THE Mission: Impossible the films had several Impossible Mission Force (IMF) directors who played a significant role in Ethan Hunt’s adventures. With Tom Cruise in the lead role, the Mission: Impossible the films became some of the most successful films in the world. While Ethan Hunt is at the heart of why the films are so popular with audiences, there’s no denying the fact that IMF directors contribute to what makes the films exciting. IMF directors in Mission: Impossible The films were played by several renowned actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin and Laurence Fishburne.
As the espionage organization is a large part of the Mission: Impossible films, questions have been raised about whether the IMF really exists. The IMF includes highly trained agents and high-ranking officials in charge of the organization’s missions. Given that the Mission: Impossible The films were designed to be standalone films, each episode has a new supporting cast and a new IMF director who bring their own spin to the role.
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Eugene Kittridge
Eugene Kittridge played by Henry Czerny was the director of the IMF in the 1996 film Mission: Impossible. Although Kittridge was a good guy in the film, he was a foil to Ethan Hunt. The IMF director accused Hunt of being a mole and wrongfully imprisoning his mother to get to him. Hunt and the head of the intelligence agency had a contentious relationship and Kittridge was determined to prove that Hunt was not as good as everyone thought.
All over Mission: ImpossibleKittridge tries to capture Hunt, until the film’s conclusion, when the agent proves that Jim Phelps was actually the spy and hands over the NOC list.
Kittridge left the IMF and was replaced by Anthony Hopkins’ Swanbeck in the second Mission: Impossible film.
In an interesting twist, Kittridge returned in Mission: Impossible 7. Although Kittridge returned as head of the IMF in the franchise’s seventh installment, not much is known about what he did during his absence. Czerny offered some insight into what he thought Kittridge had done after leaving the IMF. According to the actor, Kittridge worked for different intelligence agencies and kept tabs on Ethan (via Slashfilm).
After Hunley’s death in Mission: Impossible 6the IMF was once again without a director. Kittridge reappeared in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, summary the head of National Intelligence about what the IMF does. During the meeting, it was revealed that Kittridge had taken over Erika Sloane’s position as Director of the CIA. Although Kittridge and Hunt had a difficult relationship in Mission: Impossiblethey are actually allies in Reckoning, part one. In fact, Kittridge was the one who recruited Hunt to help track down the key every world leader was looking for.
The fact that Hunt told Grace that she could trust Kittridge showed how far their relationship has come since the events of Mission: Impossible. Ethan’s plan in Mmission: Impossible 7 was to destroy the key, while Kittridge wanted to use it to control the world. As Hunt and Kittridge had different opinions on what to do with the key, the two will likely clash again in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.
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Swanbeck
Portrayed by iconic actor Anthony Hopkins, Swanbeck replaced Eugene Kittridge as director of the IMF in Mission: Impossible II. Swanbeck first appeared in Mission: Impossible II as a voiceover after Hunt’s famous climbing scene. Like his predecessor, Swanbeck didn’t have much screen time in the film, even though he was Hunt’s boss and therefore responsible for the mission. As director of the IMF in Mission: Impossible IISwanbeck was the one who gave Hunt his mission, which involved recovering a stolen item that contained the synthetic virus, Chimera.
Although Swanbeck was an intense and intriguing IMF director, he did not return to the spy franchise afterward. Mission: Impossible II. There has been no official explanation for why Anthony Hopkins did not reprise his role as Swanbeck in the franchise. Hopkins wasn’t even credited for his role in the film. Although Swanbeck’s absence was noticeable in the subsequent period, Mission: Impossible films, was actually in keeping with the films’ branding, as most directors do not reprise their roles in the franchise.
Given that Anthony Hopkins is a renowned actor, it was disappointing that he did not reprise his role as IMF director in Mission: Impossible III. However, the change in IMF directors makes sense because the film took on a different tone after Hopkins’ role and John Woo’s appearance in the films. The change in Mission: Impossible directors typically meant that the franchise would be moving in a different direction and would have different characters, as the head of the IMF reflected this. Swanbeck was replaced by Theodore Brassel in Mission: Impossible III.
