--- description: Henry Czerny, who appeared in the first M:I movie in 1996 is reprising his role as the director of the IMF in Dead Reckoning Part One. title: An Important 'Mission: Impossible' Character Is Back For 'Dead Reckoning' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2fa8d16c47a2523/698a3e9286f68ef1d96f2971/mission-impossible-henry-czerny.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why an Important _Mission: Impossible_ Character Is Back For _Dead Reckoning Part One_  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jul 12, 2023 2:15 PM CUT  Tom Cruise and Henry Czerny in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One Tom Cruise and Henry Czerny in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part OneParamount Pictures and Skydance  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jul 12, 2023 2:15 PM CUT A character from Ethan Hunt’s past is back in [_Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One_](https://time.com/6291965/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review-tom-cruise/ "undefined"). Actor Henry Czerny is reprising his role as Eugene Kittridge, director of the Impossible Mission Force, also known as the IMF. Czerny appeared in the very first _Mission: Impossible_ movie in 1996 as Ethan’s boss and foe, if not outright bad guy. Czerny has been conspicuously missing from the franchise for the past 27 years as several other actors have taken on the role of IMF director. But he’s back now, tracking Ethan’s whereabouts and lecturing our hero about how he’s going to have to “choose a side” in some great battle to come. Here’s everything you need to know about what Kittridge was up to in that first film, where he’s been, and why he’s back for the seventh movie. **Read More:** [Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One Changed _a Major Part of Ethan Hunt’s Backstory_](https://time.com/6292230/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-ethan-hunt/ "undefined") ## Who is Eugene Kittridge? Agent Eugene Kittridge is a sort-of antagonist from the first _Mission: Impossible_ movie. The head of the super-secret government organization wrongfully accused Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) of being a mole. Ethan proved him wrong (as he so often does). Presumably, Kittridge left the IMF after the events of that film since by _Mission: Impossible III_, Lawrence Fishburne’s Theodore Brassel has taken on the role of IMF Director. ## Who else has been head of the IMF? We never find out what happens to Brassel. He probably died considering the fates of future IMF leaders. **Read More:** [_The 30 Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2023_](https://time.com/6281836/most-anticipated-movies-summer-2023/ "undefined") Tom Wilkinson briefly plays the head of the organization in the fourth movie, _Mission: Impossible_—_Ghost Protocol_, but dies in a targeted attack by the Russians early in that film. In _Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation_, Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley takes over the IMF, but he tragically dies during a shootout just one movie later in [_Mission: Impossible—Fallout_.](https://time.com/5349500/mission-impossible-fallout/ "undefined") That leaves the position open for Kittridge to make an ignominious return in _Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One._ Typically, misidentifying a mole might mean permanent retirement in the spy business. But the abysmal survival rate for IMF heads might explain why the government had no choice but to bring back an old director like Kittridge. ## Is Kittridge a good guy or a bad guy in _Dead Reckoning_? It’s hard to say. Kittridge certainly hasn’t changed his world philosophy in the last quarter century. He still sees the world in stark terms, telling Ethan in the [trailer for _Dead Reckoning Part One_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avz06PDqDbM "undefined") that he needs to “pick a side.” Ethan has always put the greater good above allegiance to any one government, so these two will likely clash (again) over their differing viewpoints. **Read More:** [_Meet Rebecca Ferguson, the Scene-Stealing Star of_ Mission: Impossible](https://time.com/3977847/rebecca-ferguson-mission-impossible-rogue-nation-tom-cruise/ "undefined") But it’s Esai Morales’ Gabriel who is being billed as the main antagonist in the film. Maybe Ethan and Kittridge will have to put their differences aside to defeat a greater foe—or maybe Ethan will have to wage a battle on two fronts at once. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6292302/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-henry-czerny-eugene-kittridge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6292302/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-henry-czerny-eugene-kittridge/"},"headline":"Why an Important Mission: Impossible Character Is Back For Dead Reckoning Part One","datePublished":"2023-07-12T14:15:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T16:06:50.588Z","description":"Henry Czerny, who appeared in the first 'M:I' movie in 1996 is reprising his role as IMF Director Eugene Kittridge in 'Dead Reckoning Part One.'","url":"https://time.com/6292302/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-henry-czerny-eugene-kittridge/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2fa8d16c47a2523/698a3e9286f68ef1d96f2971/mission-impossible-henry-czerny.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2fa8d16c47a2523/698a3e9286f68ef1d96f2971/mission-impossible-henry-czerny.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One","caption":"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One","creditText":"Paramount Pictures and Skydance","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6292302/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-henry-czerny-eugene-kittridge/","name":"Why an Important Mission: Impossible Character Is Back For Dead Reckoning Part One"}}]}] ```