There’s a lot of speculation about what the fate of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt will be inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Cruise has been one of the most popular action stars in the world for decades, and Ethan Hunt has been his standout role. Throughout sevenMission: Impossiblemovies, Ethan Hunt has saved the world on numerous occasions. TheupcomingMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningis unique from the other films in the franchise, as it will pick up after thecliffhanger ending ofMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning.
All theMission: Impossiblemovieshave been standalone, butThe Final Reckoningwill conclude the story that began inDead Reckoning, which saw Ethan Hunt attempt to take down The Entity, an artificial intelligence program which could cause the collapse of society. Given the upcomingMission: Impossiblemovie’s dramatic title and the fact that Cruise has portrayed Ethan Hunt for nearly 30 years, many believe thatThe Final Reckoningwill be his last film in the series. However,the story behind the title ofMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningactually suggests that Ethan will not die in the movie.
“The Final Reckoning” Doesn’t Really Suggest Mission: Impossible 8 Will Be The Last One
After 2018’sMission: Impossible - Fallout, it was reported that one more story would wrap up the franchise and be split into two movies. This is why the lastMission: Impossiblemovie was originally subtitledDead Reckoning Part One. However, after the release of the first part, it was reported that the nextMission: Impossiblemovie would not be calledDead Reckoning Part Two. In November 2024,when the trailer for the upcomingMission: Impossiblemovie was released, its subtitle of “The Final Reckoning” was revealed.
This is quite an ominous title, and suggests thatThe Final Reckoningcould be the final movie in the series. However, this has not been confirmed. According to a report fromThe Hollywood Reporter,Paramount Pictures wants to marketThe Final Reckoningas the lastMission: Impossiblemovie, whereas Cruise is not on board with that idea. Cruise’s resistance suggests that he wants to make moreMission: Impossiblemovies. Therefore, it seems like Paramount and Cruise compromised and landed on an ambiguous title.The Final Reckoningcould be the last movie, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.
Mission: Impossible’s Future Probably Depends On How The Final Reckoning Will Do
The Final Reckoning Needs To Be A Box Office Success
Even thoughMission: Impossibleis one of the most well-known franchises in the world,Dead Reckoningdid not perform that well at the box office. After its summer 2023 release,Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoningmade $571,125,435 at the worldwide box office (viaBox Office Mojo). While this is a lot of money, the move had an estimated budget of $291 million. While it probably didn’t lose money, once marketing costs were added on,Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoninglikely made very little profit at the box office.
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Dead Reckoning’sunderwhelming box office haul suggests that audiences are no longer interested in the Cruise-led spy franchise. Therefore,the future of theMission: Impossiblefranchise probably depends on howThe Final Reckoningperforms at the box office. If it outperformsDead Reckoningby a significant amount, then Paramount and Cruise will almost certainly want to make a ninthMission: Impossiblemovie.The Final Reckoning’stitle change will probably help its box office haul, as the new, ambiguous title could lead to more people watching the movie in theaters.
Mission: Impossible 8 Cannot Kill Ethan Hunt If It Wants To Leave The Door Open For Sequels
Ethan Hunt Shouldn’t Die In The Final Reckoning
Cruise has been the face of theMission: Impossiblefranchise for decades. Therefore,it would be incredibly difficult to make aMission: Impossiblemovie without him.Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoningintroduced Hayley Atwell’s Grace, who joins the IMF at the end of the film. Since Grace is now an IMF agent, she is set up nicely to replace Cruise in the franchise. Additionally, Cruise has suggested that he would love to see hisTop Gun: Maverickcostar Glen Powell lead a futureMission: Impossiblemovie.
Mission: Impossible Already Told Us What Will Happen To Ethan Hunt In Tom Cruise’s Next Movie
The question of what will become of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt has long plagued the Mission: Impossible series, but this answer has already been given.
While these are both intriguing options, it is clear that the franchise wouldn’t be the same without Cruise. If futureMission: Impossiblemovies are a possibility, then it would be a mistake to kill Ethan Hunt inThe Final Reckoning. Killing Ethan would lead audiences to think thatThe Final Reckoningtruly is the last film in the series. If Paramount ever wanted to continue the franchise without Cruise, theMission: Impossiblefilm that followsThe Final Reckoningwould be facing an uphill battle. Therefore,it would be much smarter for Ethan to survive the events ofThe Final Reckoning.
Ethan Dying In The Final Reckoning Would Only Make Things More Complicated For Mission: Impossible
Tom Cruise Deserves To Star In More Mission: Impossible Movies
Cruise has also claimed that he wants to continue makingMission: Impossiblemovies even when he’s in his 80s. He mentioned that Harrison Ford made anIndiana Jonesmovie in his 80s, so Cruise doesn’t see why he can’t continue starring in theMission: Impossiblefranchise. Over the course of many decades, Cruise has proven that he is perhaps the best action star of all time. Therefore,killing Ethan Hunt inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningwould unfortunately make it practically impossible for Cruise to star in a futureMission: Impossiblefilm without some kind of retcon.
If Cruise believes he has moreMission: Impossiblemovies in him, then it would be a mistake for Paramount to try to end the series.
Cruise still does his own stunts in theMission: Impossiblemovies, quite literally risking his life to create the most action-packed films. Therefore, he deserves to have a say over the future of the franchise. If Cruise believes he has moreMission: Impossiblemovies in him, then it would be a mistake for Paramount to try to end the series. Therefore, even though the title ofMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoningsuggests it could be the last film, it seems more likely that Ethan Hunt will actually survive, and future sequels will get made.
