The Big Picture
The characters in Mission: Impossible movies are just as thrilling as the action, adding depth and intrigue to the franchise.
From the sinister Solomon Lane to the charismatic Benji Dunn, each character brings something unique to the series.
Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Tom Cruise, remains the heart of the franchise with his evolution, loyalty, and determination in every film.
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Based on the classic ’60s and ’70s spy show of the same title, the Mission: Impossible movie franchise has more than cemented its place in the pantheon of the greatest film series of all time. From death-defying stunts (most often led by Tom Cruise) to gripping stories of mystery and suspense, plenty of things make this franchise so popular.
One of the elements that’s not talked about nearly as much as it deserves, though, is the characters. The series has a bunch of memorable heroes and villains that fans can never get enough of, including terrifying antagonists who serve as foils to Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, like the sinister Solomon Lane, and sidekicks who always prove themselves essential to saving the day, like the legendary Luther Stickell. Indeed, the Mission: Impossible movies prove that a film can be action-packed and have great characters at the same time.
There are spoilers ahead!
10 Solomon Lane
Played by Sean Harris
Image via Paramount Pictures
Solomon Lane was first introduced as the main antagonist of the fifth installment in the franchise, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation. He’s the leader of the Syndicate, an international rogue organization as skilled as Ethan and his team and highly committed to eradicating the Impossible Mission Force. Also serving as one of the main antagonists of Mission: Impossible — Fallout, he makes sure that the heroes’ mission finally feels truly impossible.
Lane feels like a unique villain, not only because he’s the only antagonist who gets captured, not killed, at the end of the film. His elegant accent, snake-like and breathy way of talking, and generally creepy presence make him a perfect counterweight to Ethan’s quick yet calculated personality. Sean Harris, one of the most underrated actors working today, delivers a fantastic performance that makes Lane as slick as he is imposing.
9 Jane Carter
Played by Paula Patton
Image via Paramount Pictures
Praised by some as the best installment in the series, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol has a few of the most memorable one-off characters in the franchise. The best one is perhaps Jane Carter, played by an irresistible Paula Patton, who brings both physicality and psychological complexity to the role. Jane joins Ethan’s team in the hopes of getting revenge on Sabine Moreau, the hitwoman who killed her lover.
Jane’s motivation may be simple, but the script is so well polished, and Patton is so outstanding in the role that they imbue the character with nuance and deep emotional layers. Jane’s mission is often the heart of the whole film, and her arc throughout the narrative is quite compelling. Though there were originally plans to bring her back for Rogue Nation, they never came to fruition. Fans can only hope that, at some point, they get to see this badass agent again.
8 William Brandt
Played by Jeremy Renner
Introduced in Ghost Protocol, William Brandt quickly proved to be one of the franchise’s most important characters, and while he hasn’t shown up since Rogue Nation, his mark is indelible. Played by Jeremy Renner, Brandt has one of the most interesting backstories of any character in the franchise, serving as one of the main plot points of Ghost Protocol. He was assigned to protect Ethan and his wife, Julia, while they were vacationing in Croatia; failing his mission (or so he thought), he took himself off the field until Ethan brought him back.
In Ghost Protocol, Brandt learns to trust himself, his instincts, and his skills again. In Fallout, he’s a highly capable IMF higher-up who proves instrumental to the team’s efforts in capturing Lane and bringing down the Syndicate. Brandt is one of the main reasons why they’re both considered among Mission: Impossible’s best movies. He’s a character with lots of layers and impressive physicality, making him fascinating to see in action.
7 Grace
Played by Hayley Atwell
Image via Paramount Pictures
The most recent major introduction to the Mission: Impossible character ensemble, Grace is the deuteragonist of Dead Reckoning, Part One. She’s portrayed in a truly magnetic performance by Hayley Atwell, who holds her own against Tom Cruise’s charm perfectly. Grace, whose real name is unknown, is a thief thrown into something far greater than she could have ever been prepared for.
It’s always fun to see characters in big action epics who are way over their heads, and Grace certainly fits the bill. After seven installments (soon to be eight), it’s nothing if not refreshing to see someone who doesn’t quite play by the rules of the series and the genre as a whole. As much of a fish-out-of-water as she is, though, Grace is also incredibly charismatic and fun to try and figure out. Her motivations are complicated, and that’s what makes her so intriguing.
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6 Luther Stickell
Played by Ving Rhames
Image via Paramount Pictures
Along with Ethan, Luther is the only character in the Mission: Impossible franchise who has shown up in every installment. That’s just who Luther is: hard-working and loyal to a fault. Played with tremendous pizazz by Ving Rhames, he’s a senior computer specialist who first worked with Ethan as a disavowed agent all the way back in 1996. After proving his worth, Ethan has been smart enough to have him back on most of his subsequent missions to make them a little less impossible.
