1996’sMission: Impossiblehas a thrilling conclusion as Ethan Hunt exposes the IMF’s mole, clears his name, and sets up a major franchise. Tom Cruise headlines the spy thriller as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, whose life is turned upside down when his entire team seemingly dies during a mission disguised as a mole hunt. This forces Ethan to go on the run from theIMF and Eugene Kittridge(Henry Czerny) and assemble a team of disavowed agents so they can steal the NOC List from the CIA so he can sell it to Max (Vanessa Redgrave) and expose the mole’s real identity.
The ending of1996’sMission: Impossiblemethodically wraps up the central story through a finale set entirely on a train. By wearing a mask to disguise himself as Jim Phelps (Jon Voight),Ethan confirms that Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) was working with her husbandto betray the IMF and frame him. Ethan gets the upper hand on them both by sharing footage with Kittridge that confirms Jim isn’t dead. That leads to the climactic fight atop the train, with Jim and Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) dying in the attempted escape. Ethan saves the day for the first time of many.
How Ethan Figured Out Jim Phelps Was The IMF’s Mole
There Were Several Clues To Jim’s Turn
The identity of the IMF’s mole is the big mysteryat the heart ofMission: Impossibleand its ending. While Ethan has been framed as the mole, the movie focuses on two potential suspects: Jim and Kittridge. Since Jim is believed to be dead by everyone involved and is missing from the majority of the runtime, Kittridge is set up as the most likely answer. He’s hunting down the NOC List and was overseeing the mole hunt mission in Prague at the beginning. However, it’s ultimately confirmed that Jim is the IMF’s mole and planned to sell the NOC List to Max.
This becomes clear to audiences while the two are having dinner after Jim reveals himself to be alive. But, Ethan started to piece it all together earlier on.His first clue came when he saw Krieger’s knifeduring the Langley break-in. The same style of knife killed Sarah Davies (Kristin Scott Thomas) during the initial mission. While many other people could also have a knife similar to Krieger’s, it raised a red flag for Ethan.
His suspicions were then heightened after he discoveredthe Bible in the hotel came from the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Jim stayed at the Drake Hotel right before the Prague mission and brought the Bible back with him. That’s revealing because communications with Max relied on using passages, such as Job 3:14. The only reason Jim would bring the Bible back with him would be to ensure he had accurate verses to use while speaking with Max. Once Jim revealed himself to be alive, Ethan knew that he must be the IMF’s mole - even as Jim suggested Kittridge.
Why Jim Turned On The IMF
His Motivations Are Outlined
Jim’s villain reveal inMission: Impossible’s ending is a major twist, which could leave questions about why he did it. He not-so-subtly reveals his motivations during his dinner with Ethan. While he tries to pin it all on Kittridge still, Jim cites the end of the Cold War and a President of the United States who runs the country without working closely with the intelligence community as the reasons why someone would turn on the IMF. He goes on to reference being an"obsolete piece of hardware not worth updating,“having a lousy marriage, and making $62K a year as additional motivating factors.
Jim’s plan would also have eliminated the person he might think his wife could leave him for
Jim may be acting like these are reasons why Kittridge would turn bad, but it’s clear that he’s speaking about himself here. Jim is an older field agent who sees his career coming to an end.He’s clearly unsatisfied with his work and his pay, and he wants a fresh start. He would’ve made millions selling the NOC List to Max, allowing him and Claire to start a new life together. And considering there are also teases of Claire having feelings for Ethan, Jim’s plan would also have eliminated the person he might think his wife could leave him for.
Why Jim Killed Claire
There Were Multiple Factors At Play
One of the unexpected moments inMission: Impossible’s ending is Claire’s death. This is primarily due to her dying at the hand of Jim. Claire was complicit in Jim’s plan in Prague and was meant to leave the train with him. Her death was not entirely planned, but it was a calculated move on Jim’s part.
Jim kills Claire as a way to distract Ethan. Ethan had just revealed that Jim was alive to the IMF, making it clear that he was the real mole. Jim decides to shoot Claire,knowing that this will buy him some time to try and escapeas Ethan goes to save her.
The Claire, Jim, and Ethan love triangle also comes into play with this decision. Claire tells Jim not to shoot Ethan, and that clearly upsets him. It would seem he understands in this moment that Claire does have some feelings for him. She’d been against having Ethan die from the beginning, and Jim had enough of her standing up for him. As a result, Claire has one ofMission: Impossible’s most tragic deaths.
What Happened To The NOC List?
The Mission Was Accomplished
The NOC List, or the Non-Official Cover List, is the MacGuffin at the heart ofMission: Impossible’s story. It contains the identities of every American covert field agent, so exposing the truth about them would be a national crisis that could lead to the deaths of hundreds or thousands of individuals. The ending has Ethan give Max the NOC List, while Luther jams the signal so she cannot distribute it. In the very end, Kittridge and his IMF team approach Max and take the NOC List back.The copy of the list would likely be destroyedthen.
Kittridge & Max Begin A Secret Partnership
Future Movies Prove How Beneficial It Was
Max’s attempt to get the NOC List should have led to her facing criminal charges after Kittridge and his team bust her. However,Mission: Impossible’s ending takes things in a different direction. Kittridge and Max strike a deal to begin a secret partnership instead of Max bringing her lawyers into the equation and Kittridge arresting her. This is a way for the IMF to develop its connections worldwide and align itself with a powerful international arms dealer.
The fruits of this partnership are not built upon immediately for the franchise. It’s not until the introduction of Max’s daughter, Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby), inMission: Impossible - Falloutthat the series confirmsthe partnership between Max and the IMF continued for decadesand was passed down for Alanna to manage.
Why Kittridge Got Ethan’s Mom Arrested & What Happened To Her
A minor, but important, development inMission: Impossible’s third act is the reveal that Ethan’s mom and her brother are arrested.They are framed by Kittridge as being part of an international drug scheme. This was Kittridge’s way of applying some pressure on Ethan and indicating that the IMF can still hurt him through the people he loves, even if he could manage to stay out of their grasp.
Luckily,Mission: Impossible’s ending confirms that Ethan’s mom and her brother are set free later on. This allows them to return to their normal lives, confused about how they could be mistaken for being involved in such a crime.
How Mission: Impossible 1996’s Ending Sets Up The Franchise’s Future
Ethan & Luther’s Futures Are Teased
While the massive franchise that followed 1996’sMission: Impossiblewas not guaranteed upon its release, the movie did leave room for more adventures to come. This directly comes with Ethan’s conclusion. He indicates to Luther that he is not going back to the IMF after this mess. However, his mind seemingly changes when he’s approached on a plane about a mission in Aruba. The movie ends before we see Ethan watch the mission briefing, butit’s clear he’s not done being an IMF agent. That enables moreMission: Impossiblemoviesto be made.
The other big detail forMission: Impossible’s future comes withLuther being reinstated at the IMF. He has been removed from the disavowed list and plans to return to working in the espionage field legitimately. That’s a key moment considering Luther returns in every futureMission: Impossiblemovie.
It’s also worth mentioning thatMission: Impossiblesets upMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, even if that was not planned at the time. This comes through William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) being transported to man a radar tower in Alaska after the Langley break-in. That seemingly minor detail comes back inThe Final Reckoningwith Donloe’s return, even ifMission: Impossible1996 didn’t know the character and his location would be important going forward.
