bringing Director Kittridge back for a small role, but The Final Reckoning fully leans into the references and Easter eggs on a whole new level.

While it’s The Final Reckoning’s stunts and action scenes that most audiences will this bold sequel for, there’s also some very astute character work that proves just how well-written these blockbusters can be. Very few of the references feel forced or unjustified, and they all serve a greater thematic purpose in the scope of the story.

The Final Reckoning Reveals Briggs Is Jim Phelps' Son

The Revelation Ties The Latest Sequel To The Original Movie

In one of The Final Reckoning’s most unexpected callbacks, it’s revealed that Shea Whigham’s character Briggs is actually the son of Jim Phelps, Jon Voight’s character from the original 1996 Mission: Impossible. Ethan realizes this pretty early in the movie, and the pair form an unlikely rapport that mirrors the previous dynamic between Ethan and Briggs’ father. In the first movie, Phelps was revealed as “Job,” a rogue IMF agent working to procure the NOC list and expose the true identities of all CIA operatives in Europe. Thankfully, Briggs didn’t quite follow in his father’s footsteps.

Instead, Briggs is unwaveringly loyal to his country and this causes friction with Ethan on several occasions; they both want the same thing, but their methods are completely different. Where Ethan is willing to go rogue and disobey orders from his government, Briggs is a more law-abiding citizen - likely because of the stained reputation that he surely inherited from his father.

There are several returning characters in The Final Reckoning who haven’t been seen for a long while in this franchise, such as figures like William Donloe and Agent Kittridge, who directly connect this sequel with the original movie. This creates a very rewarding sense of symmetry throughout the franchise, with Ethan’s entire journey leading him back to where he started and teaching him that his life is little more than the sum of his actions. Briggs’ true identity as Jim Phelps’ son is another tangible connection to De Palma’s Mission: Impossible.

Briggs Being Jim Phelps' Son Explains A Mission: Impossible Mystery

Dead Reckoning Left A Question Unanswered

Crucially, the reveal that Briggs is actually Jim Phelps, Jr. also explains one of the most confusing aspects of Dead Reckoning. Although Whigham’s excellent performance always made the most of Briggs’ screen time in the previous movie, it wasn’t always clear why he was so determined to bring Ethan down. He was simply presented as somebody who believed in his country and didn’t want to see a rogue agent like Ethan Hunt win by bending the rules. However, this revelation finally explains why his vendetta against Hunt feels so personal.

Hunt and Phelps, Sr. didn’t exactly end things on the best in Mission: Impossible – Cruise's IMF agent brought down his former boss during a high-stakes helicopter chase through a tunnel. Their rivalry was the burning conflict of the first movie, as Ethan quickly learned that even his most trusted friends and superiors are capable of betraying him in the most dangerous ways possible. Hunt ultimately discovers that Phelps is the mole in Mission: Impossible’s ending, and the former IMF agent’s reputation is ruined forever; it makes sense that Briggs would harbor some resentment against Hunt for this.

The Final Reckoning's Jim Phelps Connection Helps Mission: Impossible Come Full Circle

The Reveal Ties Into The Film's Cyclic Storytelling

The entire concept of The Final Reckoning is that Ethan Hunt’s story is coming full circle, and he’s coming to with the choices that he’s made throughout this franchise. He learns that he was actually responsible for the creation of the Entity through his experience with the Rabbit’s Foot; that his break-in at Langley effectively ended Agent Donloe’s career; and that Jim Phelps has essentially been hunting him from the grave. It’s the final nail in the coffin for Hunt, and it really helps emphasize this key theme.

The Final Reckoning retroactively makes Mission: Impossible the most important entry in the franchise, closely binding Ethan’s story with those of Jim Phelps and William Donloe in ways that audiences never could have seen coming.

The Final Reckoning also focuses on the power of forgiveness as one of its key themes. Hunt has to forgive himself for essentially creating the Entity, and Donloe forgives Hunt for ruining his career back in 1996. In the same fashion, Briggs forgives Hunt for the way he besmirched his father’s reputation, learning that perhaps going rogue and acting selflessly is the most efficient way of getting a task done. It’s not just Hunt’s story that comes full circle in The Final Reckoning, but also Briggs’.

How The Final Reckoning's Briggs Reveal Changes Jim Phelps' Story

Jon Voight's Character Is Given Even More Development In The Latest Sequel

The Final Reckoning retroactively makes Mission: Impossible the most important entry in the franchise, closely binding Ethan’s story with those of Jim Phelps and William Donloe in ways that audiences could never have seen coming. Not only does it reframe his relationship with these people, but it also frames the characters themselves in new ways. Donloe was previously a source of comic relief whom audiences hoped would fail, but he becomes one of The Final Reckoning’s most likable characters. Similarly, the most recent movie subtly stains Phelps’ reputation even further.

It’s not explicitly touched upon in The Final Reckoning, but revealing Briggs to be Jim Phelps’ son also confirms that Voight’s character was going to leave his family behind at the end of Mission: Impossible just to get paid. He was already prepared to start a new life when Ethan Hunt confronted him on the train, and there was no indication that he was taking his son with him.

This minor detail makes Briggs a very sympathetic character, as he still respects his father’s memory despite everything that Phelps did - it’s not until he works alongside Hunt that he realizes just how selfless the enigmatic IMF agent actually is.