A major forgotten character played by Laurence Fishburne in theMission: Impossiblefranchise can now return inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningthanks to a key reveal. For the last several installments, theMission: Impossiblemovies have done an excellent job of having Ethan Hunt cross paths with former associates and enemies from past entries. This is set to continue withMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’s castas it includes actors returning as Kittridge and William Donloe from the original 1996 film, as well as usual key characters like Benji and Luther and new ones like Grace.
However, withMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningpossibly ending the franchise, the film becomes a potential last chance for some other characters to come back too. Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have considered bringing back Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt,Paula Patton’s Jane Carter, and Maggie Q’s Zhen Lei in previous installments, but they are once again expected to be absent from the eighth installment. There are still plenty of otherMission: Impossiblecharacters who are missing from recent films, including Laurence Fishburne’s Brassel. It now seems more likely he could be inThe Final Reckoningas a surprise.
The Final Reckoning’s Mission: Impossible 3 Connection Sets Up Laurence Fishburne’s Return
He’s Connected To The Rabbit’s Foot
One of the biggest moments fromMission: Impossible 8’s trailercame with the brief glimpse of the Rabbit’s Foot. New footage showing a seemingly de-aged Tom Cruise teases Ethan Hunt acquiringMission: Impossible 3’s Rabbit’s Foot will be included in the new filmand be important to the story. The return of this key franchise MacGuffin provides an easy opportunity for the potential franchise conclusion to bring backMission: Impossible IIIcharacters who were directly tied to the IMF’s mission of finding, protecting, and learning the true purpose of the mystery weapon.
Mission: Impossible - What Is The Rabbit’s Foot? Meaning Explained
Mission: Impossible III saw IMF agent Ethan Hunt embroiled in a conspiracy around the Rabbit’s Foot. Here are its meaning and purpose, explained.
Laurence Fishburne’s Brassel is a prime example of someone who could factor intoThe Final Reckoning’s Rabbit’s Foot connectionthen.He was the IMF’s boss when Ethan went after Owen Davianand came to learn about the potential biological weapon. IfThe Final Reckoningis going back to the 2006 setting to connect the Rabbit’s Foot to The Entity in some capacity, having Brassel return would make sense, as he could aid Ethan in locating it and providing new intel. As IMF’s boss at the time, he arguably had the best understanding of its true purpose.
Why Laurence Fishburne’s Brassel Didn’t Return After Mission: Impossible 3
He Was Replaced At IMF
Despite being a great addition to the franchise inMission: Impossible 3, it is the only appearance of Laurence Fishburne as Theodore Brassel to date. The actor wasnoticeably absent from the sequel,Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and the movie provided an in-universe reason why he wasn’t around. The fourth entry introduces anew IMF director, indicating that Brassel retired, was fired, or died sometime after the events ofMission: Impossible 3. The exact nature of his fate has never been fully confirmed, but it’s clear he no longer runs the IMF afterward.
For his part,Laurence Fishburne has never discussed a potentialMission: Impossiblereturn. Franchise creatives have also not provided a more direct answer as to why it was decided to move on or if any consideration was made to bring Brassel back. The decision is likely rooted in upholding theMission: Impossiblefranchise tradition at the time to introduce new directors of the IMF with each entry, with Kittridge and Swanbeck preceding Brassel and Tom Wilkinson’s unnamed director and Alan Hunley following him.
Laurence Fishburne’s Brassel Could Help Final Reckoning Explain What The Rabbit’s Foot Is
He Knows The Truth In Mission: Impossible 3
The reason why Brassel’s return inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningwould be so important is because of howMission: Impossible 3connects him to the Rabbit’s Foot. The movie’s final scene teases thathe knows the truth about what the Rabbit’s Foot really is. He tells Ethan that he’ll share the information with him as long as he does not retire after his honeymoon with Julia. TheMission: Impossiblefranchise has never shown the conversation or confirmed the Rabbit’s Foot purpose and power, but that is bound to change now.
It would be odd forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningto incorporate the Rabbit’s Foot if there was no intention of providing answers about the mystery MacGuffin. Brassel’s return is among the smoothest options for the sequel to do this without resorting to an exposition dump. If there’s already oneMission: Impossible 3flashback to the Rabbit’s Foot heist,there could be a scene featuring Laurence Fishburne where he fills in Ethan about the Rabbit’s Foot’s nature. In addition to answering a long-standing mystery,Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningwould also please many with another Brassel appearance.
