After COVID-related shooting delays and several release-date changes, it looks like we finally know when we’ll get to see the nextMission: Impossiblemovie. The still un-subtitled seventh installment is scheduled to arrive on August 12, 2025, and we all should have a pretty good idea of to expect when we arrive at the theater that day. We’re going to get the IMF team going up against what will surely be billed as their biggest threat yet. There will be elaborate spycraft and double-crosses and likely a disguise or two. And, of course, there will beTom Cruiserisking his life by doing his own crazy stunts, pushing his 58-year-old body to insane limits for our entertainment.
Through six films, these things have been enough to make theMission: Impossibleseries one of the most enjoyable film franchises running. But even though I enjoyed the previous installment,Fallout, it was the first one where the series started to feel like it was stagnating just a bit. Yeah, it had the stunts and the banter. And, okay, sure, Tom Cruise can fly a helicopter now for the world to see. But ultimately it just felt like more ofRogue Nation, which in turn felt like more ofGhost Protocol(the 2011 smash hit that reinvigorated the franchise). That“Fallout”subtitle seemed to promise that Ethan Hunt’s past would finally catch up with him, but there he was at the end, no worse for wear and surrounded by all of his friends. It would be a mistake to just go through those motions again in the upcoming film. Now is the time to shake this series up, give it renewed dramatic heft, and truly raise the stakes to a new level. In short, now is the time for one ofMission: Impossible’s beloved recurring cast members to die. The only question is … which one?
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Well, we’ve got two good choices, but my gut says it really should be Luther Stickell, the IMF computer hacker played byVing Rhameswho has been by Ethan’s side since the first movie. Of all the supporting IMF characters, Luther arguably has the biggest emotional connection to the audience, both because he’s been around the longest and because Rhames has always brought a warmth to the character that contrasts nicely with everyone else’s relentless intensity. Therefore, killing him off could provide a narrative jolt to the franchise and allow Cruise to find a deeper well of emotion than he’s typically been able to do with Ethan, a character who has sometimes come across as little more than a stunt-delivery machine. There’s also the fact that Rhames is about to turn 62 years old and, let’s be honest, doesn’t appear to be drinking from the same Fountain of Youth to which Cruise has access. Luther doesn’t do much running in these movies anymore, and the days of Rhames being able to convincingly sell himself as a viable field agent are probably behind him. Before things get too out of hand in that regard, wouldn’t it make sense to sacrifice him to create a sense of danger and unexpectedness that has been getting harder and harder for the series to achieve?
There are a couple of problems with this plan. First of all,M:Ifans really like Luther. (Including me!) He’s the series’ good-luck charm, and is the only character besides Ethan who tethers the series to its earliest incarnations. Additionally, he’s the only Black character inMission: Impossible’s current roster of agents, and I’d hate to see the series come under fire for perpetuating an obnoxious trope by killing him off, even if it’s being done for the right reason. So then, if not Luther, who else has carved out a big enough slice of the franchise that their sudden demise could carry much the same weight? Oh, hey, I see you there, Benji Dunn.
Simon Pegg‘s often exasperated sidekick joined the series inMission: Impossible IIIas a nerdy tech support agent stuck behind a desk, but his ascent to becoming an honest-to-god field agent and Hunt’s BFF has been one of series’ best arcs over the last couple of films. One of the finest acted and most emotionally charged scenes in this entire saga occurs inRogue Nation, when Hunt tells Benji he needs to leave the mission and Benji fires back, “It’s not your decision to make, Ethan! I am a field agent. I know the risks. More than that, I am your friend.” It’s such a great scene, and how Cruise plays his reaction after the outburst shows how much Benji has risen in Ethan’s estimation. Imagine what it would do to Ethan if Benji took on an assignment he couldn’t handle and it cost him his life. Imagine the whirlwind of emotions Ethan and the audience would be sucked into for the rest of the movie. (And maybe forMission: Impossible 8as well, as it’s still expected to be a direct sequel that will no doubt pick up some lingering story threads.) However, unlike with Luther who is largely stuck in place, there are still plenty of ways for Benji to grow and expand as a character. Also, theMission: Impossiblemovies continue to be co-produced by Bad Robot, and I thinkJ.J. Abramsforces everyone to sign a contract stipulating that they will not murder Simon Pegg.
In the early years,Mission: Impossiblewould get a little creative jolt each new installment because every sequel would come with a new director and a slight change in tone. ButChristopher McQuarriedid an uncredited rewrite onGhost Protocol, grabbed the director’s chair forRogue Nation, and has guided the franchise ever since. It’s been a good match, and the series has reached thrilling heights under his command that I’m not sure anyone expected. But at some point, diminishing returns are going to set in. Rather than wait for that to happen, I’d like to see McQuarrie, Cruise, and company take the initiative to shake up the status quo now. Killing a character no one expects to die and sending Hunt down a dark road he really hasn’t traveled before might be the best way to do it. (And, no, I refuse to countKeri Russell’s death inM:I-III; you don’t get emotional credit for offing a character you introduced in the very same movie.) So while it pains me to say it, it is probably time for Luther to go. Or maybe Benji.
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