Before going to see Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in theaters, there are fourteen must-know characters and events to recap. The seventh installment of the majorly successful Mission: Impossible franchise is set to continue the critical and commercial success of its previous movie Mission: Impossible – Fallout which brought Tom Cruise back to one of his several iconic roles as Ethan Hunt. The highly anticipated Dead Reckoning Part One is the first of the franchise to be split into two parts, with Part Two scheduled for a June 2024 release.
Since Ethan Hunt was introduced in 1996's original Mission: Impossible, the films have generally gotten better with each new installment, which attributes to the long-running franchise's decade-spanning success. Cruise recently announced that he aims to extend the franchise into his eighties, which would guarantee new Mission: Impossible movies into the 2040s and potentially beyond. For now, here are the most significant characters and information to be aware of before seeing Mission: Impossible 7.
The IMF Stands For Impossible Missions Force
The IMF in Mission: Impossible stands for Impossible Missions Force which Ethan is a critical member of throughout all seven movies. As the IMF's best, and most difficult-to-wrangle, special agent, Ethan is typically at the center of the IMF's operations and is set out on their most challenging and risky objectives. Ethan typically works with of the IMF to strategize and execute complicated missions that aim to stop threats of international terrorism and essentially protect the world from the wills of its most powerful villains.
Benji & Luther Are Ethan’s Closest Allies
Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) are Ethan's most trusted allies throughout Mission: Impossible 4 - 6 and will certainly be by Ethan's side in Dead Reckoning Part One. Benji is an advanced hacker that typically helps Ethan remotely during his missions by opening locked doors and granting him access to encrypted locations. Benji first appeared in Mission: Impossible III, while Luther, a field agent and computer specialist, has ed Ethan in every Mission: Impossible movie.
Ilsa Faust Is Ethan’s Current Love Interest
Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is Ethan's current love interest going into Dead Reckoning Part One. Ilsa was first introduced in Rogue Nation in which she and Ethan formed a very evident chemistry despite them at the time playing for different teams. Ilsa and Ethan's romantic involvement reached a new peak at the end of Fallout despite the reappearance of Ethan's first wife and true love, Julia (Michelle Monaghan).
Ethan Was Hunted By The CIA In Rogue Nation
Despite Ethan being an undeniably good guy, his insubordinate persona often gets him into trouble with his superiors. In Rogue Nation, CIA operative Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) makes it his personal mission to track down Hunt and stop him from potentially creating international conflicts because of his determination to expose the shadow organization called the Syndicate. At one point, Hunley even authorizes the assassination of Ethan Hunt, seeing him as a threat to world order.
Ilsa Faust Saved Ethan’s Life Twice In Rogue Nation
Ilsa saved Ethan's life on two separate occasions in Rogue Nation, making him indebted to her and instantly trusting of her true feelings for him. Ilsa initially saves Ethan's life while she is undercover as a member of the Syndicate when really she is a British intelligence operative that has infiltrated the shadow group. She then saves Ethan again during a mission gone bad but ends up betraying Ethan in order to regain the trust of Syndicate leader Soloman Lane (Sean Harris). She also saves Ethan's life again in a bathroom brawl in Fallout.
The White Widow Was Introduced In Fallout
The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) was introduced in Fallout and will appear in Dead Reckoning Part One. White Widow, also known by her traditional name of Alanna Mitsopolis, is a prominent activist and philanthropist who funds her efforts through illegal arms dealing and money laundering. She teamed up with Ethan and the IMF in Fallout to capture Soloman Lane and return him to the possession of MI6.
Eugene Kittridge Hasn’t Appeared Since The First Mission: Impossible
One of the most exciting characters set to appear in Dead Reckoning Part One is Eugene Kittridge, Ethan's original IMF director from the first film. Kittridge (Henry Czerny) initially tried to take Ethan out since he was under the false conviction that Ethan defected from the IMF and betrayed his team , leading to their deaths. Kittridge realized that it was actually Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) who was the mole by the end of the first Mission: Impossible.
