Tom Cruise faces challenge after Mission Impossible 8 stunt as he looks ahead to Top Gun 3, raising questions about whether his next action-packed sequel can surpass the breathtaking feats of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. With Cruise having wrapped up one of his most acclaimed and daring roles as Ethan Hunt, the film industry and his fans are watching to see if the high bar set by the latest Mission: Impossible installment can be topped in his next high-flying chapter.
Cruise Ends His Run as Ethan Hunt on a High Note
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning marks the conclusion of Cruise’s long tenure as the iconic IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Released in 2025, the film pairs Cruise with a talented cast including Hayley Atwell as Grace, and sees his team once again pitted against a seemingly unstoppable force—this time, a rogue artificial intelligence known as the Entity, bent on triggering worldwide disaster. The movie has resonated with audiences and critics alike, attaining glowing reviews and raking in over $450 million internationally. This exceptional box office performance makes it the fifth highest-earning film of 2025 and delivers the franchise’s most successful opening weekend to date.
As Cruise closes the door on the demanding Mission: Impossible saga, he now has room in his schedule for other major franchise commitments. Chief among these is Top Gun 3, following up on the remarkable success of Top Gun: Maverick, which released in 2022 and became a global phenomenon with nearly $1.5 billion earned and six Academy Award nominations. Although Top Gun 3 was only officially confirmed in January 2024, anticipation has soared, especially as Cruise reprises his role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, joined by familiar faces like Miles Teller as Rooster and Glen Powell as Hangman. Fans and franchise followers are eager to see what new heights Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie, and the creative team aim to reach.
The Final Reckoning’s Biplane Stunt Sets a New Standard
While audiences often associate Top Gun with daredevil aviation sequences, it is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning that delivers what many are calling Cruise’s most ambitious and visually arresting plane stunt to date. Over the course of nearly three decades, Cruise has developed a reputation for escalating his commitment to practical effects and on-set risks, from scaling the Burj Khalifa to clinging to fast-moving aircraft. Yet, in The Final Reckoning, Cruise achieves something unprecedented in action cinema.
The film’s climactic midair battle sees Ethan Hunt squaring off against Gabriel while perched on a vintage biplane. Already exceeding the palpable danger of previous stunts, Cruise grips the wing of the aircraft as it speeds through the sky at 140 miles per hour and an altitude of 8,000 feet. In unyielding winds and thinning oxygen, the actor maneuvers across the exterior of the plane—climbing from fuselage to wing—all while cameras roll, further cementing his legacy as a hands-on action star. The sequence stands not only as The Final Reckoning’s most iconic moment but arguably as the most dangerous and complex that Cruise has ever performed on screen.
The Challenge Top Gun 3 Must Overcome
In the wake of such a memorable feat, the expectation now sits heavily on Top Gun 3 to deliver something equally spectacular. Having raised the bar once again with The Final Reckoning’s biplane moment, industry observers and fans wonder whether Cruise can engineer an aviation sequence for Top Gun 3 that matches, or even outdoes, his latest display of real-world danger.
Unlike the Mission: Impossible franchise, which grants Cruise creative freedom for increasingly hazardous stunts, the world of Top Gun comes with a unique set of boundaries. While Top Gun celebrates aerial combat with sophisticated jets, these are military-grade machines subject to strict safety protocols and immense financial constraints. Notably, Cruise was not allowed to personally fly the F-18 fighter jet in Top Gun: Maverick due to these very restrictions, as such an operation requires extensive training, government clearance, and involves enormous costs.
This lack of operational freedom creates a dilemma. There is no logical next step or natural escalation available in Top Gun 3 that would safely or credibly raise the stakes beyond The Final Reckoning’s biplane stunt. For Cruise to convince audiences that his character is truly in danger, as he did in Mission: Impossible, would demand either technological advances or a shift in how aerial stunts are conceptualized within the constraints of military hardware and safety.
The intensity that gave The Final Reckoning’s air sequence its thrilling edge comes from the raw peril faced by Cruise outside the plane. With Top Gun, the danger is mainly communicated through choreographed combat and high-speed maneuvers simulated within tightly controlled conditions, rather than from real-life risk. As a result, the biplane sequence may endure as the high-water mark of Cruise’s airborne stunt work, something Top Gun 3 might find hard, if not impossible, to eclipse without reinventing its approach to action.
Why Wrapping Up Mission: Impossible May Be Right for Cruise
The mounting challenge of continuously exceeding his past achievements may have influenced the decision for Mission: Impossible to conclude with The Final Reckoning. Over the years, Cruise, along with director Christopher McQuarrie, writers Erik Jendresen and McQuarrie, producers Jake Myers and Cruise himself, and the rest of the team, have worked to ensure each film surpassed its predecessor, crafting action that feels authentic and pressurizing themselves to set new industry benchmarks.
However, this drive comes with risk. Continuously outpacing previous feats can expose actors and crews to greater hazards and can create a cycle where expectations become unsustainable. By finishing the series at its peak—with a stunt that embodies both danger and cinematic innovation—the Mission: Impossible franchise ensures that it goes out on a note of triumph, rather than desperation or diminished returns. It also gives Cruise the opportunity to pursue new heights in different settings, free from the expectation of always having to one-up himself.
Top Gun 3: Looking Towards New Horizons
With his Mission: Impossible commitments now behind him, Tom Cruise is poised to devote his full attention and energy to Top Gun 3. The creative minds behind the project—including producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Ehren Kruger—face a delicate balancing act: honoring the legacy of aviation stunts that defined Maverick while carving out new territory for the series.
The upcoming film aims to continue the themes of elite naval aviation and teamwork among ace pilots such as Rooster and Hangman, with Cruise’s Maverick again at the center. While specific details of the plot remain under wraps, the production is expected to lean into the camaraderie and cutting-edge action sequences that have become the series’ trademarks. Whether it can match the thrill of Cruise’s previous exploits depends largely on innovation in filmmaking and perhaps a willingness to redefine what constitutes an aerial stunt in the modern cinematic context.
As the industry watches closely, the question is not simply whether Cruise can perform a more extreme act, but if Top Gun 3 can deliver the same sense of awe and authenticity that made his Mission: Impossible stunt legendary. Both projects showcase the efforts of large creative teams, with Cruise collaborating with cast members like Hayley Atwell, Glen Powell, Miles Teller, and behind-the-scenes talents—including directors, writers, producers, and technical experts—each contributing to the high-stakes excitement audiences have come to expect.
The Lasting Impact of Cruise’s High-Risk Performances
Tom Cruise’s reputation as a boundary-pushing action star is built not just on the stunts he performs, but on how each daring feat raises the profile of his films and delivers tangible excitement to global audiences. The impact is evident in the way both Mission: Impossible and Top Gun plots have evolved, emphasizing authenticity and a sense of genuine peril that few actors attempt.
With The Final Reckoning’s release on May 23, 2025, and a runtime of 170 minutes under the direction of Christopher McQuarrie, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt serves as both the physical and emotional core of the franchise. His portrayal, supported by a cast that includes Hayley Atwell and other returning stars, cements his legacy as one of cinema’s foremost action icons. As Top Gun 3 prepares for liftoff, the legacy Cruise carries with him is a blend of artistry, risk, and innovation, setting a gold standard that challenges not just himself, but the entire industry to reach higher.
As fans and filmmakers alike brace for the release of Top Gun 3, the central question persists: Can Tom Cruise and his team find new ways to deliver the same pulse-pounding spectacle after Mission Impossible 8’s unbeatable biplane sequence—or has he already delivered his wildest ride?
