I’m so disappointed thatMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningdidn’t make Ilsa Faust’s death more meaningful. After watching the film, it’s clear thatThe Final Reckoningchanged a lotafter the disappointing box office performance of 2023’sMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. Because of this, several plotlines that were set up inDead Reckoningdo not receive satisfying payoffs in the newest film in the spy series. This is a shame, especially since Ilsa Faust’s death inDead Reckoninghas practically no impact on the story ofThe Final Reckoning.
Despite some underwhelming aspects,reviews forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoninghave been mostly positive, with Screen Rant’s own Mary Kassel giving it an 8 out of 10. However, two years later, fans are still very mad that Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust had such an underwhelming death inDead Reckoning. In fact, some fans have even theorized thatIlsa can be seen at the end ofThe Final Reckoning. I don’t think this theory is true at all, which makes it even more disappointing thatMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningcompletely ignores Ilsa Faust.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Mostly Ignores Ilsa’s Death
Ilsa Isn’t Mentioned in The Final Reckoning
About halfway throughMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Ilsa dies whilst in a sword fight against Gabriel. Since she had been one of the core members of Ethan’s team since 2015’sRogue Nation, this was one of the biggest deaths in the entire franchise. InDead Reckoning,her death was meant to show how Ethan’s actions affect those he loves the most, an idea thatMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningalso explores.
While fans have theorized that Ilsa Faust may still be alive, Christopher McQuarrie has continuously stated that her death is permanent.
SinceThe Final Reckoningalso explores this idea, it’s disappointing that Ilsa Faust is never brought up in the movie.The newestMission: Impossiblemovie only takes place two months afterDead Reckoning, so Ethan and the other characters should still be grievingthe loss of Ilsa. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case at all. I understand that thecharacters inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningare distracted by their fight against the Entity, but I wish they at least acknowledged how much Ilsa meant to them.
In addition to being one of his most trusted allies,Dead Reckoninghinted at a potential relationship between Ethan and Ilsa. I actually appreciate the subtlety when it comes to the potential romantic connection between Ethan and Isla, but bothDead ReckoningandThe Final Reckoningneeded to at least show how heartbroken Cruise’s character was after her death. Ethan may get a little angrier than usual at the end ofDead Reckoning, but that’s basically his only reaction to Ilsa’s death.
Ethan’s hate towards Gabriel should feel more personal since he is the one who killed Ilsa.
This is made even worse since he doesn’t even mention Ilsa when he encounters Gabriel again inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Obviously, Ethan wants to stop Gabriel since Esai Morales' character wants to control the Entity and become the most powerful person in the world. However, Ethan’s hate towards Gabriel should feel more personal since he is the one who killed Ilsa.Ideally, it would’ve been clear that Ethan wanted revenge for the death of Ilsa inThe Final Reckoning, but this is not the case.
The Final Reckoning Cut A Storyline That May Have Enhanced Ilsa’s Death Storyline
The Final Reckoning Ignores A Major Moment In Ethan’s Past
Looping back to the fact thatMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’sstory was changed after the release ofDead Reckoning, it’s clear that this affected the lasting impact of Ilsa’s death.The previousMission: Impossiblemovie created a parallel between Ilsa and Marie, a woman who Ethan loved who was also killed by Gabriel right before he got recruited to the IMF. Unfortunately, Marie’s story was cut fromThe Final Reckoning, meaning that important details about Ethan and Gabriel’s past remain a mystery.
Keeping this storyline inThe Final Reckoningwould have allowed Ilsa’s death to have more of a lasting impact. However,the writers ofThe Final Reckoninginstead decided to completely ignore both Marie and Ilsa. This decision makes Ilsa feel like a less important character in the franchise, which should not be the case. Therefore, I’m extremely disappointed with howMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningdealt with the aftermath of Ilsa’s death.
