The Mission: Impossible franchise has always been Tom Cruise’s baby. It was his creation that spawned a movement in 1996. The franchise had faced a weird tonal trajectory until Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in 2011. Cruise maintained the “movie star” charisma, except he added a strong supporting cast around him. Additions like Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg became fan-favorite characters. It was not until Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation that the franchise changed once again.
Rebecca Ferguson's mysterious “Ilsa Faust” became a fan-favorite character. Her consistently shifting allegiances made her a compelling character for viewers to follow. Making her so compelling did not involve creating a romance with Ethan Hunt. Instead, she was a character who could hold her own in a man's world. Ilsa’s past as an ex-MI:5 operative is something the films have briefly and barely touched upon. With such a rich history, she deserves a chance to have her story told. Rebecca Ferguson deserves her chance in a prequel story.
Ilsa Needs a Prequel
Her fate is supposedly sealed in Dead Reckoning Part One, but it provides filmmakers with a unique opportunity. Not much is known about Ilsa’s origins before her introduction in Rogue Nation. Early in the film, audiences are meant to believe she is an antagonist in Ethan’s story. Her continuously shifting allegiances shroud the character in a never-ending mystery. That mystery is part of Rebecca Ferguson’s charm and magnetic on-screen presence in this series. She applies rare energy to a typically bombastic Tom Cruise performance.
Ilsa is a character that is always playing both sides whenever she appears. Eventually, she grows into a full-fledged member of the IMF team. In Dead Reckoning, she embraces a love that the character never previously knew. Her time as a rogue, stateless agent teases a past of violence. That violence can be portrayed in a prequel focusing on her early life and how she became a stateless operative.
She’s adrift for a purpose that she finds by the ending of Dead Reckoning Part One. Ilsa made the heroic sacrifice (aka her death) for her new “family,” but audiences have not seen what came before this point. The darkness of her past could make her redemption in the Mission: Impossible series feel earned.
Her fate in Dead Reckoning Part One closes a mere chapter of her journey. That does not mean audiences know much about how she got where they first met her. Viewers have seen her adventures with Ethan but not how she became the ruthless mercenary. A spin-off could show her training to become the brutal assassin that viewers know she becomes. To become that killer, Rebecca Ferguson has to be ready for the training that comes with it.
It Can Tackle Different Genres
Rebecca Ferguson has been very vocal about the possibilities of Ilsa spin-offs. While she has admitted that a spin-off is “not needed,” it is not impossible. Ilsa’s past is rich with mystery and intrigue. The film could be a straightforward spy prequel following her time in MI:5. That can eventually morph into her “betrayal” of the agency.
Making a prequel story can also allow Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) to return as the primary antagonist. Showing Ilsa’s change in loyalties would enable Ferguson to show range for the character. This would also allow for some incredibly fun and action-packed fight sequences.
Ferguson has publicly shown off her Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning training. Her “cold-hearted” early life could make the character different. Audiences know she becomes kind-hearted, but viewers deserve her origins. Seeing what Ilsa had to do for Solomon Lane could test her morality. That arc could make her an entirely fleshed-out and well-rounded character. Learning about her darkness could make her known arc in the Mission: Impossible movies feel earned. Giving the character a chance to shine could recontextualize and humanize her.
Seeing Ilsa’s journey from “villain” to hero can make her death feel earned. She is someone that is implied to be looking for redemption. Ilsa’s time with Ethan grew into a blooming romance. Ferguson and Cruise sell those moments of chemistry, but it still does not tell us anything new about her. Giving her an origin story could also include a love interest. Even if she lost her “loved one” in a mission, or he betrayed her, it could sell the organic romance with Ethan even more. No matter the genre’s explored, Ilsa still has stories to tell in the MI world.
It is still unclear if Dead Reckoning - Part One and Part Two will be the last in the series. If that is the last in the series, it does not mean this world is out of stories to tell. Making her on the run from her own government could be akin to the very first Mission: Impossible. The story already has a committed leading actor who can handle the preparation.
At the same time, it can give the Mission: Impossible franchise new character depths to explore. An actor of Rebecca Ferguson’s caliber can deliver a prequel unlike anything else in the Mission: Impossible series.