The Mission: Impossible series deserves credit for lasting 25 years and counting. Tom Cruise’s signature franchise is set to feature a seventh and eighth movie in 2022 and 2023, which attests to the star power of the actor and IMF agent Ethan Hunt’s popularity. Ethan and the supporting cast all have an edge to their personalities that fans have connected with.
The best way to analyze their characterizations is by looking at their best quotes. These words let fans know what the protagonists and antagonists are all about and how they function. It’s interesting to see where the best quips or statements have been made across the series.
Ilsa Faust
“We Can Be Anyone, We Can Do Anything. It’s Only A Matter Of Going.”
Ilsa and Ethan had a connection from the moment they met and she found someone who could understand the situation she was in through him. She proposed they let go of all the battles in the world and get lost in the world during Rogue Nation, which was a rare case of Ilsa showing her vulnerability.
She’s basically been Ethan’s equal in characterization, but since viewers hadn’t followed her story like his, Ilsa’s quote did a good job to communicate that she wasn’t a killer or a traitor as she appeared to be. The series has since focused on expanding upon what she claimed in this quote.
William Brandt
“I Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny Details Of Any Operation Without The Secretary’s Approval.”
William Brandt seemed like an outsider when he first appeared, having been a newcomer among older characters. However, this quote proved his loyalty to Ethan and the rest, which was when he refused to divulge the secrets of the IMF during the senate committee hearing.
Brandt knew that there was no secretary for the IMF at the time, meaning he was never going to tell anyone anything. It was at a time when it was clear the CIA would absorb the IMF, yet Brandt remained tight-lipped about his friends to protect them. He then continued to repeat these words during the inquiry.
Nyah Nordoff-Hall
“Who Wants To Be Decent?”
Ethan’s attraction to Nyah stemmed from her dangerous persona, with the two coming across each other when Nyah was about to pull off a thieving project. They ended up in a car crash that nearly had them tumble over the cliff, and they gave in to their attraction after surviving.
Nyah said this then, as Ethan asked if they should wait for a decent interval before getting too close. It showed that she didn’t play by the rules and that she truly did come to see Ethan in a romantic sense. True to form, she made the first move to establish their relationship on her terms.
Alan Hunley
“We Need Reliable Intelligence, And We Need It Now, And This Scenario Is Precisely Why The IMF Exists.”
Hunley was an obstacle in the way for Ethan and his allies in the fifth movie, but disparaging him is an unpopular opinion among Mission: Impossible fans after the sixth film. Hunley became the IMF Secretary by this point and had absolute faith in Ethan throughout the story.
He made this claim when he confronted his CIA superior Erika Sloane’s distrust in the IMF, which went a long way to confirm Hunley’s character development. It was altogether heartwarming to hear him take Ethan and the IMF’s side until the end when he had originally wanted them to shut down.
Jane Carter
“Watch Her…Because If I Do, I’ll Kill Her.”
Jane had a vendetta against Sabine Moreau after the latter killed her lover, IMF agent Trevor Hanaway. She reluctantly held back against following this violent inclination when Sabine was the team’s only lead against the movie’s villain, but she uttered a memorable line to do so.
When Benji asked her why she wanted him to watch the captured Sabine, Jane quipped that her restraint had its limits. It was pretty much what viewers would have been thinking as well, so Jane’s quote ultimately acknowledged the audience’s sentiments toward the scene.
Solomon Lane
“Human Nature. My Weapon Of Choice.”
Solomon Lane was the most recurring antagonist in the series and the main source of conflict for the fifth and sixth movies. In Rogue Nation, he captured Benji and forced him to relay his message to Ethan or he would blow up the bomb strapped to Benji.
Lane’s opening words to Ethan were to claim that exploiting human nature was his main weapon because of the fact that Ethan would never harm Benji. It was a sly but appropriate line from Lane that showed he had no qualms with collateral damage to have his way.
Julia Meade-Hunt
Everything That Happened Taught Me Who I Am. It Showed Me What I’m Capable Of, And I’m A Survivor.”
The absence of Julia from the fifth movie was deemed a plot hole in Mission: Impossible by fans until she reappeared in Fallout. It was revealed that she and Ethan had divorced but she went on to help people around the world using her skills as a doctor.
Her words were for Ethan’s benefit, however, as Julia wanted to reassure him that she was living her best life because of his influence. Julia absolved Ethan of feeling responsible for her when she made it clear that she appreciated their relationship and that she was going into dangerous situations out of her own choice.
Benji Dunn
“Join The IMF. See The World On A Monitor, In A Closet.”
Benji isn’t generally seen in the over-the-top Mission: Impossible action sequences due to his status as a technical expert. Still, he is an actual field agent and is very well capable of doing fieldwork like Ethan and the rest engage themselves in.
Benji made this funny quip to himself when he worked in secret for Ethan during Rogue Nation, jokingly lamenting the fact that he only got to see the world on a computer monitor. It nevertheless did a good job in portraying Benji’s character as a comical but very capable IMF agent.
Luther Stickell
“For Mere Mortals, No. For Me, I Could’ve Done This At Home.”
Luther is the most expert hacker the IMF has had, capable of pulling off technical marvels that have aided Ethan. Facial tracking has been a notable area he’s shined in, with this quote coming about in Rogue Nation when Luther talked to William Brandt.
Brandt was worried if Luther could come up with facial recognition based on a simple sketch, to which Luther claimed he was so good he didn’t even need to leave his home. Considering Luther has successfully helped Ethan across the entire series, there’s no arguing against him.
Ethan Hunt
“It Wasn’t Your Job To Protect Her – It’s Mine.”
While there have no doubt been many cool Ethan Hunt quotes in the Mission: Impossible series, his best one may just be an emotional one. He said these words to Brandt at the end of Ghost Protocol when he revealed that Julia was alive and that Brandt could let go of his guilt at believing she died on his watch.
Ethan became absolutely serious and sentimental when he claimed it was his job to keep Julia safe, which is something he did all the way from the third movie to the sixth. It summed up Ethan’s personality to be a protector, and that fans themselves could be assured that Ethan would always save the day.
