Summary
The originalMission: Impossiblemovie came out in 1996 and established a world full of betrayals, nifty gadgets, and epic stunt sequences. Over the next three decades, the series would continue to expand its universe with unique and memorable characters that appear and disappear throughout the next seven adventures.
While some characters (especially villains) often appear in only one film, there is a large supporting cast that weaves their way in and out of the series depending on their skill set and availability. Throughout theeight Mission: Impossible movies, these are the characters that make us cheer every time they show up.
9Grace
Hayley Atwell
Grace is the last character to join the main crew of heroes in Mission: Impossible, but it doesn’t take her long to prove that she is just as capable as anyone else on the team. Known for her pickpocketing skiils, Grace is sucked into the world of spies when she accepts a job from the White Widow to steal Ethan’s half of the cruciform key.
Throughout Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning, Grace grows significantly and develops a close relationship with Ethan. She proves herself to be more than capable in situations like the crumbling train and is a key component in finally defeating The Entity. The only issue with Grace is that we didn’t get to spend more time with her before the end of the series.
8Solomon Lane
Sean Harris
Solomon Lane is one of the few antagonists to appear in more than one Mission: Impossible, most likely because his presence in Rogue Nation was so captivating that the writers wanted to find a way to give him more screen time. The former British intelligence operative is a cold-hearted killer who puts Ethan and his team through all kinds of chaos before they finally catch him.
While other villains throughout the series seem to be just as capable as Ethan and the rest of his team, Solomon Lane is one of the few who somehow manages to outsmart them at every turn. Rogue Nation felt like the beginning of a new era for Mission: Impossible, and Solomon was an important figure in setting the tone for the rest of the run.
7Julia Meade
Michelle Monaghan
Between the events of Mission: Impossible 2 and 3, Ethan Hunt decides to retire from the IMF and attempts to start a normal life with his fiancée, Julia. When he is dragged back to work to help rescue a former ally, Ethan’s new life is suddenly compromised, and Julia ends up being taken prisoner by the nefarious Owen Davian.
After a harrowing escape, Ethan realizes that he’ll never have the privilege of leading a life away from the IMF, and ultimately decides to stage Julia’s death so she can create a new identity. While she and Ethan are never together again, she continues to show up in his life through Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Her bravery throughout most situations is stunning, and she is the perfect representation of the life Ethan will never get to live.
6William Brandt
Jeremy Renner
If Tom Cruise decided to retire the Ethan Hunt character after the fourth or fifth movie, it felt like William Brandt would’ve been the perfect character to step into his shoes. He first appears as a guilt-ridden IMF Agent in Ghost Protocol, where he helps Ethan perform jaw-dropping tasks like climbing the Burj Khalifa. Brandt blames himself for the death of Julia until Ethan reveals to him that it was staged for her protection.
Brandt is intelligent, witty, and willing to do whatever it takes for the good of humanity. His martial arts training comes in handy more than once, and he’s usually able to lighten the mood with a good joke. The only issue with Brandt is that he feels like one of the only loose ends in the entire series after his last appearance in Rogue Nation, but there is a small chance that Jeremy Renner couldn’t play the character again after his accident in 2023.
5Ilsa Faust
Rebecca Ferguson
Ilsa Faust appears in one of the opening scenes of Rogue Nation and almost immediately leaves a strong impression as an undercover agent attempting to infiltrate Solomon Lane’s Syndicate. While earlier Mission: Impossible movies had strong women in them, like Jane Carter and Zhen Lei, Ilsa is a dominant force who is just as strong as the men who try to oppose her.
The best part about Ilsa is her unpredictability. Throughout her first two appearances, she is constantly keeping Ethan and the audience guessing about whose side she is on and what she might do next. By the time her story comes to a close in Dead Reckoning, her story arc feels like a closed loop, which is something not every Mission: Impossible character has the luxury of experiencing.
4August Walker
Henry Cavill
Mission: Impossible - Fallout is often hailed as the best movie in the series, and August Walker is a huge factor in that praise. Not only is he one of the best villains in the entire series, but he is part of so many crucial and tense moments (the HALO jump and bathroom fight scene, to name a few) that it’s impossible to imagine the movie without him.
Walker begins the movie as a CIA operative tasked withsupervising Ethan and his team to make sure they stay in line. About halfway through, it’s revealed that he is actually John Lark, a ruthless terrorist attempting to start a new world order by launching a nuke. It’s fun watching Ethan and August play cat-and-mouse against each other in the second half of Fallout, and even after he’s defeated, his presence is still felt throughout the rest of the series.
3Benjamin “Benji” Dunn
Simon Pegg
Benji is first introduced as a reliable IMF technician in Mission: Impossible 3 and slowly becomes a field agent after working with Ethan a couple of times. If anything, Benji is the character with the most growth in the entire series as he goes from sitting behind a desk to being a core component of some of the deadliest missions the team ever embarks on.
He is reluctant at first when it comes to breaking the rules of the IMF, but Benji eventually becomes Ethan’s eyes on the inside before they are both disavowed from the corporation in Ghost Protocol. Simon Pegg is always a great source for comic relief, but throughout all six movies, you can really watch the character grow into his own as an essential member of the team.
2Luther Stickell
Ving Rhames
Every successful spy needs a reliable guy in the chair to help them hack through security systems and provide surveillance. Ethan meets Luther for the first time in the original Mission: Impossible when he assembles a team to break into the CIA to steal a list of undercover IMF identities. It doesn’t take long for the two to grow fond of each other, and Luther joins Ethan for the rest of his journey until The Final Reckoning.
For almost thirty years, Luther has been the most consistent and reliable partner that Ethan has ever had, and the chemistry between the two actors is palpable whenever they share a scene. Despite his tough demeanor in the first couple of movies, Luther grows to become the heart of the trio, and his calm presence and wise words always help the team overcome the odds.
1Ethan Hunt
Tom Cruise
Without Ethan Hunt, there would be no Mission: Impossible. While he usually needs a team to help him achieve his goals, Ethan is the glue that keeps his crew together even when the odds are against them. Other characters like Luther and Benji are usually willing to do whatever it takes to save the day, but they’re never the ones who need to dangle from planes or hold their breath underwater for six minutes to do so.
Hunt’s actions often get him in trouble with his superiors, but his gut instinct is rarely wrong, and his rogue activities have been essential in saving the world countless times. Despite an endless amount of adversity and moral dilemmas, Ethan always uses his intelligence to make the right decision. The number of times he has risked his life for everyone else’s is staggering, and he somehow manages to just look cool when he’s doing things like escaping a flooded submarine or running across a city at the speed of light.
