Tom Cruise reinvigorated the Mission: Impossible franchise when he starred as the main protagonist of the Hollywood film series. Ethan Hunt was not the typical IMF agent shown in the classic television TV series. He had access to a wide array of gadgets and technologies that allowed him to participate in far more dangerous missions involving various world threats.
Hunt has continued to play a pivotal role in the films as he engages in one daring stunt after another. He's also had plenty of memorable quotes over the course of the popular action franchise, and that's part of what makes his character so fun to watch. Even in the midst of a heated action sequence, Hunt demonstrates wit, hilarity, and seriousness in all the things he says.
Updated on December 16th, 2021 by Derek Draven: Ethan Hunt is set to return in a brand new Mission: Impossible film in 2022, which is why it's a good idea to go back and check out the older films, which are loaded with a ton of excellent quotes. Whether in the middle of a daring firefight or when planning the next phase of his mission, Hunt's ability to read a situation, and come up with ingenious solutions to challenges is reflected in his quotes, proving why he's one of the best heroes in action movies to date.
Ethan Is All About Taking Chances
"We Just Rolled Up A Snowball And Tossed It Into Hell. Now Let's See What Chance It Has."
The business of being an IMF agent was a dangerous one, and Hunt learned that early on in his career. By the time he faced down rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose and his crew, he was ready for anything. What he wasn't prepared for was sending Nyah Nordoff-Hall into the lion's den.
Hunt's plan was to use her past relationship with Ambrose as a trojan horse, but it put her in incredible danger at the same time. With no real recon or intel regarding Ambrose's plan, Hunt uttered this quote to describe the peril of sending Nyah in to squeeze blood out of a stone.
Ethan Hunt Is A Force Of Nature
"I Am The Storm."
The opening of Mission: Impossible - Fallout finds Ethan Hunt awakening from a rather traumatic nightmare, finding himself in a safe-house in Belfast. He heads downstairs to investigate a knock at the front door from a man carrying a sealed package, and triggering a code phrase exchange.
Ethan reacts to the code phrase "Fate whispers to the warrior..." with "...a storm is coming." The delivery man continues with "And the warrior whispers back...," to which Ethan replies "...I am the storm." Not only is it a cool and ominous way to start an exciting new spy movie, but it pretty much sums up Ethan to a T.
Ethan Goes Back And Forth With Ambrose In Mission: Impossible 2
"I Would Have Thought The Hardest Part Was Serving That Pressing Need Of Yours To Get Your Gun Off."
There was no love lost between Ethan Hunt and his fellow IMF agent and body double Sean Ambrose. When the latter went rogue, Ethan wasn't particularly surprised, especially given his methods on previous IMF missions.
When the two finally met in person during a shootout for the Chimera virus, they took a brief respite to catch up. Ambrose made a quip about finding it hard to "grin like an idiot" while doubling Ethan Hunt with a face mask. Hunt retaliated with this quote, which summed up Ambrose's penchant for impulsive and violent behavior that ended up working against him, rather than in his favor.
Ethan Is Never Afraid To Go Rogue
"The CIA Has Been Infiltrated. I Don't Trust Anybody Outside Of This Room. We're Gonna' Have To Go Alone."
The premise of Fallout became one of Hunt's most dangerous missions to date, especially since the CIA itself was compromised. Since the organization was already on bad terms with the IMF, Hunt believed that the stakes had never been higher.
Hunt uttered this quote as a demonstration of his ability to lead a team, relying heavily on trust as a main factor. It paid off in the end, and he was able to complete his mission while preventing a nuclear catastrophe that would have poisoned the water supply for millions of people.
Ethan Gives Julia A Heck Of An Ultimatum In Mission: Impossible III
"I've Got A Charge In My Head. I'm Going To Die Unless You Kill Me!"
After going through Hell and back to save his wife Julia from the sadistic Owen Davian, one of Mission: Impossible's smartest characters, Ethan was forced to deal with one final threat - a micro-explosive implanted in his head that has been triggered for a countdown. With seconds left until his death, he instructed Julia to electrocute him with a pair of loose cables.
The quote is simultaneously chilling, and hilarious, as Julia struggles to come to grips with what Ethan is suggesting. Though patently ridiculous on its face, it was the only way to short out the micro-explosive, and prevent it from detonating, after which time Julia could revive him via CPR.
Ethan's Back And Ready To Fight
"If The Secretary Wanted Me Out Of There, It Must Be Pretty Bad Out Here."
Hunt was known for taking on missions that even the most diehard of IMF agents would think twice about. One involved spending time in a brutal Russian prison in a deep cover operation, but that mission was cut short due to more dire circumstances breaking out.
After being broken out of the prison by Benji and Jane Carter, Hunt uttered this quote. It essentially summed up just how bad the situation had become, as pulling Hunt out of the field and reassigning him meant that a dangerous threat was imminent.
Ethan Needs To Save Everybody
"Just Stay Alive! I'm NOT Going To Lose You!"
After being cornered with no escape vector inside the med lab, Hunt knew that his options were limited. So did Nyah, who picked up the Chimera virus under Ambrose's order, and chose to inject herself with it. This allowed her to shield Hunt from gunfire, as Ambrose would not risk losing the virus, and a possible billion+ dollar payday.
It gave Hunt enough time to devise an escape plan by blowing out a wall with an explosive. Unfortunately, he had to leave Nyah behind with Ambrose, and come back for her later. His subsequent quote was one of the most emotionally charged in the entire series, and straight to the point. The game wasn't over yet.