Against his enemies, Luther is a rival that they don’t want to mess with. He’s tough, smart, and passionate about getting the job done. With his friends, though, Luther is someone that they always want to keep close to. He’s a brave ally, a trustworthy confidant, and doesn’t ever give up on his team. These qualities make him deeply loved by fans, who can never get enough of him.
Mission: Impossible
Release Date May 22, 1996
Runtime 110 minutes
Writers David Koepp , Steven Zaillian , Robert Towne , Bruce Geller
5 August Walker
Played by Henry Cavill
Image via Paramount Pictures
When done right, twist villains make their movies a hundred times better. Such is the case with Henry Cavill’s August Walker, who starts out seeming like an aggressive albeit necessary ally to Ethan and his team but turns out to be the top dog in a terrorist organization. He’s a formidable antagonist who’s not just physically imposing but a tactical menace as well.
The fact that Walker needs to reload his fists before a fight, a quirk that has no right looking as awesome as it does, isn’t the only thing that makes him one of Mission: Impossible’s best villains. It’s not often that fans are treated to an antagonist who poses a threat to Ethan in every possible way. Walker is considerably bigger and stronger, has more resources, and is every bit as smart and calculating. Whenever a villain has the upper hand on the hero, that usually turns out to be a pretty damn good film, and Mission: Impossible — Fallout is no exception.
4 Benji Dunn
Played by Simon Pegg
Image via Paramount Pictures
Benji, first introduced as comic relief in the underrated Mission: Impossible III, usually fulfills that same role in every new sequel. As the series evolved, though, his character has taken on several emotional and narrative layers. Benji used to be a technician but became a field agent who has been essential to the success of Ethan’s team on numerous occasions.
Played by the always-brilliant Simon Pegg in one of his best performances, Benji is an incredibly fun sidekick that always makes any scene he’s in much better. It’s not all just laughs, though. Benji has complex motivations and never misses out on a chance to prove his agency, making him an endearing, funny, and reliable character who is as capable as he is compelling.
3 Owen Davian
Played by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Usually agreed to be the best villain in the franchise, Owen Davian is the main antagonist of Mission: Impossible III. He is a powerful American arms dealer trying to look for a legendary and mysterious weapon called the Rabbit’s Foot, intending to sell it to the highest bidder. Played by the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman in what might be the best acting performance of the whole series, Davian is absolutely terrifying and surrounded by an aura of impenetrable mystery.
Davian is unpredictable and intimidating. Even when he gets captured by Ethan and proves on several occasions that he’s by no means an infallible villain who can do things singlehandedly, there’s always something showing that he’s a chess master who’s always ten moves ahead of the heroes. Smart, cold, and sadistic, he’s probably the antagonist who’s come the closest to breaking Ethan Hunt.
2 Ilsa Faust
Played by Rebecca Ferguson
When fans first got to meet the mysterious and sensual Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in Rogue Nation, they would have likely not expected her to become one of the most important and beloved characters of the whole series. Deuteragonist of her introduction movie, Ilsa was an MI6 intelligence operative working as an undercover assassin for the Syndicate until circumstances got her fighting alongside Ethan against her former partners.
Ilsa may be a bit hard to figure out sometimes, but that’s always a sign of a great, complex character. Strong-willed and constantly torn between her duties and her commitment to what she perceives to be “the right thing” (which don’t always align), she’s a valuable asset to the beloved team of heroes. Though some would argue that her fate in Dead Reckoning, Part One, was a bit of a fumble, that doesn’t detract from the fact that she’s a fantastic action hero. Ilsa quickly became the saga’s most intriguing and irresistible character, one who was Ethan’s true match.
1 Ethan Hunt
Played by Tom Cruise
Of course, the Mission: Impossible franchise is the Ethan Hunt Show, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks to Tom Cruise’s incredible performances and jaw-dropping stunts, as well as the polished writing of his character throughout all seven installments, Ethan is one of the best action movie heroes ever. Unlike many action franchise protagonists, Ethan evolves and grows throughout the franchise’s story. In the first few films, viewers can see Ethan recklessly throwing himself in danger and getting past obstacles with his skills and wits. As he ages, though, the agent starts being more careful and calculating, leaving his signature stunts as a last resort.
This interesting evolution keeps him fresh and believable with every new installment. Likewise, Ethan is determined and endlessly loyal to his friends. He’s always dedicated to the mission at hand, but his main focus will always be the lives of those around him. Like all the best action movie protagonists, Ethan isn’t indestructible. He fails and takes hits but always gets up after being knocked down. Thanks to this, he’s by far the best character in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
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