Do we like them?

Do we like Ethan Hunt?

A character from Mission: Impossible (1996–2025)

Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, back him. He's loyal, brave and always puts people before orders. The only cost is that following him means a lot of explosions, falls and trouble with his bosses.

Ethan Hunt works for the Impossible Missions Force, a covert agency that handles dangerous jobs the government can't acknowledge. Over the films he grows from a capable young agent into the leader of a small, loyal team. He is known for pulling off 'impossible' missions, usually against the odds and often by ignoring protocol and direct orders.

His strengths are nerve, observation and misdirection. He prefers to outwit people rather than fight them, and he tries not to endanger innocents. His biggest flaw is that he can't let go. He takes every disaster personally and puts the mission, and sometimes his own life, ahead of everything else. Friends like Luther and Benji follow him because he does the same for them.

The first film sets up his rulebook. His team is wiped out and he is framed for treason, so he learns to trust almost no one. Later films repeat the pattern, with betrayals by the CIA and from inside the IMF. Each time he keeps going and slowly becomes more of a moral leader than a lone operator.

That's why he scores so high. He is reckless and a nightmare for his superiors, but he is steady, selfless and fiercely loyal where it counts.