The Mission: Impossible franchise came to an explosive end weeks ago with the release of The Final Reckoning. Not only did Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie send off Ethan Hunt on a high note with some awesome action sequences, but they also tugged at fans’ heartstrings. That was particularly true with the handling of Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell, as the character sacrifices himself to limit the destruction of a bomb. Now, I’m in my feelings while hearing McQuarrie explain why Luther’s death had to happen, but I get it.
Before The Final Reckoning hit theaters, M:I fans were already resistant to the notion of Luther meeting his demise in the film. So it’s fair to imagine that many of them were feeling a way when they actually witnessed it on the big screen for themselves. Christopher McQuarrie is known for being a thoughtful storyteller, so he definitely didn’t off one of the franchise’s most beloved characters without a good reason. As McQuarrie explained to Empire, the development had to do with the narrative’s biggest theme:
The story was about sacrifice. The sacrifice in [Dead Reckoning], the movie had no teeth without it, without some loss.
Many of the Mission: Impossible films place emphasis on the notion of sacrifice, but that’s definitely the case when it comes to this latest installment. Ethan, Benji Dunn, Grace and co. all risk their lives to put a stop to Gabriel and the threat of the technological advanced Entity. Given that, someone had to lose their life or the story would’ve lacked any true potency. So, while Luther’s death and final exchange with Ethan are tragic, they certainly serve the plot. Christopher McQuarrie wasn’t the only one all in for this death, either.
The filmmaker – who’s fondly known as “McQ” to his colleagues – further explained that Ving Rhames also agreed with killing off Luther, who was already battling medical issues ahead of his death. Rhames made his debut as the character in the first M:I, which hit theaters back in 1996. Since then, he’s appeared in every installment of the series (and yes, that cameo in Ghost Protocol counts). McQuarrie says that Rhames was a pro when it came to helping to play out Luther’s sacrifice:
It was a sacrifice Ving leaned fully into. It was one he wanted to do, and one he was most moved by. Ving is such a phenomenal actor, such a giving actor, and the franchise wasn’t giving him those opportunities. I said, ‘We’ve got to get him out of the van and give him the more emotional stuff to play’. And he leaned into it. This was already forming in Fallout.
Believe it or not, there were actually other death-related ideas that Christopher McQuarrie toyed with for The Final Reckoning. In fact, he even considered killing off Ethan Hunt and thought about having that occur after the film’s awesome airplane sequence. Hunt ultimately lives to fight another day, though, as McQuarrie and co. shied away from offing him. Ethan’s fate is ultimately what lends more credence to the notion of the final scene being open-ended.
Should the M:I franchise return at some point, Luther Stickell won’t be in the fold, of course (barring some kind of flashback). The notion of Stickell having passed on is admittedly a tough pill to swallow. Nevertheless, I’m glad he receives a hero’s death, and I’m not sure I’ll ever forget his final, emotional message to Ethan, which plays at the end of the movie. Check out Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is still playing in theaters, and you can stream the other installments with a Paramount+ subscription.