MI Throwback - Ethan Hunt’s first outing in Mission: Impossible (1996) complete plot, timeline & character guide

The first Mission: Impossible film isn’t just the launch of a spy franchise—it’s the turning point for espionage thrillers in the modern age. Mission: Impossible (1996) introduced audiences to Ethan Hunt, an IMF field agent whose very first mission goes catastrophically wrong, turning him from a trusted operative into a hunted fugitive.

This is the detailed timeline of how the mission unfolds—from briefing to betrayal, chaos in Prague to the daring Langley break-in, and the ultimate confrontation aboard the Eurostar.

---

Mission: Impossible-–Operation: NOC List Recovery

IMF Briefing – Setup for Prague

• The film opens in Kyiv, where an undercover IMF mission is underway to extract information from a Russian operative.
• Ethan Hunt and Jim Phelps complete this cold open with deceptive tactics, showcasing the use of masks and disinformation—classic Mission: Impossible style.
• Back in Washington, D.C., the team receives a new briefing: go to Prague and prevent the theft of the NOC (Non-Official Cover) list, which contains the real identities of IMF agents worldwide.
• The IMF team assigned:
• Jim Phelps (team leader)
• Ethan Hunt (field agent)
• Claire Phelps (operative and Jim’s wife)
• Jack Harmon (tech and surveillance)
• Sarah Davies (disguise and infiltration)
• Hannah Williams (getaway and support)

---

Embassy Infiltration – The Prague mission begins

• The team arrives in Prague and prepares to intercept Alexander Golitsyn, the rogue agent believed to be stealing the NOC list from a U.S. embassy event.
• Jack sets up in a surveillance van and hacks into the security system.
• Sarah infiltrates the gala, pretending to be a guest.
• Jim and Ethan monitor from different positions, while Claire sets up her cover.
• Ethan trails Golitsyn as he downloads data from a secured terminal inside the embassy.

---

Operation failure – Team deaths and chaos

• Just as Golitsyn is intercepted outside, the operation goes to hell:
• Jack is killed by a spike trap in the elevator shaft while trying to maintain the hack.
• Hannah’s car explodes as she waits near the escape route.
• Sarah disappears after the gala.
• Jim Phelps is seemingly shot and falls into the Vltava River.
• Golitsyn is also killed, shot by an unseen sniper.
• Ethan meets Claire at a pre-arranged café location; she has survived but offers few details.
• The NOC list is gone.
• The mission is a complete failure. In the world of Mission: Impossible, that’s not just rare—it’s suspicious.

---

Kittridge confirmation– Etan is framed

• Ethan contacts IMF director Eugene Kittridge for an urgent meeting at a Prague restaurant.
• During the tense conversation, Kittridge reveals that a "mole hunt" has been activated because the embassy operation was a setup. The real NOC list was never in play.
• Kittridge names Ethan as the prime suspect.
• Realizing he’s been framed, Ethan uses his explosive chewing gum (red light, green light) to blow up the restaurant’s aquarium and escape in the chaos.

---

Going rogue – Building a new team

• Ethan returns to the team’s Prague safe house and discovers Claire alive, claiming she escaped after the attack.
• Though suspicious, Ethan decides to use her help and formulate a plan.
• He hacks into the CIA's mainframe using a discarded laptop and sends a message to Max, the arms dealer suspected of buying the NOC list.
• Posing as Job 314, Ethan offers Max the real list in exchange for protection and a chance to expose the mole.
• To complete this impossible mission, Ethan recruits:
• Luther Stickell, a blacklisted hacker and cyber-infiltration expert.
• Franz Krieger, a pilot and former agent with a shady background.

---

Langley hiest – The most iconic scene in Mission: Impossible

• The team devises a plan to steal the real NOC list from the CIA vault in Langley, Virginia.
• Key security measures include:
• Pressure-sensitive floor
• Sound-detection sensors
• Temperature-triggered alarms
• Luther monitors security from a van while Ethan is lowered into the vault on cables.
• The entire sequence is a masterclass in tension, one of the most iconic moments in Mission: Impossible history.
• Ethan successfully retrieves the NOC list, but Krieger nearly botches the escape by mishandling the extraction cable.

---

Delivery to Max – Setting the trap

• Ethan arranges to meet Max on the Eurostar train from London to Paris, offering the NOC list in exchange for revealing the mole.
• Ethan tips off Kittridge to intercept the meeting, setting the stage for a showdown.

---

The betrayal revealed – Jim Phelps unmasked

• During the train ride:
• Ethan deduces that Jim Phelps faked his death.
• Flashbacks show that Jim orchestrated the embassy failure, faked his injuries, and planned to sell the list to Max.
• Claire’s involvement is confirmed, though she claims she still loves Ethan.
• Ethan tricks Jim into confessing by secretly recording his monologue.
• Claire confronts Jim, but is killed when she hesitates to shoot Ethan.

---

Final confrontation – Fight on the Eurostar

• Jim tries to escape with the list using a helicopter tethered to the train.
• Ethan climbs onto the train, engages Jim in a brutal fight, and uses his final stick of explosive gum to destroy the helicopter mid-flight.
• Jim is blown off the train and killed by the explosion—a Mission: Impossible ending worthy of the title.

---

Aftermath – Ethan Hunt is forever changed

• Luther is reinstated into the IMF after his loyal service.
• Ethan’s name is cleared, but Kittridge offers him another mission, suggesting the spy game never ends.
• Ethan boards a plane, but he’s not the same man. Mission: Impossible has changed him. He’s learned the cost of betrayal, and he will never blindly trust again.

---

This first Mission: Impossible film laid the foundation for one of the most adrenaline-fueled spy sagas in film history. It not only introduced us to Ethan Hunt’s world but also defined the tone, stakes, and emotional complexity of the franchise. Every betrayal, twist, and heart-pounding action beat set a precedent for what it means to face an impossible mission—and survive.