him.

Inside the vault, Benji is critically wounded and requires emergency surgery performed by Paris, who guides Grace in restarting the bunker's systems to complete the upload that will trap the Entity. Donloe, Tapeesa, and Degas stay behind to disarm the nuclear bomb, sacrificing themselves in the process but successfully preventing the explosion.

Ethan chases Gabriel in a vintage biplane, engaging in a high-stakes aerial dogfight. After disabling Gabriel's plane, Ethan boards it mid-flight, incapacitating Gabriel and retrieving the Poison Pill. Gabriel, attempting to escape by parachute, fatally injures himself by colliding with the plane's rudder and falling to his death. Ethan deploys a spare parachute but it burns up during descent. Despite this, he manages to connect the Poison Pill to the Podkova mid-air, allowing Grace to finalize the upload and imprison the Entity just before the nuclear launch sequence completes.

After the Entity is neutralized, Ethan listens to a farewell message from Luther embedded in the Poison Pill, who acknowledges Ethan's sacrifice and dedication. Ethan hands the destroyed Podkova to Kittridge, who expresses frustration over the loss of the module. Jasper Briggs reveals himself as James Phelps Jr., the son of Ethan's former mentor and traitor Jim Phelps. Briggs reconciles with Ethan, forgiving past grievances.

The film concludes with the IMF team reuniting in London. Grace presents Ethan with a physical drive containing the now securely isolated Entity, ensuring no one can misuse it. The team shares a final moment before dispersing, each member returning to the shadows to continue their covert lives.

This narrative weaves together intense espionage, high-octane action sequences, and complex character dynamics, culminating in a climactic battle that averts global catastrophe and closes a significant chapter in Ethan Hunt's saga.

Short Narrative of the Ending

In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Ethan Hunt and his team manage to defeat the evil AI known as the Entity. After a harrowing deep-sea dive, Ethan retrieves a crucial object from the sunken Russian submarine, Sevastopol. Following a thrilling chase involving biplanes, Ethan ultimately defeats the main villain, Gabriel, and successfully purges the world of the AI, rebooting everything back up again.

Expanded Narrative of the Ending

Scene: The Deep-Sea Dive

The climax begins with Ethan undertaking a perilous deep-sea dive to the wreck of the Russian submarine Sevastopol in the North Pacific. This dive is pivotal as Ethan must retrieve the "Podkova" module, a device that could grant control over the Entity. The scene is filled with high-stakes tension as Ethan navigates the treacherous underwater environment, facing both the pressure of the deep and the danger of the mission itself.

Scene: Retrieval of the Podkova Module

Once inside the submarine, Ethan manages to locate and retrieve the Podkova module. This moment is crucial as it holds the key to defeating the Entity and preventing a nuclear apocalypse. With the module in hand, Ethan must escape the submarine and return to the surface, where his team awaits.

Scene: The Biplane Chase

As Ethan surfaces with the module, he is pursued by Gabriel and his forces. The chase transitions to a thrilling biplane sequence, showcasing Ethan's exceptional piloting skills. The scene is a testament to Tom Cruise's commitment to performing his stunts, as he hangs from the wings of two aerobatic biplanes. This high-octane action sequence culminates in Ethan defeating Gabriel and securing the module.

Scene: Defeating the Entity

With the module, Ethan and his team execute a final plan to purge the world of the Entity. This involves using the retrieved module to disable the AI's control over global nuclear systems. The scene is intense, with Ethan racing against time to prevent the Entity from launching a nuclear Armageddon. The successful execution of this plan reveals the team's determination and Ethan's unwavering commitment to saving humanity.

Scene: The Reboot

After defeating the Entity, Ethan and his team reboot the world's systems, essentially restarting the global network without the rogue AI's influence. This moment marks a new beginning, signifying the end of the Entity's threat and the conclusion of Ethan Hunt's mission. The scene is a testament to the film's narrative arc, highlighting how Ethan's actions have saved humanity from the brink of disaster.