The Syndicate Is A Shadow Terrorist Organization That First Appeared In Rogue Nation
The Syndicate was first introduced at the end of Ghost Protocol and became the main antagonist group in Rogue Nation. Described as an anti-IMF, the Syndicate began as a covert group of nameless assassins originated by an MI6 director named Atlee with one of his agents, Soloman Lane, without the approval of the Prime Minister. Soloman then went rogue with the concept and created a secret terrorist organization in order to execute his maniacal global objectives, which include attempted genocide in Fallout.
The Syndicate Was Renamed The Apostles In Fallout
The Syndicate in Rogue Nation reemerged as The Apostles in Fallout, with Soloman Lane still behind the operation alongside an unidentified anarchist named John Lark. Though the CIA has taken out a number of Syndicate between Rogue Nation and Fallout, the surviving of the Apostles became more elusive and dangerous than ever after they started taking paid contracts for acts of terror. John Lark hires the Apostles in Fallout in order to obtain three plutonium cores that would incite permanent nuclear destruction on Earth.
Ilsa Faust Betrayed The Syndicate To Ethan’s IMF
While undercover inside the Syndicate with a direct connection to Soloman Lane, IIsa Faust compromises her position in order to Ethan and the IMF. After she and Ethan are friendly antagonists throughout Rogue Nation, they ultimately forces to stop Lark and contain Soloman Lane as a prisoner. Faust essentially defects from MI6 to Ethan's IMF after Atlee was exposed as one of the creators of the Syndicate. She, like Ethan, is a warrior without a country.
August Walker Was Revealed As John Lark & Killed By Ethan At The End Of Fallout
The mysterious anarchist John Lark (Henry Cavill) was revealed to be CIA operative August Walker, who had worked alongside Ethan through the first half of Fallout. Lark works alongside Ethan, Benji, Luther, and Alan Hunley to find Soloman Lane in Fallout, but for very different reasons. Lark staged an ambush in an underground IMF hideout that exposed him as the traitorous anarchist all along. Ethan then tracked Lark down to stop his maniacal plan of setting up the plutonium bombs and kills him at the end of Fallout after an epic helicopter duel.
Alan Hunley Left The CIA To Help Ethan In Fallout Before He Was Killed By Lark
The same Alan Hunley that authorized the death of Ethan Hunt in Rogue Nation essentially handed Ethan the keys to his mission in Fallout. Hunley left the CIA in order to oversee Ethan's operation in Mission: Impossible 6, impressed by Ethan's ability to prove the existence of the Syndicate in Mission: Impossible 5. During the ambush in the IMF hideout in Fallout, Lark stabs and kills Alan, making it unlikely that he will appear in Mission: Impossible 7.
Soloman Lane Is The Main Antagonist In Rogue Nation & Fallout
Soloman Lane is Ethan Hunt's longest-standing opponent in the Mission: Impossible franchise and will likely appear in Dead Reckoning Part One since he is not dead yet. Lane is last seen getting into the trunk of a car orchestrated by the White Widow at the end of Fallout, implying that he will be turned over to MI6 and will be in their possession at the start of Mission: Impossible 7. Lane has been rescued by his Syndicate/Apostles before, so there's a chance that he will reemerge as the primary villain in Dead Reckoning Part One.
Ethan’s Ex-Wife Julia Appeared In M:I III & Fallout
Ethan's former wife Julia is revealed to truly be alive in Fallout, a claim that Ethan upheld since she first appeared in Mission: Impossible III. Ethan's main objective in Mission: Impossible III was to save Julia from Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a dangerous arms dealer that the IMF tries to neutralize. After Ethan saves Julia, they agree that they must be apart because the world needs Ethan, who had retired from the IMF in order to live a quiet life with her. Julia was revealed to have remarried a man named Erik (Wes Bentley) in Fallout, so it is uncertain whether she will play a significant role in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
