Of course, Hunt didn't let that happen and went on his own mission to find out who was the IMF mole working with arms dealer Max (Vanessa Redgrave). Kittridge was on Hunt's tail throughout, but Ethan managed to evade capture long enough to discover the mole was Hunt's mentor Jim Phelps (Jon Voight).
James "Jim" Phelps is the main antagonist of the 1996 film, Mission: Impossible. He is the original head of the IMF and the former mentor-turned-archenemy of Ethan Hunt, who became a mole selling top secret IMF information.
Ethan plays along, even though he knows Jim is the mole. He lets Jim explain why someone would become a mole and doesn't let Jim know that Ethan is on to him.
After Ethan finds Phelps surprisingly, he recounts surviving the shooting, naming Eugene Kittridge as the mole. Hunt realizes Phelps is the mole, having stolen a Bible with a Gideon stamp from Chicago's Drake Hotel during a previous assignment known to Hunt's team.
Ethan reflects on this, while in reality piecing together the clues he discovers leading up to his operation and realizes that Phelps is the mole, Job.
Mission: Impossible (1996) - A Mole Hunt Scene (2/9) | Movieclips
Why did they think Ethan was the mole?
Kittridge indicates that he believes Ethan is the mole due to his family mysteriously receiving $120,000 recently. Ethan escapes the restaurant after Kittridge suggests they leave quietly. Kittridge receiving a phone call from Ethan Hunt upon Hunt hearing of his mother's arrest.
What happened to Ethan Hunt's wife in Mission: Impossible?
It was revealed in that film that Meade's death was faked as a way of keeping her safe. Obviously, her marriage with Hunt didn't last. Writer and director Christopher McQuarrie posted Monaghan's photo on his Instagram account confirming that Monaghan will be reprising her role in Mission: Impossible 6.
Claire is Jim's wife and co-conspirator and was working with him all the way up until she died. The reason that Claire's death hits so hard is that she dies after being shot by Jim, meaning her death comes from her husband's betrayal.
Did Ethan and Claire sleep together in Mission: Impossible?
The first Mission: Impossible movie is the sexiest in the franchise due to the forbidden romance between Ethan and Claire, despite no evidence of an affair. Hunt and Claire's relationship is complex and marked by tension and longing, making it more alluring than consummation.
Knowing that he will be exposed before he can complete a list of the survivors, Ethan kidnaps Charlie Pace and the pregnant Claire Littleton for scientific research.
After a tense standoff in one of the rear luggage cars (during which Phelps takes the money from Ethan), Claire reveals she feels guilty about what she has done and tries to prevent Phelps from killing Hunt, causing Phelps to kill her instead.
The 1996 movie featured Jon Voight's Jim Phelps staging his own death during the film's opening mission. It was a deception designed to take his enemies focus off of him entirely before he returned. Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa also died from a stab wound on a bridge, just like Jim Phelps pretended to.
11. Claire Phelps (Mission: Impossible I) Claire Phelps conspired with her husband to kill their friends and betray their government for not that much money. She then pretended to be on Ethan's side so he could steal her a list that would lead to many more deaths.
Prior to his betrayal by Phelps, Ethan saw him as his father figure and respected him. However, after being betrayed, he lost all of his faith in Phelps and saw his as criminal who deserved to die. He would not learn the truth until 2014. Ethan is incredibly intelligent, and almost recklessly daring in his missions.
It is implied/said that Ethan did suspect Jim when he saw him (On the train, Ethan says "before London, but after you took the Bible from the Drake hotel in Chicago", when Jim asks when Ethan figured it out.), but he presumably played along throughout the scene.
Despite Ethan asserting that he brought the real Rabbit's Foot, Davian seemingly shoots Julia and leaves. Musgrave arrives and reveals himself as the actual IMF traitor. Julia is still alive, and the dead woman is actually Davian's translator, who is used to confirm the authenticity of the Rabbit's Foot.
Did Ethan and Claire (Emmanuelle Beart) sleep together? Yes. ”There was a love scene on the train after they recruit” disavowed agents Luther and Krieger (Ving Rhames and Jean Reno), says De Palma, ”but it wasn't essential.”
Why did Ethan and Julia get divorced in Mission: Impossible?
Ethan and Julia gaze at each other, until Julia went to meet some friends at a nearby restaurant. They get divorced, when Ethan decides not to sit around while the world is in danger. They reunite when Ethan and his team are on a mission. They are still friends and help Ethan's team out.
Although it seems like they may be dating, Ethan Hunt and Ilsa Faust aren't actually in a relationship in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. This was confirmed by longtime Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie, who explained he simply didn't want them to be in a relationship.
Phelps resurfaces unexpectedly, recounts surviving the shooting, and tells Ethan that Kittridge is the mole. However, Ethan has already realized that Phelps is the mole after discovering that the Bible he used in Prague was taken from Chicago's Drake Hotel, where Phelps was stationed on a previous assignment.
Phelps revealing himself as the mole. James "Jim" Phelps (c. 1939 – March 15, 1996) was the main antagonist in the 1996 film Mission Impossible and its 1998 accompanying video game. He was the rogue director of the Impossible Mission Force who tries to orchestrate a conspiracy.
Renner's absence in Mission: Impossible -- Fallout was due to scheduling conflicts with the MCU, not the filmmakers' lack of desire to bring him back. With Tom Cruise potentially exiting the franchise after one more film, Jeremy Renner could be the new lead for future Mission: Impossible movies.
Meade died at the age of 90 on May 16, 2016, in her home in Manhattan. She was married to Oliver Worsham Rudd, Jr., a commercial illustrator, from 1952 until his death in 1999.
Rebecca Ferguson is clarifying the reasons behind her exit from the Mission: Impossible franchise. The actress behind Ilsa Faust called the character's planned death in 2023's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One “collaborative” in an upcoming interview on WrapWomen's UnWrapped podcast, per TheWrap.
