Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning spoilers follow.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning contains an Easter egg that fans might easily have missed.
The film is seemingly the last outing for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and crew, bringing to an end a film series that began all the way back in 1996.
It's that year of release that forms the basis of this Easter egg, so get ready for some mild spoilers.
During the film, Angela Bassett's US President Erika Sloane gives Ethan a note that he needs to pass on to Rear Admiral Neely (played by Hannah Waddingham).
He needs to use Neely's aircraft to access the Sevastopol submarine wreckage, but she needs some convincing. That's where the note comes in.
What to Read Next
Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025
When we see the note, it has the date 22 May, 1996 written on it. In-universe, that's the date of a mission where both Sloane and Neely both lost someone they loved.
The President claims that that mission could have succeeded if they took a risk, which is why she should take a risk on Ethan now.
But in the real world, that date is when the first Mission: Impossible film was released in US cinemas.
Related: Mission: Impossible resolves long-running mystery in a smarter way than you think
Cruise has been coy over whether this really is the end of the series, stating: "I'd rather just people see it and enjoy, and we've had an amazing time doing it and it's been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it."
We at Digital Spy think that, due to what happens in the film, it should be Ethan's final mission.
Digital Spy's first print magazine is here! Buy British Comedy Legends in newsagents or online, now priced at just £3.99.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
