Mission: Impossible is one of the most consistent action franchises of all time, and helped establish Tom Cruise as the embodiment of adrenaline in cinema. Starting back in the 90s with the film legend Brian De Palma, responsible for other all-time classics such as Scarface and 1976’s Carrie, the story of Ethan Hunt in the Impossible Mission Force agency only evolved throughout the years.
In the first films, the focus seemed to be entirely on Ethan and his espionage assignments, but then other engaging agents from IMF joined his task force and won over the audiences. Additionally, the franchise changed for the better by finding the perfect balance between espionage and action, without losing its signature anxiety-inducing appeal. In Mission: Impossible, plain luck is always a decisive factor, but Ethan wouldn’t have made it through six movies (so far) if it weren’t for his eccentric team.
8 Solomon Lane — 2 Movies
Even the best Mission: Impossible villains don’t last more than a movie, but Solomon Lane is no conventional antagonist. His cold, self-contained personality makes him someone impossible to read, and not even the threat of death seems to frighten him. Lane was introduced in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as the mastermind behind the Syndicate; a skilled multinational organization that intends to create a new world order through means of terrorism.
Lane is such an oppressive force that even he gets arrested it still feels as if he’s the one pulling the strings. In Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Lane is once again at the center of the conflict, but different from the previous movies, his insubordinate thirst for revenge turns him into a rather predictable villain. While Ethan successfully overcomes the impulsive side that Lane brings out of him, the villain lets rage take over his mind.
7 Alan Hunley — 2 Movies
The more the characters of Mission: Impossible trust their gut feelings, the more chance of succeeding they have. In this scenario, Alan Hunley is one of those characters whose stubborn rational sense prevents him from seeing the big picture. In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, he was a low-key antagonist: he doesn’t believe in the Syndicate, tries to disband IMF, and orchestrates a witch hunt on Ethan. Hunley is an effective allegory on governmental oppression: he always has the best intentions, but only believes in what he wants to believe.
Just as fans were starting to like him, Hunley unexpectedly dies in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, closing his arc for good. By learning from his past mistakes, he becomes one of the best characters in the sixth film, challenging CIA regulations and putting his own life at risk to get the job done. Alec Baldwin’s performance adds up to Hunley’s personality: sumptuous and stubborn, there’s a certain comical appeal to the character.
6 William Brandt — 2 Movies
Firstly introduced in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, William Brandt was the kind of character that seemed like he was going to stay. Inserted in the main narrative with a compelling backstory and direct connection with Hunt’s past, it’s delightful to see how much he changes from the fourth movie to the fifth. Due to Renner’s commitment to the MCU and uncertainties about Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s screenplay, director Christopher McQuarrie opened up about agent Brandt’s sudden absence in the sixth film.
Brandt is at the center of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘s biggest twist: he was the agent responsible for protecting Julia, Ethan’s wife, and failed, causing her death. However, after the two characters find in themselves a loyal friend, Ethan confides to him that her death was set up, and she’s safe somewhere else.
5 Ilsa Faust — 2 Movies
Ilsa Faust is introduced in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation to bring back the distinctive neo-noir style of the franchise’s first movies. She’s an anti-hero kind of character with a nuanced personality, alternating between her cold-blooded assignments in the Syndicate and her unexpected alliance with Hunt’s team against her former colleagues.
Ilsa is a charming assassin whose intentions are never made clear, but it becomes evident that there’s something going on between Ethan and her: their relationship is like a game of cat and mouse at times, as they never brought themselves to fully trust themselves until the ending of Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Just like in a traditional noir narrative, Ilsa attracts danger wherever she does, effectively elevating the levels of tension in the movies. Most importantly, her presence becomes a dynamic element in Mission: Impossible’s best action sequences: Ethan is no longer the only one who springs into action, he now has someone to share the adrenaline with him.
4 Julia Meade — 3 Movies
Julia Meade was introduced in unconventional circumstances. After Mission: Impossible II‘s poor reception, J. J. Abrams felt that it was time to reinvent the franchise in the next film, adding a bit more of humanity to Ethan and something to elevate the tension: a lover. While his and Julia’s romance developed way too fast in Mission: Impossible III, she was a charismatic character who gave Hunt genuine motivation to fight for life.
While Julia only has considerable screen time in the third movie, her cameos in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible – Fallout are highly impactful to the overall story. Her quick appearance in the end of the fourth movie offers agent Brandt a chance to start anew, and in the sixth movie, Julia’s character is used as an effective tool to elevate the tension: Ethan realizes that not only his life at stake, but also that of the only woman he loves the most.
3 Benji — 4 Movies
Ever since the first movie, Mission: Impossible flirted with action and comedy, but it wasn’t until Benji appeared that the franchise successfully found an effective comical relief. Even in Mission: Impossible III, the franchise’s gloomiest film, his quirky personality and playful chemistry with Ethan added welcoming hints of humor to the story. Benji breaks every I.T. guy stereotype in movies, who are known as the people behind the wire: he can’t resist jumping into action, even though he will always complain a whole lot before doing so.
It’s difficult to think what would Hunt do without Benji’s unique hacker and tech engineer skills, which enable him to seize control over an unexpected range of devices. More than once, Benji proved that he would die to protect Hunt or IMF’s interests, making him Hunt’s most faithful friend. In times when Hunt was disavowed by IMF and all his allies, Benji was the only one who supported him all the way through. Simon Pegg always treats the character with enthusiasm, and is glad to announce Benji will finally have his own character arc in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1.
2 Luther Stickell — 6 Movies
Hunt’s oldest friend and one of the best senior intelligence operatives of the world, Luther Stickell is the only supporting character that appears in every Mission: Impossible movie. While Luther isn’t keen on getting his hands dirty in combat, he’s the one who makes the action happen, controlling the cybernetic details of each mission. When he teams up with Benji, there’s no technological infrastructure capable of stopping the two from breaking in.
When IMF collapsed in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Luther preferred to retire than betray Hunt, joining his friend in secret. Ethan tends to trust his luck a bit too much, and in these cases, Luther is always the voice of reason. Throughout six movies, Ethan and Luther quickly became one of the best action duos of all time, with their friendship only getting stronger. In Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the film’s main conflict is caused by Hunt’s decision to save Luther instead of sacrificing him and defeating the Apostles without further bloodshed.
1 Ethan Hunt — 6 Movies
Tom Cruise is the face of the franchise and Ethan Hunt, naturally, is the star of every single Mission: Impossible movie. Little is known about his backstory, but his unmatched espionage skills make him the kind of enemy one wouldn’t want to mess with. Hunt is a beast with the gun, and knows how to use his charm to his advantage, but most importantly, his sharp wit enables him to adapt to any situation and any setback, immediately coming up with an effective plan B, C, or D, or whatever it takes to get the job done.
Over the course of six movies, Hunt’s disposal for adrenaline drove him to a range of unnerving situations, and consequently, prompted Tom Cruise into plenty of unbelievable stunts, including climbing the tallest skyscraper in the world. Hunt’s strong sense of integrity makes him the perfect “good guy” kind of hero, avoiding killing his enemies at all costs and trying to stay out of sight whenever he can. Still, it’s always fun to see Hunt going to extremes as an army of one. Always ahead of his enemies and even his allies, given IMF’s tendency to underestimate him, Hunt always manages to pull off a show.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
