Mission: Impossible is one of the few action movie franchises that seems to get better with each movie. There aren’t many series of action movies that get better reviews on the sixth installment than the first. But that’s what happens when your lead actor – in this case, Tom Cruise – keeps pushing for bigger set pieces, more complex plots, and above all, crazier stunts.
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It’s no wonder Paramount has greenlit seventh and eighth M:I movies to shoot back-to-back with returning writer-director Christopher McQuarrie. Light the fuse and duck for cover, because here are the Myers-Briggs® personality types of Mission: Impossible characters.
JULIA MEADE – ISFP
In Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Ethan Hunt’s estranged wife was revealed to have been working as a doctor at a medical camp in Kashmir, showing she is sensitive, friendly, and kind, in line with Myers-Briggs’ ISFP type. She also lives in the moment – you don’t go overseas to work as a doctor if you’re thinking about financial security and the future.
She couldn’t stay married to Ethan due to his erratic lifestyle. Just like an ISFP type, she doesn’t enjoy conflicts and disagreements (i.e. Ethan’s whole line of work), although she doesn’t force her opinions on other people. While she didn’t like the fact that Ethan was an international secret agent, she didn’t try to stop him from doing it.
WHITE WIDOW – ENTP
Alanna Mitsopolis, best known by her alias “the White Widow,” is introduced in Mission: Impossible – Fallout as the secondary villain to John Lark. However, one of the movie’s many plot twists is that she’s been secretly working for the CIA, so it turns out she was a protagonist all along.
She’s good at reading people and figuring out their motivations and using them to get what she wants. She’s also very smart and adept at hiding her true self, yet ultimately coming through for people. This lines her up with the Myers-Briggs personality type ENTP. The White Widow is also known for her unpredictable lifestyle. For her, no two days are the same. That’s classic ENTP.
ILSA FAUST – INFJ
Rebecca Ferguson’s femme fatale Ilsa Faust turned out to be less of a femme fatale than we thought, as it was revealed she’d been working deep undercover for the Syndicate – a cover that Ethan almost blew by getting in over his head.
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To go undercover with any criminal organization shows a great deal of commitment, as well as an interest in exploring relationships as you develop fake ones with your enemies without their knowledge. This makes Ilsa a prime INFJ personality type – she is conscientious, committed, smart, decisive, and has a clear vision of how to serve the common good.
SOLOMON LANE – ISTJ
Despite being an anarchist and an evil genius, Sean Harris’ villainous character of Solomon Lane is still solemn and quiet and contemplative. He’s something of an introvert. Whereas some movie bad guys will run their mouth to the good guys when they have them tied up and if they’re sitting in a car, Lane will keep his mouth shut.
He was the mastermind behind the Syndicate and he seems to always be one step ahead of Ethan Hunt. This makes him an ISTJ type: quiet, serious, practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and (to the other bad guys, at least) dependable. He makes a thorough plan and then sees it through.
WILLIAM BRANDT – ISTP
Jeremy Renner’s Mission: Impossible role was written into Ghost Protocol to give the franchise a new leading man in case Tom Cruise got too old for the franchise. As shown by his skydiving and roof-hopping in Fallout, Cruise isn’t going anywhere, so there’s really no need for Renner anymore.
ISTP types analyze what works for them and implement it, which is a no-brainer for Brandt, because he is literally an intelligence analyst. Brandt mostly stays quiet – until there’s a problem, like Ethan Hunt falling down the side of the Burj Khalifa, and then he jumps into action. He doesn’t ruffle any feathers – he simply looks for workable solutions to problems.
ALAN HUNLEY – INFP
Alan Hunley’s loyalties moved around a lot over the course of his M:I character arc, but he always remained loyal to his country. He is loyal to his values, but also the people close to him, so he will switch sides to join forces with Ethan if he realizes he’s breaking the law because he’s uncovered a wider conspiracy.
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This makes him a classic INFP type, especially due to his adaptability. Hunley moved seamlessly from the position of CIA Director to IMF Secretary. He is also “accepting unless a value is threatened.” He’ll stick by Ethan until he goes against one of his values – then he’ll start to question his methods.
AUGUST WALKER – INTJ
Henry Cavill’s duplicitous double agent from Mission: Impossible – Fallout answers to no one but himself. He has allegiances to Ethan’s team, Solomon Lane, and the CIA, and for a lot of the movie, we’re not sure exactly which side he’s on. This places him in the INTJ personality category – he’s skeptical and independent.
Walker has his own unique perspective on every situation, which means he grates on just about everyone he interacts with, but he is committed to carrying out a plan when he sets his mind to it. Hopefully, Cavill’s mustachioed villain will be back for M:I-7.
BENJI DUNN – ESTP
Benji Dunn is given a larger and larger role in each Mission: Impossible movie, probably because Simon Pegg is so darn likable – and provides the movies with great comic relief. Benji is fun, outgoing, and friendly, which makes him the ideal candidate for an ESTP personality.
ESTP types are also known to make work fun, which is exactly what Benji does when he plays video games at his desk, with a mirror set up so he can see his boss coming and quickly turn his gaming station back into a work station. Also, as shown by his transition from technician to field agent, he adapts quickly to new situations.
LUTHER STICKELL – ISFJ
Luther is shown to be a man of few words. When he does speak up, it’s all business. The guy just wants to get the job done – he’s as dedicated to his work as anyone else on the IMF team, paralleled perhaps only by Ethan. But he’s also friendly. He’s not just a co-worker to the IMF team; he’s a friend, too.
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He gets down to business when they’re on an assignment, but then after they’re done, he’s a guy you can have a beer with. He’s extremely loyal to the team – he’ll do anything to help them out, no matter what it is or where they are in the world.
ETHAN HUNT – ENTJ
Myers-Briggs’ ENTJ type applies to people who are frank, decisive, and assume leadership readily. Ethan Hunt is so decisive that he won’t think twice about jumping out of a tenth-floor window if it’ll get him closer to achieving his goal. They also quickly spot the problems with the logic and efficiency of any organization’s policies and procedures, which is an apt description of Ethan’s relationship with the government – he’s not above bending the rules for the greater good.
Hunt forces his own ideas on the rest of the team. If Ethan wants to take down a villain or stop a bomb one way, the rest of the team can’t convince him to do it another way.
