Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) had a number of notable love interests in the Mission: Impossible movies, but his best partner was introduced in the franchise’s most underrated entry. The Mission: Impossible franchise is defined by Ethan’s relentless determination to save the day, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have time for some romance as well.
Admittedly, the love stories always come second to Mission: Impossible‘s wild stunts, but the right love interest can really elevate these action-packed thrillers. While the likes of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and Grace (Hayley Atwell) became important in the later Mission: Impossible movies, the great love of Ethan’s life is from his most overlooked mission.
Why Julia Is Ethan Hunt’s Best Love Interest In The Mission: Impossible Movies
Mission: Impossible III introduced the character of Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who still stands as the best love interest Ethan has had in the Mission: Impossible franchise. A big part of what sets her apart from the others is that she was not in the spy world when she got together with Ethan.
Aside from Julia, Ethan’s love interests were all either spies themselves, such as Ilsa Faust and Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart), or thieves recruited by the IMF, such as Grace and Nyah (Thandiwe Newton). Julia was an ordinary person who had no idea of Ethan’s life as a superspy. She offered him a glimpse at something outside his world-saving life.
Unfortunately, this is also the reason they couldn’t be together. Ethan couldn’t settle into an ordinary life, knowing that he could be the only one capable of stopping the next big threat. His work also constantly put her in danger, to the point that he needed to separate himself from her and let her live her life.
Despite the fact that Mission: Impossible III was the only movie where Ethan and Julia were really together, she was a key part of several other sequels. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol revealed Ethan kept watch over her as she continued to live her life, while Mission: Impossible – Fallout saw her targeted by Ethan’s enemies again.
Even with Mission: Impossible III being an underrated sequel, the franchise recognized how important Julia was to Ethan’s story and acknowledged that she was the true love he ultimately couldn’t be with.
Mission: Impossible 3 Set The Franchise Up For Future Success
Despite the fact that Mission: Impossible III doesn’t get the love it deserves, it was an essential movie in allowing the franchise to continue. Mission: Impossible II was a successful film, but the mixed reaction meant that the future of the franchise would be decided with the next installment. Mission: Impossible III established a style that defined the franchise.
While Mission: Impossible was always Ethan Hunt’s story, Mission: Impossible III reintroduced the team element that was such a big part of the original series. It even introduced Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), who became a pivotal teammate. It also became more than just an action movie, embracing the spy aspects once again.
The slick, blockbuster feel of the film helped to set the stage for the Mission: Impossible movies to gradually grow from here, including the stunts that would become a famous part of these movies. Without Mission: Impossible III, the franchise would never have reached eight installments.
