25 WTF Moments From The Mission: Impossible Franchise

9. The Lead Actress Changes Every Movie

One of the series' main criticisms so far is the revolving door policy it seems to have for its female characters, as not a single one has had a starring role in any two movies. The first film had Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart) and Sarah Davies (Kristin Scott Thomas), both of whom are killed off, while Vanessa Redgrave's Max is arrested. Number two introduced Thandie Newton's Nyah, though she mysteriously vanished for part three, where Michelle Monaghan's Julia is introduced, along with Maggie Q's Zhen Lei and Keri Russell's Lindsey Farris. Farris dies, Maggie Q sadly wasn't called back for part four, and Monaghan only appears for a seconds-long cameo at the end of Ghost Protocol. Hell, even Davian's female translator (Bahar Soomekh) gets killed. Ghost Protocol introduces Paula Patton's Agent Carter, who is written out of the team for Rogue Nation, while the only other significant female role (Lea Seydoux as Sabine Moreau) is killed off. Rogue Nation meanwhile adds Rebecca Ferguson to the mix, with many already speculating that, despite her apparently stellar performance, she'll follow in the tradition of all other M:I females and give the sixth film a miss. It's a shame because the series has had its share of compelling women, yet they're all treated as disposable, while the core male characters continue to stick around.