With one actor from the original Mission: Impossible movie confirmed to be returning in Mission: Impossible 8, a few other series characters whose fates were never confirmed should him. While the seventh movie in the Tom Cruise-led series, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, is scheduled for release in 2023, attention is already being drawn to the follow-up movie, which will be a direct continuation of the seventh film's story. The trailer for the next Mission: Impossible movie is out and hints at some of the series' biggest stunts yet, but Mission: Impossible 8 sounds way more exciting.
It has been confirmed that Mission Impossible's William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) is returning for the eighth movie. That doesn't only suggest that the film is perfectly tying everything together, but that it'll undoubtedly be a suitably epic movie for what is Ethan Hunt's (Cruise) last outing. However, that also opens up a world of possibilities about what other characters from the franchise could appear. While most of the Mission: Impossible series characters who aren't currently a part of the current cast have been killed, there is a handful whose absences haven't been explained. Given how instrumental their parts were, they need to return for the final movie.
5 William Brandt (Jeremy Renner)
Jeremy Renner plays William Brandt in the spy franchise, and while Brandt is on the same side as Ethan, the pair lock horns when they first meet, seemingly competing to be the alpha male of the group. It was actually planned for Renner to take over the series, as his introduction in the fourth movie, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, was meant to be a ing of the torch from Cruise to the Hawkeye actor. However, his prominent role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe kept Renner from becoming the next Mission: Impossible lead, and the scheduling conflicts meant Cruise would continue carrying the franchise.
It was for the best that Renner was tied up, as he wouldn't have been as committed to death-defying stunts as Cruise. But Renner did return for a few key scenes in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and teaming up with Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) led to a more entertaining and loosened-up Brandt. Unfortunately, he didn't return for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which was likely due to shooting the huge Avengers: Endgame instead. His absence wasn't mentioned in the film, but following Renner having less involvement in the MCU and overcoming his near-fatal accident, Mission: Impossible 8 could be the perfect comeback.
4 Jane Carter (Paula Patton)
Jane Carter (Paula Patton) was instrumental in helping Ethan bring down Russian nuclear scientist Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) in the fourth movie. And she has one of the best kills in the entire series, as she dropkicks Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux) out of a window of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world. However, despite being a fantastic character and regularly stealing the show from Cruise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was the first and last time she was seen. The character didn't even get so much of a mention in the follow-up movie or any other sequel.
Patton was approached to play Mission: Impossible's Jane again in the fifth movie, and director Christopher McQuarrie confirmed the character had a story arc, but scheduling conflicts kept that from happening. However, it isn't clear exactly which project kept her from being able to feature in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. But that did open the door to Rebecca Ferguson being able to play the female spy Ilsa Faust, who has since returned for every movie and has become one of the best recurring characters. Nevertheless, that still leaves one huge loose end in the series, and there's a big question surrounding what Jane has been doing in the past decade.
3 Zhen Lei (Maggie Q)
Mission: Impossible III is the series' most underrated movie, and it's by far the most grounded and realistic. However, the best thing about it is Zhen Lei (Maggie Q), who is easily one of the most devil-may-care characters. It was the first time a female spy in the series was just as much of a force to be reckoned with as Ethan. Unfortunately, it continued the Mission: Impossible franchise's female lead problem, as it wasn't until Mission: Impossible - Fallout that a female character would make a repeat appearance – save for a brief cameo from Michelle Monaghan. Lei left Ethan's life just as quickly as she entered it, and Ethan forgot about her even quicker, as her name hasn't been uttered once.
Maggie Q was asked to return to the franchise for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, but once again, scheduling conflicts interfered with that plan. However, with much older characters returning for the eighth outing, the fact that Zhen hasn't been in the franchise in over two decades is barely an inconvenience. There are plenty of different ways to bring her back, and as Zhen accompanied Ethan to China, she likely led a similar renegade life to Ethan, only on the other side of the world. Zhen could have led a movie series of her own, but at the very least, she should cross paths with Ethan one more time.
2 August Walker (Henry Cavill)
While other characters could return because their fates were left open-ended, August Walker (Henry Cavill) dies at the end of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, as he literally falls off a cliff during his and Ethan's final fight. However, Walker might yet return in Mission: Impossible 8, as McQuarrie teased a surprising comeback from a Mission: Impossible - Fallout character. This could be a big risk, as it's getting dangerously close to Fast and Furious territory when it comes to fake-out deaths and suspension of disbelief. But Walker was one of the most threatening henchmen in the series, and Ethan finally met his match. If done right, Walker's return would be more than welcome.
1 Solomon Lane (Sean Harris)
Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) is the one villain in the franchise who wasn't killed, and the anarchist was the closest thing Ethan had to an arch nemesis. The character was the main antagonist in two movies, and as he wasn't killed, the studio could have the character in its back pocket just in case it wants to use him again. Even if he remains locked up, Lane could appear in Mission: Impossible 8 similar to how other detained arch nemeses have shown up in other franchises. Just like Blofeld in No Time to Die and Joker in The Batman, Ethan could potentially visit Solomon in prison for advice.
