The Big Picture

• The characters in Mission: Impossible movies are just as thrilling as the action, adding depth and intrigue to the franchise.
• From the sinister Solomon Lane to the charismatic Benji Dunn, each character brings something unique to the series.
• Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Tom Cruise, remains the heart of the franchise with his evolution, loyalty, and determination in every film.

Based on the classic '60s and '70s spy show of the same title, the Mission: Impossible movie franchise has more than cemented its place in the pantheon of the greatest film series of all time. From death-defying stunts (most often led by Tom Cruise) to gripping stories of mystery and suspense, plenty of things make this franchise so popular.

One of the elements that's not talked about nearly as much as it deserves, though, is the characters. The series has a bunch of memorable heroes and villains that fans can never get enough of, including terrifying antagonists who serve as foils to Cruise's Ethan Hunt, like the sinister Solomon Lane, and sidekicks who always prove themselves essential to saving the day, like the legendary Luther Stickell. Indeed, the Mission: Impossible movies prove that a film can be action-packed and have great characters at the same time.

There are spoilers ahead!

10 Solomon Lane

Played by Sean Harris

Solomon Lane was first introduced as the main antagonist of the fifth installment in the franchise, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation. He's the leader of the Syndicate, an international rogue organization as skilled as Ethan and his team and highly committed to eradicating the Impossible Mission Force. Also serving as one of the main antagonists of Mission: Impossible — Fallout, he makes sure that the heroes' mission finally feels truly impossible.

Lane feels like a unique villain, not only because he's the only antagonist who gets captured, not killed, at the end of the film. His elegant accent, snake-like and breathy way of talking, and generally creepy presence make him a perfect counterweight to Ethan's quick yet calculated personality. Sean Harris, one of the most underrated actors working today, delivers a fantastic performance that makes Lane as slick as he is imposing.

9 Jane Carter

Played by Paula Patton

Praised by some as the best installment in the series, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol has a few of the most memorable one-off characters in the franchise. The best one is perhaps Jane Carter, played by an irresistible Paula Patton, who brings both physicality and psychological complexity to the role. Jane joins Ethan's team in the hopes of getting revenge on Sabine Moreau, the hitwoman who killed her lover.

Jane's motivation may be simple, but the script is so well polished, and Patton is so outstanding in the role that they imbue the character with nuance and deep emotional layers. Jane's mission is often the heart of the whole film, and her arc throughout the narrative is quite compelling. Though there were originally plans to bring her back for Rogue Nation, they never came to fruition. Fans can only hope that, at some point, they get to see this badass agent again.

8 William Brandt

Played by Jeremy Renner

Introduced in Ghost Protocol, William Brandt quickly proved to be one of the franchise's most important characters, and while he hasn't shown up since Rogue Nation, his mark is indelible. Played by Jeremy Renner, Brandt has one of the most interesting backstories of any character in the franchise, serving as one of the main plot points of Ghost Protocol. He was assigned to protect Ethan and his wife, Julia, while they were vacationing in Croatia; failing his mission (or so he thought), he took himself off the field until Ethan brought him back.

In Ghost Protocol, Brandt learns to trust himself, his instincts, and his skills again. In Fallout, he's a highly capable IMF higher-up who proves instrumental to the team's efforts in capturing Lane and bringing down the Syndicate. Brandt is one of the main reasons why they're both considered among Mission: Impossible's best movies. He's a character with lots of layers and impressive physicality, making him fascinating to see in action.

7 Grace

Played by Hayley Atwell

The most recent major introduction to the Mission: Impossible character ensemble, Grace is the deuteragonist of Dead Reckoning, Part One. She's portrayed in a truly magnetic performance by Hayley Atwell, who holds her own against Tom Cruise's charm perfectly. Grace, whose real name is unknown, is a thief thrown into something far greater than she could have ever been prepared for.

It's always fun to see characters in big action epics who are way over their heads, and Grace certainly fits the bill. After seven installments (soon to be eight), it's nothing if not refreshing to see someone who doesn't quite play by the rules of the series and the genre as a whole. As much of a fish-out-of-water as she is, though, Grace is also incredibly charismatic and fun to try and figure out. Her motivations are complicated, and that's what makes her so intriguing.

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6 Luther Stickell

Played by Ving Rhames

Along with Ethan, Luther is the only character in the Mission: Impossible franchise who has shown up in every installment. That's just who Luther is: hard-working and loyal to a fault. Played with tremendous pizazz by Ving Rhames, he's a senior computer specialist who first worked with Ethan as a disavowed agent all the way back in 1996. After proving his worth, Ethan has been smart enough to have him back on most of his subsequent missions to make them a little less impossible.

Against his enemies, Luther is a rival that they don't want to mess with. He's tough, smart, and passionate about getting the job done. With his friends, though, Luther is someone that they always want to keep close to. He's a brave ally, a trustworthy confidant, and doesn't ever give up on his team. These qualities make him deeply loved by fans, who can never get enough of him.

5 August Walker

Played by Henry Cavill

When done right, twist villains make their movies a hundred times better. Such is the case with Henry Cavill's August Walker, who starts out seeming like an aggressive albeit necessary ally to Ethan and his team but turns out to be the top dog in a terrorist organization. He's a formidable antagonist who's not just physically imposing but a tactical menace as well.

The fact that Walker needs to reload his fists before a fight, a quirk that has no right looking as awesome as it does, isn't the only thing that makes him one of Mission: Impossible's best villains. It's not often that fans are treated to an antagonist who poses a threat to Ethan in every possible way. Walker is considerably bigger and stronger, has more resources, and is every bit as smart and calculating. Whenever a villain has the upper hand on the hero, that usually turns out to be a pretty damn good film, and Mission: Impossible — Fallout is no exception.

4 Benji Dunn

Played by Simon Pegg

Benji, first introduced as comic relief in the underrated Mission: Impossible III, usually fulfills that same role in every new sequel. As the series evolved, though, his character has taken on several emotional and narrative layers. Benji used to be a technician but became a field agent who has been essential to the success of Ethan's team on numerous occasions.

Played by the always-brilliant Simon Pegg in one of his best performances, Benji is an incredibly fun sidekick that always makes any scene he's in much better. It's not all just laughs, though. Benji has complex motivations and never misses out on a chance to prove his agency, making him an endearing, funny, and reliable character who is as capable as he is compelling.

3 Owen Davian

Played by Philip Seymour Hoffman