One of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’s biggest twists revolves around Julia Meade’s staged death and the circumstances of this mission
Julia Meade remains one of the most important to Ethan Hunt throughout the Mission: Impossible movies. Julia makes her first appearance in the third movie, where her romance with Ethan evolves into a marriage but is ultimately put at risk when Owen Davian kidnaps her to blackmail Ethan. The two narrowly make it out alive in the end, but their relationship is bound to change: Ethan reveals his true identity to her, and Julia is now forced to choose between moving on alone or staying with the love of her life even though great danger comes with it.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol surprised fans by leaving Julia aside when everyone thought she would play a bigger role in the franchise. Right off the bat, it is implied that Julia met an unfortunate ending and Ethan is still trying to cope with it, which explains why everyone avoids the subject. However, as the movie progresses, hints about Julia’s fate are highly important for Agent Brandt’s character arc, and behind-the-scenes debates might also have pushed Julia’s reduced role.
What Happened To Julia In Croatia
At the end of Ghost Protocol, it’s revealed Julia is alive and the mission in Croatia was simply the first step of a bigger assignment. She and Ethan are together in Croatia and skilled IMF agents are assigned to take care of Julia at all times, including Agent Brandt. During Ethan’s absence, Brandt sends two of his best agents to protect Julia while he’s out, but a horrible scene awaits him when he returns: both his agents are unconscious and Julia is nowhere to be found. Eventually, Agent Brandt is told that Julia’s body is discovered and Ethan goes on a rampage, killing six Serbian nationalists in retaliation.
Julia’s death gives rise to serious consequences: Agent Brandt resigns and Ethan is sent to the dangerous Rankow Prison. However, Ethan eventually tells Brandt that Julia’s death was staged: IMF and Ethan came up with the plan so Ethan could infiltrate Rankow Prison and investigate Cobalt. Although Julia is safe, she and Ethan are forced to part ways in order to secure the secret.
Why William Brandt Didn’t Fail To Protect Julia
After Julia’s “death,” Agent Brandt is consumed by guilt and steps away from IMF. After the events of Ghost Protocol, Ethan realizes he can trust Brandt and tells him he only accepted the Rankow Prison mission after IMF promised him no one would know his wife is still alive. Brandt spent years blaming himself for Julia’s death, unaware that he was being used in a fake mission. He takes the news with relief and comes back in the next Mission: Impossible with much more confidence, his mind now free of the weight of an innocent person’s death.
“Why Michelle Monaghan Had A Reduced Role In Ghost Protocol?”
Michelle Monaghan’s smaller role in Ghost Protocol can be explained by creative debates between Brad Bird and Christopher McQuarrie, the director of Mission: Impossible‘s latest films. McQuarrie reportedly did a rewrite of Bird’s screenplay, suggesting that Julia’s fate is changed. The original plan was to kill her off, but McQuarrie pointed out that if Julia dies, it means Ethan ultimately failed. He says, “no matter how well Ethan wins, he’s carrying this failure that you’ve alluded to the entire movie.”
Julia’s fake death is a clever way to make the two characters part ways; although Ethan carries with him the burden of work vs. love, he can carry on with his head up knowing that Julia is safe. Monaghan’s return in Mission: Impossible – Fallout ended up being a delightful surprise thanks to McQuarrier’s rewrite, and the change in Julia’s arc also gave Agent Brandt a chance for redemption.
Source: screenrant
