In the new installment of Tom Cruise’s action film series, “ Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning ,” a godlike AI called the Entity has the world on the brink of a nuclear apocalypse, and a doomsday cult is rooting for the AI. (Spoiler alert: Cruise saves everyone.)

The “Mission: Impossible” films make us believe that our heroes, as human as they are, will always save the day. They can’t let us down. It would destroy every conviction we hold. The belief in our invisible savior, working tirelessly to defend our planet, is so sincere that it defies reason. It is a faith in a higher power.

So, is “The Final Reckoning” really the last “Mission: Impossible” movie for Tom Cruise ‘s Ethan Hunt? Cruise has teased that this is seemingly the send-off for his IMF agent, and there aren’t any confirmed plans for more sequels in the series. Does Ethan escape from his battle with the AI Entity unscathed, or does he meet a grim fate?