Mission Impossible’s Ethan Hunt has given us some of cinema's most unforgettable moments, but which one reigns supreme? Here are five of the most jaw-dropping, iconic scenes that prove no mission is truly impossible.

Burj Khalifa Climb (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 2011)

In one of the franchise’s most breathtaking displays of courage and physical prowess, Ethan Hunt scales the exterior of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, without any external support.

Source: Movieclips

Behind the scenes

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Hunt Hangs On To A Plane (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, 2015)

Although there is an endless list of action movies with scenes involving planes, few have been able to come close to the epic opening scene of the fifth Mission: Impossible movie.

Hunt attempts to stop a plane filled with weapons; as he is trying to open the door and get inside the plane, it takes off to the skies with Hunt clinging on to it. Another moment depicting Hunt's commitment to seeing his mission through.

Source: Movieclips

Behind the scenes

Source: Paramount movies
 

Hunt And Walker Perform A HALO Jump  (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, 2018)

The HALO sequence in the sixth movie really took things to new heights, literally. Hunt jumps out of a plane and dives through a lightning storm, completing a midair rescue that we are sure to keep remembering for a long time.

Source: KinoCheck Archive

Behind the scenes

Source: Paramount Pictures

Hunt Jumps From a Cliff on a Motorcycle (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, 2023)

Combining motorcycling, BASE jumping, and parachuting, Ethan Hunt rides a motorbike off a mountain cliff, lets it fall, and then opens a parachute mid-freefall, to complete one of cinema's most iconic stunt scenes.

The stunt is considered one of the most ambitious stunts ever filmed.

Source: Boxoffice Movie Scenes
 

Behind the scenes

Source: Paramount Pictures

Underwater Vault Break-In (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, 2015)

In this iconic underwater sequence, Hunt breaks into an underwater vault housing a server chamber. He navigates through a whirling, mechanical vault with rotating arms and currents that make orientation nearly impossible and swaps a security card to prevent a data heist.

Source: Cinematico

Behind the scenes

Source: FilmIsNow Epic Movie Zone