Ahead ofMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Ving Rhames reflected on the entire franchise and almost being killed off in the first movie. In the long-running spy franchise, Rhames plays Luther Stickell, one of Ethan Hunt’s closest and most trusted allies. Other than Tom Cruise, Rhames is the only actor to appear ineveryMission: Impossiblemovie. Over the years, the series has become more and more ambitious, and the upcomingMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningwill see Ethan Hunt, Luther, and their allies continue to take on villains like the Entity and Gabriel.
In an interview withScreen Rant’s Ash Crossan for the release ofUppercut, which is now available to watch in select theaters and on digital, Rhames speaks about his experience with theMission: Impossiblefranchise. He teases thatThe Final Reckoningwill include a lot of emotional momentsbetween his character and Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, and admits that he has never taken the time to reflect on the series that much. However,he is thankful he was not killed off in the first movie. Read Rhames' full comments below:
The upcoming film, You can expect a lot of emotion and a lot of dealing with the human experience, especially between Tom [Cruise] and I. So again, you learn a lot about our relationship, and about the characters loving each other and sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the whole. […]
I’ve never really taken time to think about [what my franchise journey means to me]. But for me, I was very fortunate, because in the first one, Tom Cruise and Brian De Palma called me – The first one, I died in the first 10 pages and I said, “Why is it the black man always dies in the first 10 pages?” Tom said, “Yeah. Why is that?” So, now, I just finished number eight, so I feel pretty fortunate.
What Rhames' Comments Mean For Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Rhames Returns For Another Mission In The Final Reckoning
After his entire team gets killed at the beginning of the firstMission: Impossiblemovie,Ethan Hunt recruits Luther, a disavowed IMF agent, to help him break into the CIA headquarters in Langley. The first movie in the series established that Hunt could trust nobody, and he even suspected that Luther would betray him. However, it is a relief when Luther is revealed to actually be on his side. Not killing off Luther altered the course of the franchise, as he has become one of the bestcharacters in theMission: Impossiblemovies.
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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
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After helping Ethan Hunt throughout the first movie, Luther has appeared in every subsequentMission: Impossiblefilm. As one of the main characters in the franchise, it is a guarantee that he will have a significant role in theupcomingMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. The upcoming movie will be the first film in the series that is not completely standalone, as it will pick up not long after the events ofDead Reckoning. Therefore,Luther will be helping Ethan Hunt take down the Entity in the film.
Our Take On Rhames' Comments About The Mission: Impossible Franchise
Luther & Ethan Hunt Have A Great Relationship In The Mission: Impossible Franchise
Even though Ethan Hunt can often be a self-reliant character,theMission: Impossiblefranchise wouldn’t be nearly as good without characters like Luther and Benji. It’s important for Ethan Hunt to have allies and friends who he cares about, so it was ultimately the right decision not to kill off Luther in the first movie. It is shocking that Rhames was originally going to be killed off very early into the first film. However, since he survived, I am very excited to watch him inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which releases in theaters on June 20, 2025.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Cast
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a formidable AI called the Entity that has compromised global intelligence networks. With new allies and a haunting figure from Hunt’s past in pursuit, they must act quickly to avert a global catastrophe.
