Mission: Impossible - 15 Most WTF Franchise Moments
7. Hendricks Kills Himself (Ghost Protocol)
It's fair to say that even the most ruthless and unforgiving movie antagonist wants to live, so it's incredibly refreshing when a villain is so committed to their cause they're willing to actually die for it.
That's what made Kurt Hendricks' (Michael Nyqvist) brutal demise so surprising in Ghost Protocol's final showdown. Hendricks has already sent the launch codes for a missile to hit San Francisco, and the only way for Hunt to stop it is to grab the briefcase Hendricks is carrying.
As the two stand atop an automated parking garage, Hunt insists he's going to get the briefcase, at which point Hendricks smugly grins at Hunt and nonchalantly throws himself off the edge. Hendricks takes a huge drop to the ground, smashing his head on a car on the way down for good measure.
Hunt still manages to narrowly avert the missile strike, but even so, this was a great way to upend audience expectations and savagely raise the stakes for Ethan.