It's Impossible To Beat Ethan At Mind Games
"If You're Dealing With Someone Who's Crushed, Stabbed, Shot And Detonated Five Members Of His Own IMF Team, How Devastated Do You Think You're Gonna' Make Him By Marching Ma And Uncle Donald Down To The County Court House?"
In an effort to draw Hunt out into the open, the cunning and clever IMF agent Kittridge decided on some strong-arm tactics, which involved framing his own mother and uncle as the masterminds of a major international drug smuggling ring. He even had them marched in front of the cameras outside of a courthouse to provide a TV feed for Hunt to see.
Hunt responded by phoning Kittridge from a payphone in Paris, knowing full well that they would try to use a 30-second window to trace the call. To keep up appearances, Hunt uttered this quote in order to simultaneously let Kittridge know that he was in Paris, which was all part of his plan.
Ethan Hunt On Vacations
"If I Let You Know Where I'm Going, I Won't Be On Holiday."
The opening scene of Mission: Impossible II showed Ethan Hunt engaging in some much-needed R&R, by rock-climbing without any safety gear. This was obvious, given his adrenaline junkie lifestyle as an IMF agent, but it was all part of living life to its absolute fullest.
Nevertheless, his vacation would be short-lived when an IMF chopper buzzed him at the top of a mountain and fired a rocket containing a data module about a brand new mission. Mission Commander Swanbeck asked him politely to tell them where he was going the next time he took a holiday, to which Ethan uttered this factually true quote.
Ethan Is Always A Man On A Mission
"What's Done Is Done, When We SAY It's Done!"
The first act of Fallout showcases a clever and complex plot to trick radical fundamentalist Nils Delbruuk into unlocking a phone used to communicate with John Lark, the leader of a terrorist faction known as The Apostles. It ends with Delbruuk in a fake hospital setting concocted by the IMF team, which was designed to make him think that his plan has succeeded.
When the IMF team makes their grand reveal, a shocked Delbruuk looks on with complete defeat in his eyes. Hunt stands over him and utters this cool quote, before injecting him with a sedative, and kicking the main Mission: Impossible title sequence into high gear. Delbruuk may have been one of the best henchmen of the Mission: Impossible films, but he was reduced to a puddle by the time this scene ended.
Ethan Beats Solomon Lane
"Gentlemen, This Is Solomon Lane. Mr. Lane, Meet The IMF."
Solomon Lane was one of Hunt's most lethal adversaries, with enough covert ops training as an MI6 agent to formulate his own anti-IMF group. It seemed like Lane was one step ahead of Hunt and his team at almost every turn, but eventually, the good guys gained the upper hand.
Hunt managed to lure Lane into a brilliant trap, imprisoning him in a box made out of reinforced bulletproof glass. It was then that Hunt revealed his full team to Lane, who were all-too-happy to see the rat finally caged. Hunt uttered this line, before turning the knockout gas on, ending Lane's campaign for a time.
Ethan Hunt Does What He Has To
"Desperate Times, Desperate Measures."
In an effort to confirm the existence of the shadowy organization known as The Syndicate, Hunt devised an ingenious plan to get the British Prime Minister to admit to its existence as a theoretical proposal, which was later turned into reality by SIS Chief Atlee. Hunt utilized his most popular mannerism, taking on Atlee's appearance, and lured CIA director Alan Hunley to a meeting where, using the disguise, he shot the Prime Minister with a tranquilizer dart.
A shocked Hunley soon realized that Hunt was telling the truth about The Syndicate the entire time, but laments the fact that he might have caused the biggest foreign relations incident since LBJ's disastrous handling of the Vietnam War. Hunt's response was badass.
Ethan Always Does The Right Thing
"By Fire. That's The Best Way, Really."
By all accounts, Ethan Hunt didn't exactly trust Mission Commander Swanbeck, believing him to be little more than a numbers man with a focus on completing a task, regardless of who was put in harm's way. It was Swanbeck who pushed for Nyah Nordoff-Hall to be used as a trojan horse to infiltrate Sean Ambrose's operation, a fact that Hunt resented.
By the time Ethan had accomplished his mission, Swanbeck was eager to find out what happened to the sample of the lethal Chimera virus in Ambrose's possession. Hunt replied with this quote, perhaps to let Swanbeck know that nobody, not even the IMF, should be in possession of such a lethal virus.
Nothing Stops Ethan Hunt
"Mission ACCOMPLISHED!"
Hunt faced one of his most dangerous moments when Cobalt terrorist member Kurt Hendricks managed to trigger a nuclear missile launch from a Russian submarine, directed at San Francisco. With minutes until detonation, Hunt pursued Hendricks through a car park and fought him in a brutal brawl for control of a device that could nullify the missile.
With nowhere to go, Hendricks leaped to his own death in order to buy time for the missile to strike the city. Hunt managed to get to it just in the nick of time, yelling out this quote before slamming his fist down on the detonator and exploding the missile harmlessly in mid-flight, preventing a catastrophe.
Nobody Wants Ethan As An Enemy
"Kittridge, You've Never SEEN Me Very Upset!"
After his entire IMF team was wiped out, fledgling agent Ethan Hunt turned to the only people he thought he could trust - his own superiors. Sadly, Hunt would soon learn that IMF director Kittridge fingered him as the culprit, citing his family's financial woes, and the fact that only he managed to walk away from the carnage.
Kittridge made it clear that Hunt was the prime suspect, forcing Hunt to quickly devise an escape scheme involving explosive chewing gum, and a fish tank. When Kittridge made a comment about understanding why Hunt would be upset at such a revelation, he responded with this quote, before making his spectacular escape.