‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Back and Who’s New?

After nearly three decades, Tom Cruise’s run as IMF agent Ethan Hunt has come to a close with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” the eighth and reportedly final entry in the long-running spy franchise. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film picks up shortly after “Dead Reckoning,” with Hunt and his team racing to stop the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence that has seized control of nuclear systems around the world, before it can trigger global catastrophe.

With a sprawling ensemble cast spanning franchise veterans, recent additions, and a wave of newcomers, it can be tough to keep track of who’s who. Here’s a breakdown of the major players, who they’re playing, and where you might recognize them from.

Who’s Back

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. Cruise has played the IMF’s most resourceful agent in every film since the original 1996 “Mission: Impossible,” and this outing marks his final time in the role. At the film’s New York premiere, Cruise made the point plainly, telling reporters, “It’s the final! It’s not called ‘final’ for nothing.”

Hayley Atwell as Grace. Introduced in “Dead Reckoning” as a skilled thief pulled into Ethan’s orbit, Grace has since become a full member of the team. Atwell is probably best known to wider audiences as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has more recently appeared in “Heartstopper” and “Paddington in Peru.”

Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. Pegg’s character has been part of the IMF crew since “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006, evolving from comic-relief tech support into one of Ethan’s most trusted allies. Outside the franchise, Pegg is widely known for “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.”

Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell. Rhames is the only actor besides Cruise to appear in every Mission: Impossible film, having played hacker and longtime friend Luther since the very first installment in 1996. His other notable credits include “Pulp Fiction” and “Dawn of the Dead.”

Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge. Czerny originated the role of Kittridge as the IMF director in the 1996 original, then returned for “Dead Reckoning” with the character now running the CIA. He reprises that role here, once again clashing with Ethan over how to handle the mission.

Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane. Bassett first played Sloane as CIA director in 2018’s “Fallout,” and the character has since risen to President of the United States, putting Bassett in a position of considerably higher stakes this time around.

Esai Morales as Gabriel. Gabriel, a mysterious figure tied to Ethan’s past who served as a liaison for the Entity, was introduced in “Dead Reckoning” and returns as one of the film’s central antagonists. Morales, known for “NYPD Blue” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” took over the role after original casting plans for Nicholas Hoult fell through years earlier.

Pom Klementieff as Paris. Once a follower of the Entity working under Gabriel, Paris switches sides after Ethan spares her life in “Dead Reckoning” and becomes an ally in this film. Klementieff is best known to many moviegoers as Mantis in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films.

Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs. Briggs, introduced in “Dead Reckoning” as an intelligence agent pursuing Ethan’s team, returns with a significant reveal: he’s the son of Jim Phelps, the rogue former IMF leader from the first film. Whigham has also appeared in “Fast X” and “Joker.”

Greg Tarzan Davis as Theo Degas. Briggs’s partner in “Dead Reckoning,” Degas comes around to Ethan’s side and joins the team for this mission. Davis previously appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Rolf Saxon as William “Bill” Donloe. In a deep-cut callback, Saxon reprises the CIA analyst he played for a few brief minutes in the original 1996 film, who was exiled to a remote Alaska outpost after Ethan’s break-in at Langley. Thirty years later, that exile turns out to matter quite a bit to the plot.

Mariela Garriga as Marie. Garriga returns in a brief flashback role as a woman connected to both Ethan and Gabriel’s pasts.

Who’s New

Holt McCallany as Serling Bernstein. McCallany joins as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, part of the president’s war room and skeptical of Ethan’s methods. He’s recognizable from “Mindhunter” and “The Iron Claw.”

Janet McTeer as Walters. McTeer plays the Secretary of State, another new voice in the high-level government scenes that frame the larger nuclear crisis.

Nick Offerman as General Sidney. Offerman takes on the role of a U.S. Army general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, adding another layer to the film’s military and political subplot.

Hannah Waddingham as Rear Admiral Neely. Waddingham, well known for “Ted Lasso,” plays the commander of a Navy carrier strike group involved in the film’s climactic sequences at sea.

Tramell Tillman as Captain Jack Bledsoe. Tillman, who drew acclaim for his role in “Severance,” plays the commanding officer of the submarine that becomes central to the film’s underwater set pieces.

Charles Parnell as Richards. Parnell joins as the Director of National Intelligence and head of the National Reconnaissance Office, another addition to the film’s web of government officials.

Mark Gatiss as Angstrom. Gatiss, known to many for “Sherlock,” plays the head of the NSA.

Katy O’Brian as Kodiak. Coming off a breakout turn in “Love Lies Bleeding,” O’Brian plays a Navy diver involved in one of the film’s most technically demanding sequences.

Lucy Tulugarjuk as Tapeesa. Tulugarjuk plays Donloe’s wife, who plays a more active role in the plot than her introduction might suggest.

A number of franchise veterans also appear via archival footage from earlier films rather than new performances, including Jon Voight, Michelle Monaghan, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Cavill, and Alec Baldwin, among others, tying the finale back to nearly thirty years of Mission: Impossible history.

The Bigger Picture

Several long-planned cast members didn’t end up appearing on screen despite earlier announcements. Vanessa Kirby, who played the White Widow starting in “Fallout,” was confirmed to return for this film but was ultimately cut from the final version. Meanwhile, the path to casting Gabriel changed years before filming, with Nicholas Hoult originally attached to the role before scheduling conflicts led to Esai Morales taking over.

With Cruise stepping back from Ethan Hunt and McQuarrie’s nearly decade-long arc across “Dead Reckoning” and “The Final Reckoning” now complete, this ensemble represents both a send-off for the franchise’s longest-running characters and a passing of the torch to a new set of faces, several of whom may yet have a future in this universe if the series continues in some form.