WARNING: The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Mission: Impossible 7.Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is full of Easter eggs and references to earlier installments of the franchise. The seventh movie of the Mission: Impossible franchise has the most callbacks to the original film more than any other installment, making it somewhat of a spiritual successor to the 1996 Brian De Palma action thriller. Many of the Easter eggs and franchise references in Mission: Impossible 7 bring Ethan Hunt to his roots, even back before he even made the initial choice to the enigmatic IMF.
Throughout Mission: Impossible 7, there are several key characters and scenes that are reintroduced and extended odes to the longstanding franchise. Mission: Impossible is one of a few rare franchises that seems to enhance in quality with age, much like the remarkable efforts of its 61-year-old star actor Tom Cruise. In many ways, Dead Reckoning Part One offers some of the most exciting and memorable moments of the entire franchise, presenting a new imminent threat to the ambitious Ethan Hunt and his never-say-never IMF team.
14 Kittridge Returns After Mission: Impossible 1
The biggest franchise reference of all actually brings one of the original Mission: Impossible's main characters back to the big screen alongside Ethan Hunt. Originally a pseudo-antagonist who attempted to take out Hunt after he mistook him for a mole, Eugene Kittridge was the former director of the Impossible Missions Force who informs Ethan of the valuable key in Dead Reckoning Part One. Kittridge inadvertently gives Hunt his new mission in his big return to the franchise.
13 Former CIA Director Erika Sloane's Photo Appears
Former CIA Director Erika Sloane's photo appears briefly in Dead Reckoning Part One. She was played by Angela Basset in Mission: Impossible – Fallout whose character was replaced by Shea Whigham's Briggs. Sloane had orchestrated the pairing of August Walker (Henry Cavil) with Ethan Hunt, which was largely meant to monitor the rogue IMF agent. Briggs takes a much more physical and involved role in Mission: Impossible 7 than Sloane did in Mission: Impossible 6.
12 Mission: Impossible Jokes About The IMF
Mission: Impossible 7 continues the franchise trend of joking about the IMF, which sounds somewhat ridiculous and childlike by its full name of Impossible Missions Force. The self-reflective humor had been previously seen in other installments of the franchise, offering a signature comedic relief that every Mission: Impossible film expertly curates to break up the relentless pace of the on-screen action.
11 Ethan Hunt's Sleight of Hand Tricks
Ethan Hunt returns with his signature sleight-of-hand tricks that he first demonstrated in the original Mission: Impossible. This theme was also extended to the character of Grace (Hayley Atwell) who is an expert thief in Dead Reckoning Part One and eventually sparks Ethan's interest due to her clever sleight-of-hand tricks and mastery of deception.
10 Dutch Angles Honor Mission: Impossible 1
Another frequent callback to the first Mission: Impossible movie is the common use of Dutch angles in Dead Reckoning Part One's cinematography. Director of Mission: Impossible 1 Brian De Palma incorporated many Dutch angles to throw off the sense of perspective and emphasize the tension and unreliability of the film's narrative and characters. Mission: Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie seemed to take inspiration from De Palma with his frequent use of the off-kilter Dutch angles that are typically used in film to encourage an unsettling tilt in the composition.
9 Tom Cruise Plays A Lawyer (Again)
Tom Cruise' Ethan Hunt briefly impersonates a lawyer in Dead Reckoning Part One, which is a callback to two previous films in which he starred as a lawyer, A Few Good Men and The Firm. It is a quick homage to Cruise's earlier work which helped catapult him into the bonafide action hero that he has become with his Top Gun and Mission: Impossible franchises.
8 Mission: Impossible - Fallout’s Villain John Lark Is Mentioned
The main antagonist in Mission: Impossible – Fallout is briefly mentioned by the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) in Dead Reckoning Part One, who also appears in Mission: Impossible 6. Hunt had previously introduced himself to White Widow while he was impersonating John Lark, which she had believed well after the events of Fallout that led to an implied romantic involvement between her and Ethan between Mission: Impossible 6 & 7.
7 Latex Mask Maker Also Broke In Ghost Protocol
Ethan's plan to go with Grace into the train during the final act of Dead Reckoning Part One was thwarted by Benji's portable latex face mask machine malfunctioning at the last moment. The same thing happened moments before Ethan's meeting with Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux) in Ghost Protocol, forcing Ethan to think on his feet and change the game plan similarly to Mission: Impossible 7.
6 Ilsa's Death On A Bridge References Mission: Impossible 1
Ilsa's tragic death on the bridge in Venice at the hand of Gabriel is reminiscent of the fake death orchestrated by IMF member Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible 1. Similarly to Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan was running against the clock to save his fellow team member but was too late and unable to do so. Phelps turned out later to have faked his own death but it appears that Ilsa truly is deceased in Mission: Impossible 7.
5 Mission: Impossible's Villain Max Is Referenced
Another Mission: Impossible original villain named Max Mitsopolis was referenced in both Fallout and Dead Reckoning Part One. She is the mother of the White Widow, whose real name is Alanna Mitsopolis. Like her daughter, Max is primarily interested in making money and does not necessarily work for the side of good or evil, but instead profitability.
