If Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is the undeniable star of the Mission: Impossible film series, then its most unsung hero would be Luther Stickell, portrayed by Ving Rhames. Since his debut in 1996's Mission: Impossible, Luther has played an important role in all of Ethan Hunt's onscreen IMF adventures and has grown to become Hunt's most trusted ally and loyal friend.
Despite the fact that Luther shows up in every M:I film, his appearance in the series's fourth entry, Ghost Protocol, is extremely minor. To top it all off, this cameo comes at the end of the film after the mission is already accomplished. The briefness of Luther's Ghost Protocol role had nothing to do with scheduling conflicts or creative differences but instead came down to what often is a sticking point for actors performing in big franchises: money.
Luther Stickell's longtime role in the franchise dates all the way back to the first film in the series, 1996's Mission: Impossible. Established as a disavowed IMF agent and computer expert, Luther is recruited by Ethan Hunt to help him clear his name after being framed for betraying the IMF. At the end of the film, Luther is reinstated at the IMF and goes on to assist Ethan Hunt throughout the rest of the series. Though primarily operating as the "man in the van" during Ethan's missions, Luther has also been known to get in on the action from time to time. Luther has also been shown to be one of Ethan's most cherished friends. Hunt allows the Apostles to steal nuclear weapons in order to save Luther's life during the events of Fallout, showing just how much he cares for his colleague.
However, in Ghost Protocol, Luther does not join Ethan and his team on their quest to prevent nuclear disaster in the wake of the complete disavowment of the IMF. Instead, Luther shows up during the film's closing minutes, catching up with Ethan over beers and discussing his role in cleaning up after Ethan's team. As Luther leaves, he tells Ethan that he will "see [him] in Kandahar," referencing that they will be once again working together soon. Surprisingly, Luther's screentime does not even last a minute, which is strange for one of the franchise's most recurring cast members.
As it turns out, the reason why Rhames showed up for only a cameo as opposed to a main role was a result of issues Rhames had with his salary. In an interview with Movieweb, Rhames implied that due to budget cuts, he would not have a large role in the series's fourth film: "I may be doing something very small in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol but I will just say that the budget changed dramatically and I'll leave it at that...Cha-ching could create [a cameo] but it's up to them." Reportedly, Rhames had asked for $7.7 million, a hefty price tag even for an A-lister. Although it is unclear whether Rhames received his desired salary for his cameo, the conflict seemed to eventually be resolved.
Luckily, Luther Stickell returned the fifth and sixth entries in the Mission: Impossible series. Given Ethan's revolving IMF team roster, it's comforting to have mainstay IMF team members like Luther (as well as Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn and Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust) that carry over from film to film.
Rhames is also set to return for the upcoming seventh and eighth films, continuing his long and storied work on the enduring franchise.