Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Director Defends Film's Shocking Death

Over the course of more than two decades and six films, the Mission: Impossible franchise has seen characters come and go for a variety of reasons, but with the seventh installment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, audiences said some tragic goodbyes. With some fans still coming to terms with the loss and holding out hope that things aren't as permanent as implied, director Christopher McQuarrie confirmed that it was because the series has often skirted around delivering fatal consequences that he knew he had to make the difficult decision to kill off a fan-favorite character. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is in theaters now.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

The opening sequence of the new film shows Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) having her death faked by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), though later in the film, she is seemingly killed for real by Gabriel (Esai Morales). This scene was meant to highlight how often those closest to Ethan suffer the consequences of his actions, or in this case, his inactions.

"[It was] a really tough decision. But it was one we knew we had to make for the movie to have stakes and for the movie to remain Mission," McQuarrie shared with USA Today. "Mission is primarily Ethan's journey (and) there is this continuum that the people closest to him, he tends to lose them. It was a really tricky conversation for us to have, and we knew that there would be some reactions to that, but we also knew this is the reality of the world that's been created over seven movies."

Given the series' tendency to deceive not only the characters in the movies but also the audiences themselves, some audiences are likely holding out hope that Ilsa's death was another orchestrated element of Ethan's plan. McQuarrie's comments, however, seem to imply that the decision won't be reversed, as that could potentially reverse the stakes Part One aimed to offer.

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which premiered in theaters on July 12th. It's the beginning of the end for the action-packed franchise, as Cruise reteams with longtime collaborator and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie for more death-defying and breathtaking stunts. Hunt and allies Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) attempt to track down a new weapon with the power to tear the world apart. Actors Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales join the cast for the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is set to wrap up with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is in theaters now. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two currently has a release date of June 28, 2024.

What did you think of Ilsa's death? Let us know in the comments!