Other than the incredible stunts from Tom Cruise, what drives many audiences back to the Mission: Impossible franchise is Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) team members and their undeniably charming dynamic. Ethan Hunt’s team, and how important they are to the IMF agent, is at the heart of the movie. His loyalty and love for his friends, even have Ethan constantly repeating the statement that their lives will always matter more to him, than his own. No matter how long he’s known them.

Consisting of deadly special agents, traitors, love interests, and highly intelligent hackers, here are the best members of Ethan Hunt’s expansive IMF team throughout the franchise.

10 August Walker – Henry Cavill

August Walker was one of the most valuable members of Ethan’s IMF team. He was a deeply skilled fighter; he was highly intelligent, and his large physique made Walker an imposing presence. Plus, the pumping of his arms, before going to town on his enemy, is one of the best moments in cinema.
However, the fact that Walker was an undercover Apostle going by the name of John Locke, attempting to nuke a large portion of the world’s food supply, as well as trying to defeat Hunt and anyone he loves, makes Walker a pretty lousy teammate. But other than that, Walker has all the elements to be one of the best.
Related: 20 Movies Like Mission: Impossible To Watch Next

9 Julia Meade-Hunt – Michelle Monaghan

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Julia was once Ethan’s wife. After thinking the life of being a spy wouldn’t have its consequences, Ethan Hunt believed he could live his life and start a family. But he quickly learned that he couldn’t. Soon, he and his wife are kidnapped and tortured by the spine-chilling antagonist, Owen Davian, teaching Ethan that Julia is safer without him.
Julia isn’t a spy. She doesn’t have any special combat skills, nor is she a great hacker. However, that’s not to say she hasn’t amounted to anything. She’s killed villains, saved the world, and saved Ethan’s life. Her importance to Ethan makes Julia one of the best and most important team members in the franchise.

8 Lindsey Farris – Kerri Russell

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Lindsey Farris was Ethan’s very first “padawan”, as it were. She was trained and mentored by the great Ethan Hunt, which led to Ethan passing her and recommending for her to join the field. It was Lindsey, who, after Ethan’s retirement, had forced Ethan to come back and save her from the hands of Owen Davian. Seeing the teacher-student dynamic was ever so endearing, and seeing the two fight side by side was awesome. Lindsey created deeply personal stakes for Ethan, and her death by way of a bomb implanted in her brain exploding was emotional, and gave Ethan a personal motivation to take down Davian.

7 Jane Carter – Paula Patton

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The women from Mission: Impossible are the most badass characters in the franchise, and IMF Agent Carter was one of the first to make this statement ring true. She is smart, skilled, and determined. She helped the rogue IMF team save the day in Ghost Protocol, which without her wouldn’t be possible. Her emotionally-driven revenge story was one of the best aspects of Ghost Protocol. As Agent Carter is determined to track down and kill the assassin who killed the love of her life, Trevor Hanaway.

6 Zhen Lei – Maggie Q

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Zhen Lei is another character in the Mission: Impossible franchise that proves that the women of the franchise are the best. Zhen Lei was on hand to help Ethan on the failed rescue of Lindsey Farris, which led to the team capturing Owen Davian. Likewise, Lei helped Ethan and his team in the Vatican and Tokyo heists. She is a deadly, highly intelligent weapons, demolition, and close-quarters expert, who could ever give Ilsa Faust a run for her money. She has yet to return to the franchise, but we do hope one day that she will.

5 Grace – Hayley Attwell

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First introduced in the latest Mission: Impossible flick, Dead Reckoning Part 1, Grace immediately became one of the best characters in the franchise. Due to her shady past of theft and robbery, Grace is incredibly shifty, and highly intelligent. She is an incredible pick-pocket, and throughout the movie, shows off her tenacity. We can’t wait to see her again, and see her journey grow as a new-found IMF agent.

4 William Brant – Jeremy Renner

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William Brant was originally introduced in the franchise as an analyst with a mysterious past, which Ethan quickly called him out on. Since then, Brant has become an incredibly valuable member of the team. He’s extremely skilled in close-quarters combat and after Ghost Protocol, he was promoted to a more senior role, which really benefited Ethan and the team to get out of some tight situations. Brant is another character that we hope returns to the franchise, as his absence is sorely felt.
Related: Jeremy Renner’s Best Action Movies

3 Ilsa Faust – Rebecca Ferguson

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Ilsa is, without a doubt, the deadliest character in the franchise. Her past as an MI5 spy taught her the skills necessary to go undercover as an apostle for the Syndicate in Rogue Nation, where she met Ethan Hunt. Ilsa is incredibly intelligent, tenacious, confident, and very loyal to her friends. Ilsa’s and Ethan’s romantic relationship is deeply endearing, and adds moments of emotional levity and plenty of stakes to the action-packed franchise.

2 Benji Dunn – Simon Pegg

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It’s always a joy to see Benji turn up on screen. He’s witty, intelligent, and a really loyal companion. Benji is a master hacker, and plays an incredibly vital part on Ethan’s IMF team. As one of Ethan’s closest friends, he heavily relies on Benji for the majority of his missions. Although most missions are way out of Benji’s comfort zone, Benji will always be there for his team, no matter the cost.

1 Luther Stickell – Ving Rhames

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Without a doubt, Luther is Ethan’s best teammate. Having been there from the start, Luther has joined Ethan on pretty much every mission in the franchise. Much like Benji, Luther is a fantastic hacker. In many ways, better than Benji. Although the two work together, it’s Luther who does all the hard jobs, in terms of hacking. He illegally hacks a Russian satellite, as well as attempting to disarm many, many bombs.