Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt. And vice versa.
Have you ever noticed that when we talk about James Bond, we usually say Bond, not Daniel Craig or Sean Connery? The character is bigger than the actor. But with 'Mission: Impossible', it’s the complete opposite. No one really says Ethan Hunt did that insane stunt. We say Tom Cruise did it. Whether he is jumping off a cliff, clinging to a plane, or racing through traffic, it’s always Tom. It’s like Ethan Hunt doesn’t even exist without him. That’s the thing; we don’t watch any character on screen, instead, we watch Tom Cruise doing the impossible. Over the years, the role has become more like an extension of him, his alter ego. And maybe that’s why the franchise works the way it does.
So today, on the actor's 63rd birthday, let’s talk about why 'Mission: Impossible' wouldn’t be what it is (and maybe wouldn’t even exist) without Tom Cruise leading the charge.
Let’s start with what everyone already knows, and still can’t believe. Tom Cruise does his own stunts in the 'Mission: Impossible' series. And these are not just the fight scenes or foot chases, but the wild, jaw-dropping kind as well. It's the kind that makes you lean forward in your seat and mutter, “Did he really just do that?”
Yes. He did.
Hanging off the Burj Khalifa in 'Ghost Protocol', clinging to an Airbus as it takes off in 'Rogue Nation’, riding a bike off a cliff in 'Dead Reckoning', and most recently, battling midair on a flaming biplane at 8,000 feet in 'The Final Reckoning'.
It’s not just for show. These stunts give the franchise a sense of danger that CGI-heavy blockbusters can’t fake. When Ethan Hunt free-climbs a rock face with no ropes in 'M:I II', it’s Cruise, a real human being, inches from disaster. It’s a promise he makes to the audience: I’m giving this everything I’ve got.
(Credit: Paramount Pictures)
As longtime stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood once said, “The audience knows when it’s fake.” With Cruise, nothing’s fake, and that’s the thrill.
Go back to 1996. The first 'Mission: Impossible' was a stylish, twisty spy thriller directed by Brian De Palma. Cruise was 34, already a major star, but still part of the Hollywood pack. Ethan Hunt was younger, more reactive, and still figuring things out. Now fast-forward to 'The Final Reckoning'. Ethan is battle-scarred, burdened, and relentless. The missions are no longer about clearing his name but are about saving the world. The tone has shifted from cool espionage to adrenaline mayhem. And that shift reflects Cruise’s own journey.
This is no longer just a movie series that’s kept up with its star. It’s one that’s grown with him.
Once, Cruise was part of a crowd. In the ’80s and early ’90s, you’d see him alongside a sea of rising stars. But over the years, while others slowed down, Cruise kept moving faster. Today, he is the last true Hollywood star in the old-school sense. It’s no coincidence that Ethan Hunt has followed the same arc. In the early films, he relied on his team. But as the series went on, Ethan became the guy who is the mission. He is a lone wolf. He is a man who doesn’t play by the system, instead he outruns it.
Cruise doesn’t follow trends. He doesn’t bend to industry shifts. He leads.
What makes Ethan Hunt so believable isn’t only the action. It’s that he feels like Tom Cruise. And that’s not an accident.
Cruise is famously intense off-camera. He trains for months for every stunt. He learns to fly helicopters. He rehearses jumps hundreds of times. He lives like he is on a mission, every day. That obsessive work ethic bleeds right into Hunt.
(Credit: Paramount Pictures)
But it’s more than just effort. It’s about trust. We trust Cruise. We know he won’t half-show up. We know he’ll give everything. And that trust transfers to Ethan. Hunt never lies. He never cheats. He never gives up on a teammate. He believes in saving “one life at a time.” Other heroes might be cool or brooding or violent. Hunt (and Cruise) is earnest.
Ethan Hunt may be fictional, but Tom Cruise is as real as it gets. Happy Birthday!
