Ostensibly, there’s very little we know about the “Mission: Impossible” character, Ethan Hunt. Audiences know next to nothing about the character…or do they? Well, one movie lover is on a mission that may seem impossible: to identify and understand who the hell Ethan Hunt is.
In this video essay from Patrick H. Willems, we take a step by step breakdown of the enigmatic man. There has to be some substance to Hunt’s character. After all, he is the lead character of a franchise that has grossed millions of dollars time and again. Arguably, Ethan Hunt comes off as a pretty bland caricature of a spy. But with the first installment of the series, we get just a enough information to complicate his character.
As Willems describes, Ethan is an only child to a single mother who grew up in the Mid-West. He likely went to a good college, enrolled in the military and then was recruited by IMF. There, he found allies and a father figure in Jim Phelps. Devotees of the franchise will know that everything Ethan has built up at this point is completely negated and warped; he is betrayed by the people around him.
The series progresses and Ethan becomes a far more intense figure. Eventually he foregoes the personal life he cultivated for himself in “Mission: Impossible III” and now we see Ethan as the work obsessed spy, constantly putting himself in danger as a means to the success of a mission. In the end, Ethan has one purpose: the mission he is given.
In a twist that you may or may not see coming, Willems identifies who Ethan Hunt truly is at his core. Taking less than a minute to explain, we won’t ruin his flash analysis here.