Character Relationship Map: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Characters

• Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) — protagonist

  Lead IMF agent, highly skilled spy and acrobat who leads missions against global threats.

• Jane (played by Paula Patton) — supporting

  IMF field agent and tactical specialist.

• Benji (played by Simon Pegg) — supporting

  IMF tech specialist and field operative known for quick thinking and gadget mastery.

• Hendricks (played by Michael Nyqvist) — supporting

  Russian intelligence operative.

• Sidorov (played by Vladimir Mashkov) — supporting

  Russian intelligence officer.

• Brandt (played by Jeremy Renner) — supporting

  IMF analyst turned field operative.

• Hanaway (played by Josh Holloway) — supporting

  IMF agent killed in the opening sequence.

• Sabine Moreau (played by Léa Seydoux) — supporting

  Assassin and underworld contact.

• Wistrom (played by Samuli Edelmann) — supporting

  Russian intelligence operative.

• Brij Nath (played by Anil Kapoor) — supporting

  Indian arms dealer.

• Leonid Lisenker (played by Ivan Shvedoff) — supporting

  Russian nuclear physicist.

• The Fog (played by Ilia Volok) — minor

  Underworld contact and informant.

• Bogdan (played by Miraj Grbić) — minor

  Russian underworld figure.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Brij Nath → Hendricks (Power Unwitting Asset) — Nath's property becomes a crucial tool in Hendricks's plan.

  Hendricks uses an old Soviet military satellite owned by Brij Nath to transmit the launch codes.

• Sabine Moreau → Wistrom (Professional Transaction Contact) — Their interaction is an arms-related criminal transaction.

  Moreau meets Wistrom at the Burj Khalifa to sell the stolen Russian launch codes.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jane → Brij Nath (Conflict Coercive Interrogator) — Jane manipulates and defeats Nath to secure mission-critical access.

  Jane seduces Nath and then overpowers him to obtain the satellite's override code.

• Sidorov → Hendricks (Conflict Opposing Intelligence Officer) — Sidorov ultimately opposes the operation he initially misunderstood.

  The Fog sells Sidorov the same information about Hendricks's satellite plan, and Sidorov later recognizes the IMF's innocence.

• Hendricks → Leonid Lisenker (Conflict Enemy) — Lisenker becomes a casualty of Hendricks's criminal exchange.

  Wistrom, acting for the operation, double-crosses and murders Lisenker during the Dubai purchase arranged around Hendricks's codes.

• Hendricks → Wistrom (Alliance Operational Associate) — They coordinate the nuclear launch operation.

  Wistrom is identified as Hendricks's associate and sabotages the Mumbai station while Hendricks sends the launch orders.

• Benji → Wistrom (Conflict Enemy) — Their conflict ends with Wistrom's death.

  Benji helps stop Wistrom at the Mumbai broadcast station and kills him during the final operation.

• Brandt → Hendricks (Conflict Strategic Opponent) — Brandt's analysis directly counters Hendricks's nuclear strategy.

  Brandt identifies Cobalt as Hendricks and helps Ethan determine that Hendricks bombed the Kremlin and stole the launch device.

• Jane → Sabine Moreau (Conflict Mortal Enemy) — Their conflict is driven by Moreau's role in Hanaway's death.

  Moreau attacks Benji while escaping, and Jane kills Moreau after Brandt fails to stop the confrontation.

• Ethan Hunt → Sabine Moreau (Conflict Adversary) — Moreau is an opposing operative connected to the stolen codes.

  Ethan's team attempts to intercept Moreau's launch codes at the Burj Khalifa.

• Ethan Hunt → Sidorov (Conflict Adversary) — Sidorov initially treats Ethan as responsible for the bombing.

  Sidorov arrests Ethan after the Kremlin bombing and later attempts to apprehend him in Dubai.

• Ethan Hunt → The Fog (Social Information Contact) — The Fog is a transactional underworld source for Ethan.

  Bogdan brings Ethan to The Fog, who reveals the satellite plan and sells the same information to Sidorov.

• Ethan Hunt → Bogdan (Narrative Informant Partner) — Bogdan supplies access to information needed for the next phase.

  Bogdan takes Ethan to The Fog, where Ethan learns about Hendricks's satellite launch plan.

• Jane → Brandt (Alliance Teammate) — Both assist Ethan in the IMF team's coordinated missions.

  Jane and Brandt are part of Ethan's regrouped team and jointly support the Mumbai operation.

• Benji → Brandt (Alliance Teammate) — They provide complementary technical and operational support.

  Benji and Brandt work together to repair the Mumbai broadcast station while Ethan pursues Hendricks.

Story Analysis

An abandoned IMF team races across three countries to stop Hendricks from provoking nuclear war while confronting mistrust, sacrifice, and hidden personal truths.

Plot Progression

1. Codes and Catastrophe — Hanaway is assassinated, and Ethan is extracted from prison with Bogdan. The Kremlin mission ends in a bombing that leaves Ethan blamed for the disaster.
2. The Disavowed Mission — Brandt identifies Hendricks as Cobalt, while the Ghost Protocol strips the IMF of official support. Ethan continues the mission after the Secretary is killed.
3. Deception at the Burj — The team stages a complex double exchange for the stolen launch codes. Lisenker is murdered, Moreau is killed by Jane, and Hendricks escapes under Wistrom's identity.
4. The Mumbai Countdown — Bogdan and The Fog reveal Hendricks's satellite plan. Jane obtains Nath's override code while the team races to stop the broadcast station sabotage.
5. The Impossible Defusal — Hendricks orders a nuclear strike, but the team restores the station and Ethan disables the launch device. Sidorov clears the IMF, and the team reunites in Seattle.