Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning surprisingly settles a longstanding debate about Tom Cruise and his character, Ethan Hunt. The Final Reckoning addresses many questions about past films in the franchise, such as what the Rabbit’s Foot from Mission: Impossible III was and what happened to William Donloe after the events of the first movie. This makes sense, as the most recent film in the series attempts to be a celebration of the entire franchise. Because of this, there’s a chance that The Final Reckoning will be the last Mission: Impossible movie.
This has not been confirmed, and reviews for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which are generally positive, suggest that fans want more. However, if it does end up being the final movie in the long-running spy series, Cruise’s last mission as Ethan Hunt was undoubtedly very thrilling. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning includes many stunts, such as the submarine sequence and the wing-walking biplane scene during the climax. These stunts are definitely the main talking points of the movie, but it is also worth discussing Cruise’s hair in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Ethan Hunt’s Short & Long Hair Has Been At The Center Of A Lingering Mission: Impossible Debate
This Is A Silly But Fun Mission: Impossible Debate
Since Cruise is one of the most popular actors in the world, it’s not surprising that fans like to talk about how he looks in his movies. In the Mission: Impossible movies, in particular, Cruise has switched between a short haircut and longer hair many times. He had a short haircut for the first and third movies in the series, but longer hair in the second. After switching back and forth for the first few movies, Cruise chose to have long hair in both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation.
Mission: Impossible Movies |
Tom Cruise’s Hairstyle |
Worldwide Box Office |
RT Critics Score |
---|---|---|---|
Mission: Impossible (1996) |
Short |
$457,697,994 |
65% |
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) |
Long |
$549,588,516 |
57% |
Mission: Impossible III (2006) |
Short |
$399,387,745 |
73% |
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) |
Long |
$694,713,230 |
94% |
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) |
Long |
$688,858,992 |
94% |
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) |
Short |
$786,626,183 |
98% |
Mission: Impossible – ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning (2023) |
Short |
$565,696,302 |
96% |
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) |
Long |
$450,241,695 (so far) |
80% |
However, since he had long hair for two movies, he then went short for both Fallout and ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, the two films before the recently released The Final Reckoning. Since he has switched between the two hairstyles so many times in the Mission: Impossible franchise, fans have debated what one is a better look for Ethan Hunt. Obviously, this is a very silly debate, but it’s also fun for fans to consider what version of Ethan Hunt they like more.
The Final Reckoning Uses Grace To Settle The Ethan Hunt Hair Debate
Grace Likes Ethan Hunt’s Long Hair In The Final Reckoning
Some fans may prefer Cruise with short hair, while others may like the longer hair. However, it seems like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning settled the debate over which Ethan Hunt haircut is better. Since the most recent film in the series is set two months after ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, Ethan Hunt has longer hair in the movie. When he reunites with Grace, who is played by Hayley Atwell, in The Final Reckoning, she tells him that she likes him with longer hair.
Not only is this a flirty line which hints at the possible romantic connection between Ethan and Grace, it also seemingly answers this longstanding question. The Mission: Impossible franchise has surprisingly actually become part of this ongoing fan conversation and sided with the long hair. Additionally, since Cruise chose to have long hair for what could be his final time playing Ethan Hunt, it seems like he prefers this style, as well.
The Final Reckoning Is Right: Tom Cruise’s Long Hair Is Better For Ethan Hunt’s Appearance
Tom Cruise’s Long Hair Is Great For Stunts
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning perfectly showcases why Cruise’s longer hair is better for Ethan Hunt. During the climactic biplane sequence, for example, it’s great to see Ethan Hunt’s hair blowing in the wind. This is a subtle detail, but definitely helps sell the realism of the stunt. Since Cruise does a lot of different kinds of stunts as Ethan Hunt, it’s fun to watch his hair blow around and become messy in the Mission: Impossible movies. Therefore, I’m glad that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning settled this debate.