Ahead of Mission: 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 in every Mission: Impossible movie. Over the years, the series has become more and more ambitious, and the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will see Ethan Hunt, Luther, and their allies continue to take on villains like the Enтιтy and Gabriel.

In an interview with Screen Rant‘s Ash Crossan for the release of Uppercut, which is now available to watch in select theaters and on digital, Rhames speaks about his experience with the Mission: Impossible franchise. He teases that The Final Reckoning will include a lot of emotional moments between 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 it. 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 first Mission: Impossible movie, 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 best characters in the Mission: Impossible movies.

After helping Ethan Hunt throughout the first movie, Luther has appeared in every subsequent Mission: Impossible film. As one of the main characters in the franchise, it is a guarantee that he will have a significant role in the upcoming Mission: 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 of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning. Therefore, Luther will be helping Ethan Hunt take down the Enтιтy 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, the Mission: Impossible franchise 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 in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which releases in theaters on May 23, 2025.