Mission: Impossible - Every movie recapped before Ethan Hunt’s final mission

Ethan Hunt has been saving the Mission: Impossible world for almost thirty years without slowing down. He started as a young IMF agent who got blamed for a mission gone wrong and turned into the franchise’s go-to guy for every impossible job. The first movie came out in 1996 and gave us that unforgettable vault scene that still gets talked about.

Since then every movie has pushed Ethan further with bigger stakes more dangerous enemies and stunts that keep getting more ridiculous in the best way. Tom Cruise built the entire series around a single idea—what if you made a spy movie where the main guy actually does everything for real.

Each mission has its own focus. One was about a stolen list another was about a deadly virus then came nuclear threats and eventually a rogue AI. Through all of it Ethan stayed the same guy who will sacrifice anything to protect people even if it means giving up his own life or the people he loves.

Now the franchise is heading toward what might be its last chapter. Before that happens this is a look back at how we got here. This is every Mission: Impossible movie recapped in order.

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Every Mission: Impossible movie recapped before Ethan Hunt’s final mission

1. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Ethan Hunt begins the movie as a trusted IMF agent working under team leader Jim Phelps. When a mission in Prague fails and the entire team is killed Ethan escapes but is immediately suspected of being the mole.

He goes on the run to prove his innocence and uncovers that Jim faked his death and planned to sell a list of undercover agents. Ethan pulls off a daring break-in at CIA headquarters to get the list before Jim can sell it.

With help from hacker Luther Stickell, Ethan exposes Jim on a high-speed train. He clears his name and earns the trust of the IMF again. The film established Ethan as someone who trusts few people and does whatever it takes to complete the mission.

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2. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Ethan is sent to stop a rogue IMF agent named Sean Ambrose who stole a man-made virus called Chimera. Ambrose plans to release the virus and sell the cure to make billions.

Ethan recruits Nyah Hall a skilled thief and Ambrose’s former lover to get close to him. They fall for each other but when Ambrose learns the truth Nyah injects herself with the virus to stop him from spreading it.

Ethan has 20 hours to get the cure. He breaks into Biocyte’s lab destroys the samples and kills Ambrose. He saves Nyah just in time. The movie pushes Ethan into a solo action role and ties emotional stakes directly to the mission.

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3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Ethan is no longer in the field and is engaged to Julia Meade who knows nothing about his IMF work. When his trainee Lindsey is kidnapped he returns to action to stop arms dealer Owen Davian.

Lindsey dies before revealing a secret about an IMF mole. Ethan captures Davian in the Vatican but Davian escapes and kidnaps Julia. He forces Ethan to retrieve something called the Rabbit’s Foot.

Ethan discovers the real mole is IMF official John Musgrave. Julia is still alive and helps Ethan kill Davian and survive a deadly charge in his head. The movie made Ethan’s personal life central and introduced Benji Dunn who would become a key ally.

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4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ethan is in a Russian prison when his team breaks him out after a mission goes wrong and the Kremlin is destroyed. The U.S. blames the IMF and activates Ghost Protocol cutting them off completely.

Ethan teams with Benji, Jane Carter and analyst William Brandt. They find out nuclear strategist Kurt Hendricks wants to trigger World War III. They chase him from Dubai to Mumbai trying to stop him.

Hendricks launches a Russian missile but Ethan crashes a car into the launch system and stops it. The movie changes the tone of the franchise by making it team-focused. Ethan fakes Julia’s death to protect her and moves forward as a leader without her.

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5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

The IMF is shut down and folded into the CIA. Ethan refuses to stop chasing a rogue organization called the Syndicate which is made up of former agents who fake their deaths and go off the grid.

Ethan works with MI6 agent Ilsa Faust who is undercover inside the Syndicate. They try to track down a digital ledger that holds every name tied to the group. Ilsa wants out but her government keeps pulling her back in.

Solomon Lane captures Benji and demands the ledger but Ethan memorizes it and destroys the copy. Lane is trapped and the IMF is reinstated. This movie introduces a major villain and deepens the moral lines Ethan must walk to complete his mission.

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6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Two years later Ethan fails to secure stolen plutonium because he chooses to save Luther. The CIA sends agent August Walker to watch him but Walker is actually John Lark the leader of the Apostles.

Ethan discovers Lark plans to trigger nuclear bombs in Kashmir to poison water supplies across Asia. The attack site is close to a medical camp where Julia now works. Ethan must stop both bombs before time runs out.

He chases Walker in a helicopter crashes it and disarms the detonator with one second left. The movie brings Ethan face to face with the fallout of every past decision. Julia is safe and Ilsa finally earns her freedom from MI6.

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7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

The threat is no longer a person but a rogue artificial intelligence called the Entity which gained control of itself after sabotaging a Russian submarine and disappearing into global systems.

Every country wants access to the Entity’s source code which is locked behind a digital gate that can only be opened with a two-part cruciform key. Ethan recovers one half and discovers that the other will be sold on a train.

Gabriel a figure from Ethan’s past returns and kills Ilsa. Grace a skilled thief is recruited and accepts Ethan’s offer to join the IMF. Ethan retrieves the full key and escapes. The mission is far from over and the Entity is still out there.

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