Why Angela Bassett Isn’t In Dead Reckoning Part One, But There Is An Easter Egg For Those Who Miss Her

Warning: spoilers for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One are in play. If you haven't been read into this latest mission just yet, you've been warned. 

As most fans will recall, the prolonged production of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One saw this summer’s would-be blockbuster encounter several delays. As part of that, fans saw the shifting production restrictions ultimately tabling actor Angela Bassett from returning to the franchise, as previously planned. 

While this sadly meant that Mission: Impossible - Fallout’s Erika Sloane wasn’t seen in action in the latest Tom Cruise-led sequel, there is still an easter egg for those who miss the character. And it has kind of a hopeful meaning if you read into it the right way. This is the last call for anyone who is trying to avoid spoilers, as we're about to jump into some secrets of Dead Reckoning Part One to guess what might be coming in Part Two.

Where Erika Sloane’s Character Was Left At The End Of Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Before we go too far, let’s take a quick look at where Angela Bassett’s character was left in Mission: Impossible - Fallout’s ending. Without accessing your Paramount+ subscription, you’re probably asking yourself, “Was it even possible for CIA Director Erika Sloane to return for another round of mayhem?” The answer to that question is yes, it absolutely was.

Director Sloane was not only alive at the end of writer/director Christopher McQuarrie’s second time at the M:I helm, but she was also a newly won ally to the cause of the Impossible Mission Force. So naturally, when it came time to talk up Mission: Impossible 7’s production, the question of whether Bassett would be returning or not came up often. 

As far out as November 2020, with production stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela Bassett claimed she was returning, and even “had the pages” for Erika Sloane’s return in hand. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop events from taking a turn that would eventually see her sidelined. 

Why Angela Bassett’s Erika Sloane Had To Skip Mission: Impossible 7

Flashing forward to July 2021, a new update on Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One saw Angela Bassett admitting that she would not return for the next installment. Without disclosing the entire scenario, the actor, who would go on to reprise her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, stated that “COVID took me out, literally. Or kept me out, how about that?"

With a new answer to the question of whether or not Ms. Bassett would be returning now on the books, a new query started to form. More specifically, if CIA Director Sloane wasn’t going to appear in Mission: Impossible 7 and Angela Bassett was teasing that she hoped to be in M:I 8, what sort of events would bridge her character’s absence in the first half of Dead Reckoning’s story? That, dear readers, is where this easter egg from he latest entry comes into play. 

Dead Reckoning Part One’s Erika Sloane Easter Egg, And How To Find It

In the pre-title opening to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, a lot happens before the credits even roll. A tense submarine sequence introduces us to the threat of “The Entity,” and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has some rather exciting reunions with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and CIA Director Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny). The latter occasion is where you’ll be able to find the Angela Bassett easter egg we’re hinting at.

While Denlinger (Cary Elwes), the director of National Intelligence, is having his briefing with The Community’s various chiefs, a portrait can be spotted on the wall in his office. Sure enough, it’s a photo of Erika Sloane looking pretty official. This happens pretty early on in the movie and, while it’s out in the open, you could miss it if you don’t know what to look for.

With this easter egg, and the return of Kittridge as CIA director/IMF go-between in this sixth sequel to Ethan Hunt’s Mission: Impossible story, there's something interesting now in play. In fact, if Angela Bassett does return for the eighth installment, she may have found herself promoted in a pretty awesome manner. 

How Angela Bassett Could Return To The Mission: Impossible Series

One of the most standard touches to an office of intelligence in a movie like Mission: Impossible 7 is a portrait of an authority figure. Most likely, as we’ve seen in The X-Files and plenty of other espionage-based franchises, that picture tends to be of whoever is serving as U.S. President at the time. In the case of Fox’s hit paranormal conspiracy drama, Bill Clinton was seen quite often during the heyday of Agents Mulder and Scully.

With that logic in play, there’s a chance that when Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two debuts on the 2024 movie schedule, Angela Bassett’s Erika Sloane may be the sitting president. It would make a lot of sense as, in Eugene Kittridge’s rundown of the IMF’s operations, it’s mentioned that they answer directly to the commander-in-chief. Who better to ally Ethan Hunt and his team, as the potential President Sloane would have the authority to override any potential traitors in the intelligence community?

And as we saw in Dead Reckoning Part One’s ending, at least one such party outed themselves before their untimely death. (A moment of silence for the death of the traitorous Denlinger.) Ethan Hunt and all parties loyal to him are going to need all the friends they can get. So now not only is Angela Bassett one of the Mission: Impossible actors I’d like to see return for the next round, but I'd also be down to see her return in a very important way. 

It’s all speculation connected to a small easter egg, of course but, if it turns out to be true, that’s just one more reason to look forward to the release of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two. With Part One starting its theatrical run, there’s plenty of time between now and the slated June 28, 2024 release date for its direct sequel to iron out these sorts of details.