Will MI: Dead Reckoning Part 2 Depend On The Franchise's Dorkiest Character To Save Ethan?

Contains spoilers for "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One"

For what feels like the first time in the franchise, "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" has left us on a cliff-hanger after quite literally pulling us back from one in the film's final act. Ethan (Tom Cruise) and Benji (Simon Pegg) are on the run after getting away with the key Gabriel (Esai Morales) is so desperately after, Grace (Hayley Atwell) has formally requested to join the Impossible Mission Force, and Luther is still hiding underground after realizing he's facing a technological threat he can't hack his way out of.

If this suggests anything, it's that Ethan is going to need all the help he can get when "Dead Reckoning – Part Two" busts its way into theaters on June 28, 2024. Somehow, they need to find that sunken submarine and the secret weapon it's storing off the radar in the ocean's depths. But how will they find it, and who will help Ethan on his hunt to get there before Gabriel? Well, given the direction into the past "Part Two" will potentially be taking, it could be someone who has an almost career-ending encounter with Ethan on the first mission we ever see him on. We're referring to stomach-turning office bod William Donloe (Rolf Saxon), who was last seen on a trip to Alaska after numerous trips to the bathroom.

William Donloe might seem like a minor addition to the cast of "Dead Reckoning Part Two," but he actually plays a significant part in the "Mission: Impossible" timeline. In Brian De Palma's "Mission: Impossible," Donloe mans the super secure storage facility at CIA HQ that homes the NOC list Ethan's team is after. To ensure he's out of the way while they pull off the heist, Ethan drugs him with laxatives, keeping him (ahem) engaged. They get away with the list because Donloe isn't at his post, so Kittridge (Henry Czerny) punishes him by sending him to a radar tower in Alaska ("just mail him his clothes"), never to be seen again.

Given the Entity's highly advanced artificial intelligence, Ethan could quite possibly have to revert to old-school methods to get ahead of it, and he could potentially cross paths with Donloe to do so. While Donloe might not have forgiven Ethan for duping him an incredible 27 years ago, the potential payback against Kittridge might be enough for him to lend a hand — and thereby find some redemption for what was likely one of the worst days of his life. Here's hoping he can let bygones be bygones and help Ethan and the rest of the IMF team when "Mission: Impossible" returns next year.