The Women Of ‘Mission: Impossible’ Ranked — That Hashtag Show

Although Tom Cruise is synonymous with the Mission: Impossible franchise, women have greatly impacted these action films.

Mission: Impossible has been a cinema mainstay for almost 30 years. Throughout the decades, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt has met his match in a variety of sleek and powerful female characters. Whilst the movie, which recently released its seventh installment, has been criticized for being male-dominated; it has had its fair share of interesting, complex, and beautiful women.

Here are 10 leading ladies who have made an impact on the Mission: Impossible movies. Warning, spoilers for the seven movies ahead.

Claire Phelps Played By Emmanuelle Béart

First appearing in 1996’s Mission: Impossible, Claire Phelps wasn’t just Jim Phelps’ (Jon Voight) wife. She was actually a criminal mastermind looking to make millions by selling state secrets. Despite controversy about the number of women killed in the first film, it showcases a fantastic female villain.

This twist especially works because Emmanuelle Béart plays Claire as sweet and naïve, hiding her character’s complexity until the latter portion of the movie. The more you watch the 1996 movie, the more you can retrospectively see the nuances in her performance…