Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will explore Ethan Hunt’s past. As the first half of the franchise’s expected two-part finale, Dead Reckoning Part One brings Tom Cruise’s IMF agent Ethan Hunt back to save the world once again. This time, he will be threatened by a ghost from his past – the movie’s primary antagonist played by Esai Morales. Over the course of six films since 1996, the Mission: Impossible franchise has yet to explore any substantial part of Ethan’s past, though that is set to change in the upcoming installment.
During a recent interview with Empire ahead of Mission: Impossible 7’s release date this summer, director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that the film will explore Ethan’s past for the first time. McQuarrie, who’s directed four films for the franchise, says that Dead Reckoning Part One’s villain played by Morales allowed them to explore parts of Ethan’s mysterious past before the IMF. The director also revealed the villain’s name, Gabriel, which carries some significance. Read McQuarrie’s full comments below:
Casting Esai allowed us to explore things with those characters and the notion of Ethan’s past. Ethan has a past that predates the IMF, and that allowed us to explore that with a character that knew Ethan before Ethan was Ethan. That’s part of who Gabriel is. Every detail of the story is very carefully considered. People who want to do their homework can derive from that name, whatever they please.
What Mission: Impossible 7 Could Reveal About Ethan’s Past