Summary
- Director Christopher McQuarrie insists that Ilsa's death in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One was meant to be a heroic and impactful moment, and he has no plans to bring her character back in the sequel.
- Ilsa's death is a turning point for the franchise, as it deeply affects Ethan Hunt and sets up emotional stakes for the film. It also creates a personal grievance against Gabriel, adding another reason for vengeance.
- While Ilsa's absence will be felt, another character named Grace can step in to Ethan and honor Ilsa's memory. McQuarrie has already decided that Ilsa will remain dead in the sequel.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One director Christopher McQuarrie is not planning to have Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) return to the franchise. After Gabriel (Esai Morales) stabbed Ilsa and left her to die, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds her lifeless body and mourns her death. However, many theories about Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two suspect that Ilsa is secretly alive and simply playing dead, as Ethan instructed her to earlier in the film.
Speaking with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ending makes it difficult for the director to revive her. Also, her death giving her life more meaning is another reason that McQuarrie isn't interested in revealing that she never truly died. Check out his quote below:
“It’s a very heroic death for that character. It is not in any way, shape, or form disposable. It's a noble and heroic death. That, to me, is the hardest thing to find for a character. [Ilsa dying for Grace was] hugely important, and again arose organically from the story. Her death was one of the first things we shot. But the reasons came later – and we were not satisfied the first time I cut the scene together without those reasons in place. As a scene all by itself in a vacuum, [it] didn't work. It was all before we had shot the Pom and Ethan fight. The stakes of that sequence, and the gravity of that death, we were not going to stop until it had meaning, and until it had dignity. It's not about revenge – it becomes a test of character. It's not whether or not a character dies. It's not what group that character represents, when that character dies. It's not what emotion that character instills in the protagonist when that character dies. It's the value of that character's death. It's not any more complicated than that: did they die for a reason?”
Ilsa's Death Is A Turning Point For Mission: Impossible
Ilsa first appeared in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation as a double agent working to stop the Syndicate. From there, she quickly became a standout in the franchise as an action hero capable of taking down enemies far larger than her. While recent movies teased a relationship between Ilsa and Ethan, they remained friends and colleagues and never crossed over into a true romance. Still, Ilsa's death in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One has changed Ethan forever.
Ethan has again lost a potential partner, and Ilsa's death will be a turning point in the franchise. Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two is set to continue the story, and Gabriel is sure to play a major role. Ethan will be working to stop the Entity while also nursing a personal grievance against Gabriel. It is another reason for vengeance, as Gabriel was also involved in the death of Ethan's mystery partner. The entry has deep-seated emotional stakes to explore, and it is primed to present a new side of Ethan that will not just involve an impossible mission.
Grace will also be impacted by Ilsa because the heroic sacrifice gives Grace reasons to fully Ethan. She is a character who can replace Ilsa as Ethan's partner while also honoring Ilsa's memory. With the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Dead Reckoning Part Two is still months away from even concluding production, but it looks like McQuarrie has already settled that Ilsa will remain dead. Regardless of how McQuarrie handles her death in the sequel, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One allowed Ilsa to have an impactful and heroic ending.
