Jeremy Renner says Mission: Impossible character inspired decision to leave franchise

Jeremy Renner has shared some additional information about his exit from the Mission: Impossible franchise, revealing that he was not on board with the plan to kill off his character.

THE Hawk Eye star featured in two of the most beloved action films: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011, and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation four years later.

However, Renner did not return for the two Tom Cruise-led offerings that followed in 2018 (To fall) and 2023 (Dead Reckoning), his character William Brandt having retired from the spy forces at the end of Rogue Nation.

During an appearance in the most recent edition of Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 53-year-old Marvel star said part of his choice not to return for a third film was due to plans to kill off his agent after just a week of filming.

“I remember they tried to take me (abroad) for a week so they could kill off my character, and I was like, ‘No, you can’t do that.’ You’re not going to drag me out there and just kill my character, like, get out of here!’ Renner told host Josh Horowitz.

“If you do this and use my character, you will do it correctly.”

Laughing, he added that he told the director, Christopher McQuarrie, “Dude, you’re not going to do it to me like that; you’re not going to hurt me.

This follows a recent interview with Collider in which Renner revealed that his choice to leave the franchise was also motivated by his desire to focus on being a hands-on father to his daughter, Ava.

“Yeah. I had to leave that,” Renner explained. “I was supposed to do more with them.

“I love these guys. I love Tom so much. We had so much fun and I really like this character. This requires a lot of free time. It’s all in London. I had to become a father. It just wasn’t going to work at that point.

Renner shares 11-year-old Ava with his ex-wife, Canadian model Sonni Pacheco, and has spoken many times about his love and appreciation for his daughter.

However, Renner admitted that he would “jump” at the chance to return to the film now that Ava is older.

“Maybe now that my daughter is older it could happen,” Renner continued.

“I always jumped into a Impossible mission at any time and back to Brandt. It’s good.”

A return to the franchise is possible since his character is still alive in the film universe; However, there is no confirmation as to whether he will return to screens as Brandt. The eighth Mission: Impossible film will be released in 2025.

Renner was involved in a potentially fatal snowplow accident in January 2023 in which he suffered more than 30 broken bones and required surgery and a stay in the intensive care unit while in a critical state.

Nearly a year and a half after the incident, Renner has made a significant recovery and recently revealed some of the goriest details of his injuries, including the graphic claim that his “eyeball was out.”

Renner has repeatedly cited his daughter as one of his reasons for survival and dedicated a music video to her earlier this year.

“For my daughter, my everything, my only thing, my number one,” he said in the video’s introduction.

“You’re the best part of me,” Renner continued. “Your grace, thoughtfulness and constitution make me very proud.”