Lacking in your Mission Impossible knowledge leading up to Dead Reckoning? Here’s a quick catch up

The July blockbuster season kicks into full gear with the release of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, ushering in the next chapter of Tom Cruise’s role as action hero Ethan Hunt. The latest release will mark the seventh installment of the saga, meaning there are plenty of stories to catch up on since the first film was released in 1996.

If you need a quick refresher on Ethan Hunt’s adventures, we have the complete story leading up to Dead Reckoning Part One.

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Mission: Impossible (1996)

Paramount Pictures

In the inaugural chapter of the film franchise, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is framed for the murder of his IMF team during a mission gone wrong in Prague. Furthermore, Hunt is accused of selling government secrets to an arms dealer known only as “Max.” With the famed agent. On the run, Hunt searches for the real traitor in the IMF to clear his name.

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Paramount Pictures

Hunt is called back into action and works alongside professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall. The tandem goes undercover to stop a rogue agent named Sean Ambrose, who has stolen a deadly virus to start a pandemic and attempt to sell the antidote to the highest bidder.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Paramount Pictures

After finding himself engaged to Julia Meade, the famed agent still attempts to keep his double life a secret. In the franchise's third chapter, Hunt assembles a team to face an arms and information broker named Owen Davian, whose objective is to sell a mysterious, deadly object known only as “The Rabbit’s Foot.”

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Paramount Pictures

The entire IMF comes under fire after being framed for the bombing of the Kremlin while Hunt and team investigate an individual known only as “Cobalt.” In the aftermath, Hunt and his agents are tasked with stopping Cobalt from igniting an all-out nuclear war on the world. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton join the cast as newcomers for the franchise’s fourth chapter.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Paramount Pictures

In what is widely regarded as the best film of the saga, Hunt faces a looming threat from the Syndicate, a defacto anti-IMF. In light of the IMF’s disbandment, Hunt assembles his team to prove the Syndicate’s legitimacy and bring the organization down at all costs. Rebecca Ferguson joins the cast as Ilsa Faust.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Paramount Pictures

When an IMF mission to recover plutonium goes awry, the world comes face-to-face with a new threat in the Apostles, a terrorist group formed by former members of the Syndicate. Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill the original mission, which puts him at odds with the CIA, who begin questioning his loyalty and ulterior motives. Henry Cavill joins the ensemble cast as August Walker / John Lark.

You can stream all of these films over on Paramount+.