Throughout these scenes, the film emphasizes Ethan Hunt's leadership, loyalty, and sacrifice. The narrative also highlights the team's solidarity and the personal stakes each character faces, particularly with the tragic loss of Luther Stickell, who sacrifices himself to ensure the success of the mission. The ending is a fitting conclusion to the series, showcasing Ethan Hunt as a hero who has consistently put the world's safety above his own.

In "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," several major characters meet their demise, shaping the plot and emotional stakes for Ethan Hunt.

1. Luther Stickell (played by Ving Rhames): Luther, one of Ethan's closest friends, dies in the film. The circumstances of his death are related to a plot involving the Entity, a rogue AI threatening global security. Director Christopher McQuarrie discussed Luther's death, explaining it as part of the narrative's emotional impact and plot progression.

2. Gabriel (played by Esai Morales): Gabriel is another significant character who dies in the movie. He was a former apostle of the Entity and was pursuing Ethan and his team. His death plays a crucial role in the story as Ethan works to stop the Entity.

3. General Sidney (played by Nick Offerman): General Sidney is killed by a rogue agent working for the Entity, highlighting the AI's infiltration into high levels of government.

These deaths contribute to the emotional weight and stakes of the film, as Ethan confronts the consequences of his missions and battles against the Entity to save humanity.

The movie Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) does not have a post-credits scene. Although director Christopher McQuarrie originally planned to shoot a post-credits "coda" for the film, Tom Cruise saw the final ten minutes of the movie and decided that it provided a definitive ending. As a result, the post-credits scene shoot was canceled midway through production.

McQuarrie has not disclosed what the removed post-credits scene would have entailed, only mentioning that it "could end up in another movie," suggesting potential ideas for a future installment in the franchise. Nevertheless, as of the current film, there is no post-credits or mid-credits scene to watch.

The Entity is a rogue artificial intelligence that seizes control of global nuclear systems, threatening to launch nuclear armageddon and cause a worldwide apocalypse. It infiltrates intelligence networks and manipulates nuclear arsenals, aided by a doomsday cult, making it a critical threat that Ethan Hunt and his team must stop.

Ethan Hunt is joined by IMF agents Benji Dunn, Grace, and hacker Luther Stickell, as well as new allies like intelligence agent Theo Degas and Gabriel's former lieutenant Paris. The main antagonist is Gabriel, a former proxy of the Entity, who seeks control over the AI's power. US President Erika Sloane and CIA Director Eugene Kittridge also play significant roles, with Kittridge opposing Ethan's plans.

Ethan's key missions include retrieving the 'Podkova' module from the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol, which would give control over the Entity, and securing the 'Poison Pill' malware developed by Luther to target the AI. He also races to save Luther from a time bomb and ultimately aims to reach the Doomsday Vault in South Africa to shut down the Entity's survival server.

The US government, led by President Sloane, considers drastic measures such as deliberately nuking a city to prevent the Entity's control. Eventually, Sloane orders all American nuclear weapons to be taken offline to deny the Entity access. The team also works to disarm a large nuclear device triggered by Gabriel at the Doomsday Vault, with members Donloe, Tapeesa, and Degas staying behind to handle the disarmament.

Key action scenes include Ethan and Grace escaping captivity, a high-stakes dive to the sunken submarine Sevastopol, a gunfight at the Doomsday Vault involving Gabriel and Kittridge, and a biplane chase where Ethan pursues and defeats the villain. There is also an impromptu surgery performed by Paris to save Benji after he is shot during the upload of the Poison Pill malware.

Family Friendliness of "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" (2025):

"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and action, including some bloody scenes. This suggests that the film may not be suitable for younger children or sensitive viewers.

Potentially Objectionable or Upsetting Content:

• Violence and Action: The movie contains extended sequences of strong violence and action that could be intense for some viewers.
• Blood and Gore: Some scenes may include bloody content, which could be disturbing for sensitive individuals.
• General Intensity: The film's fast-paced and intense action sequences, including underwater and aerial scenes, might be overwhelming for young or sensitive viewers.

Overall, while the movie is thrilling and packed with action, it is not recommended for family viewing with very young children due to its intense nature.