Impossible Missions Force

Lore & Background

In Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the IMF is a small, elite team operating under the authority of Secretary Alan Hunley, a former CIA director who took the helm after the events of Rogue Nation. The team consists of field agent Ethan Hunt, computer hacker Luther Stickell, and technician Benji Dunn. They are tasked with preventing a nuclear attack by the Apostles, a terror-for-hire group, and their leader, Solomon Lane. The IMF's methods are improvisational and high-risk, as seen when Ethan chooses to save Luther instead of securing plutonium cores in Berlin.

The team operates with minimal oversight, often clashing with other agencies like the CIA, whose director, Erika Sloane, insists on embedding her agent, August Walker, with the team. The IMF's loyalty is to the mission and to each other, as demonstrated when Hunley defends the team against accusations that Ethan is the real John Lark. The film ends with Sloane praising Ethan for caring about every individual life, highlighting the IMF's core value of protecting the innocent.

Reader's Guide

The Impossible Missions Force in Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a small, deniable team operating under the IMF Secretary Alan Hunley. The team's primary goal is to prevent a nuclear attack by the Apostles and their leader, Solomon Lane. Key operatives include Ethan Hunt (field agent), Luther Stickell (computer hacker), and Benji Dunn (technician). The team often works with MI6 agent Ilsa Faust.

The IMF's methods are improvisational and high-risk, as seen when Ethan deviates from the plan to save a police convoy. The team faces opposition from the CIA, which embeds agent August Walker to monitor them. The IMF's success depends on the loyalty and sacrifice of its members, as demonstrated when Hunley dies defending the team. The film's climax involves the team working together to defuse two nuclear bombs in Kashmir, with Ethan ultimately disarming the detonator after a helicopter chase. The IMF's impact is profound yet unseen, as Sloane's narration praises Ethan for caring about every individual life.

Did You Know?

• The film's script was based on a 33-page early outline or treatment, not the final shooting script.
• Tom Cruise broke his ankle during a stunt, delaying filming for several months and inflating the budget.
• The film's climax was set in Kashmir, near the Siachen Glacier, where the Apostles orchestrated a nuclear detonation, using a measles outbreak as a cover story.
• Fallout grossed $791.1 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Mission: Impossible series.