Why Ving Rhames' Luther Died In Mission: Impossible 8, According To The Director

Ving Rhames has played the super hacker Luther Stickell in all eight of the modern "Mission: Impossible" movies (although he only appeared in a cameo for 2011's "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol"). He was always a loyal friend to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), and was always capable at a keyboard. In the eighth and final film in the series, 2025's "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," Luther was capable and inventive enough to create a widget that could — when used juuuust correctly — defeat the evil AI monster known as the Entity. Luther invented the widget from essentially his deathbed, spending most of his time on a hospital gurney, located in a remote, stony basement room. 

The villain of "Final Reckoning," Gabriel (Esai Morales), is so evil, he has no issues with planting a time bomb in Luther's cell, even though poor Luther was wasted away from cancer. In a climactic scene, Ethan and Luther find themselves on either side of a barred gate, with Luther locked in with Gabriel's bomb. Luther finds a way to reduce the damage the bomb would do, thereby saving Ethan's life. In order to do so, though, he would have to sacrifice his own life. Luther, a noble soul, accepts his fate. His final act was to save lives. 

Luther's sacrifice, according to "Final Reckoning" writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, was necessary to the plot. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, McQuarrie noted that killing one of the series' longest-lasting and most beloved characters would, in classic screenwriting terms, raise the stakes. Luther is the only character, apart from Ethan, who has appeared in every single "M:I" movie, so his life was worth the most. In killing him, audiences knew that the Entity wasn't effing around, and that everyone was at risk, possibly even Ethan. 

McQuarrie noted, too, that Luther's death wasn't just a plot function, but a gift for a talented actor like Rhames. Because Rhames' character was a computer hacker, many of his scenes were in dark vans or in front of computer monitors; he was rarely permitted to get in on the action. Ethan was the one who got to climb buildings or get in motorcycle chases. Rhames not only got to defuse a bomb in a dramatic fashion, but also play out a death scene, something many actors savor. As McQuarrie described it: 

"The story was about sacrifice. The sacrifice in the movie had no teeth without it, without some loss. [...] It was a sacrifice Ving leaned fully into. [...] It was one he wanted to do, and one he was most moved by. [...] Ving is such a phenomenal actor, such a giving actor, and the franchise wasn't giving him those opportunities. I said, 'We've got to get him out of the van and give him the more emotional stuff to play.' And he leaned into it. This was already forming in 'Fallout.'"

McQuarrie's 2018 film "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" was the sixth of the modern-era films. 

In the same Empire article, McQuarrie has said that he's done with the "Mission: Impossible" movies, having directed four of them. Also, "Final Reckoning," as the title implies, wrapped up the story. If there is another "Mission: Impossible" film, it seems more likely that it will be a reboot of the franchise rather than another sequel. McQuarrie also implied, though, that his star/producer Tom Cruise may not be done, and that he could be re-inducted, should Cruise ask. "Tom Cruise is a force of nature, and a very, very tricky one," he said. 

McQuarrie has said, as /Film reported, that he is working on a new project, and one that he wants to be much gnarlier. Ving Rhames' next film, called "Uppercut," is currently in post-production, and he is gearing up to star in "The Mongoose" with Liam Neeson.