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Theodoro Brassel
Theodore Brassel, played by Laurence Fishburne, replaced Swanbeck as head of the Impossible Mission Force in the third installment of the franchise. In Mission: Impossible IIIBrassel recruits Ethan Hunt to capture the film’s main antagonist, Owen Davian, something he has been trying to do since becoming director of the IMF. During his mission, Hunt discovered a video that showed Brassel as a spy for the spy organization working with Davian. At the conclusion of the film, it was revealed that Brassel was not the spy, but Joghn Musgrave.
Brassel may not have been the spy, but it was easy to believe that he knew how tough he was on Hunt and how people at the IMF were often the bad guys. Although Brassel and Hunt had a contentious relationship throughout the film, the two eventually reconciled. As Brassel had promised Ethan Hunt that he would explain what Rabbit’s Foot was at the end of Mission: Impossible IIIit looked like he would return for the sequel. However, Tom Wilkinson became director of the IMF in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
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Name not disclosed
In Mission: Impossible – Ghost ProtocolTom Wilkinson played the role of the IMF director whose name was not revealed in the film. The IMF director appears briefly in the film when he meets Ethan Hunt at a meeting point. During transit and accompanied by Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, the head of the IMF informed Ethan that his spy organization was being blamed for the bombing of the Kremlin and that the president was repudiating the IMF.
He informed the spy that he could be tried by the Department of Defense or he could escape and try to find Cobalt and bring him to justice. Unfortunately, their car is ambushed and Ethan’s boss and driver are shot, plunging into freezing water that ends up leading to their deaths. Much like Anthony Hopkins, Wilkinson was uncredited for his role in the franchise’s fourth installment. Due to their brief interaction in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocolnot much is known about Hunt’s relationship with his boss. However, it seemed like they got along well, as the director tried to save him.
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Alan Hunley
In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nationa new IMF director, Alan Hunley, became the leader of the spy agency. Hunley is first seen in Mission: Impossible 5 when he appeared before the Senate Committee and asked them to dissolve the IMF, as he believed it was a dangerous organization, prone to breaking rules after what happened in the Kremlin. The Senate Committee agreed and disbanded the spy organization and Hunley began hunting Ethan. His antipathy towards the IMF and Ethan Hunt was so evident that nothing would stop him from meeting him.
Six months after Hunley began his search for Hunt, the CIA director still didn’t know the rogue agent’s whereabouts. When the film ended, Hunley and Hunt met and the director was forced to agree that the Syndicate was indeed real and not a figment of Hunt’s imagination. He later returned to the Senate Committee and restored the IMF, with him as head. Unlike previous IMF directors, Hunley spent a lot of time on screen Mission: Impossible 5 and played a significant role in the film.
Since Mission: Impossible 5 ended with Hunley as director, audiences didn’t really get to see him in the role, so it made sense for him to return in the sequel. Hunley’s return to the sixth film broke a Mission: Impossible trend because the films usually had different IMF directors in each episode. In Mission: Impossible 6Hunley had a softer side and did his best to protect his agents. It’s also worth noting that director Christopher McQuarrie’s return to the film played a role in some sort of continuation of Hunley’s arc.
In Mission: Impossible – FalloutHunley was director of the IMF for two years, and this time he sent Ethan on a mission to recover the plutonium. Unlike Mission Impossible 5Hunley didn’t get much screen time, but her relationship with Ethan improved significantly, which allowed for better collaboration. It was clear that Baldwin’s character completely changed his initial impression of Cruise’s hero, as he trusted him at the agency. Unfortunately, Hunley was stabbed by August Walker and succumbed to his injuries. This effectively ended his tenure as leader of the IMF.
Sources: Slashfilm