Every Time Ethan Hunt Should've Died In The Mission Impossible Franchise

From its relatively humble beginnings in 1996, the "Mission: Impossible" movies have transformed into grand cinematic events, thanks — in part — to its star, Tom Cruise, who plays the leading man, Ethan Hunt. With his ability to execute daring stunts and redefine the boundaries of practical effects, Cruise captivates audiences and draws fans to theaters without fail.

Often when an actor portrays a role numerous times with great success, they run the risk of becoming forever associated with that character and being typecast in similar roles. However, in rare instances, larger-than-life actors embody their roles to such an extent that they overshadow the character itself. Vin Diesel's work in the "Fast and Furious" franchise and Cruise's portrayal of Ethan Hunt in the "Mission: Impossible" series exemplify this phenomenon.

Given this, the characters played by these actors cannot simply meet their demise. These franchises rely heavily on their star actors, and their essence is deeply intertwined with the fabric of these films. Whenever studio executives have attempted to move on from these characters, they often find themselves humbled and compelled to reassess their decisions. Fortunately, the makers of the "Mission: Impossible" series have never fallen into this trap, and they've found ingenious ways to allow Ethan to repeatedly cheat death. Here are the numerous instances where Ethan Hunt probably should've died ... but we're glad he didn't. 

To get the full picture of how long Ethan Hunt has been risking his life, it is essential to go back to the very beginning. In 1996's "Mission: Impossible," Hunt's mission centers around retrieving a floppy disk as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) tries to discover the rogue agent among them. Fast forward to the climactic scene, Hunt finally exposes Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) as the mole within the agency. In an attempt to escape, Phelps confronts Hunt on a TGV train, with the action quickly moving to the top of the speeding train.

Phelps seems well-prepared for this dangerous endeavor, equipped with goggles to withstand the wind and suction cups to assist his grip on the train. In stark contrast, Hunt lacks any such specialized gear but fearlessly pursues Phelps nonetheless. Their showdown intensifies as they engage in a fight atop the train, with Hunt holding on with only his fingertips.

The French TGV train that provides the setting for this chase is a high-speed marvel that averages speeds of over 180mph. At such tremendous velocity, the air resistance from the wind alone would make it difficult to breathe, let alone maintain a grip on the train. For an ordinary person, this would've been their final mission, but as we know Ethan Hunt is far from ordinary.

Ethan Hunt has always had a turbulent relationship with the IMF, often clashing with his superiors due to his tendency to go rogue in pursuit of mission success. In the original film, he reports to IMF director Eugene Kittridge, and their dynamic is far from harmonious. Kittridge views Hunt as effective but insubordinate, while Hunt believes Kittridge is always scheming behind his back.

When Hunt discovers that Kittridge inadvertently caused the deaths of his initial team members while attempting to expose a mole, he is understandably furious. With the need for a swift escape, Hunt throws a bomb at a nearby massive fish tank. The resulting explosion creates a distraction, allowing him to make a getaway, and resulting in an iconic moment in the series.

However, in reality, such a scenario would not unfold as portrayed. The proximity to the fish tank would render the sequence implausible. A similar incident occurred at a Radisson Collection hotel in Berlin, where a large aquarium burst, causing the aftermath to resemble an explosion. In truth, neither Hunt nor Kittridge would ever have survived the powerful torrent of water and the sharp shards of broken glass flying around.

Ethan Hunt is usually all about the mission and he rarely indulges in moments of pure delight. But in the opening scene of "Mission: Impossible II," director John Woo decided to give fans a glimpse of a different side, and it becomes evident that Hunt's idea of downtime is just as audacious and over-the-top as one could imagine. In this thrilling sequence, Hunt engages in free climbing at Dead Horse Point. Upon reaching the summit, an IMF operative shoots him a rocket containing sunglasses that hold the vital intel for his next mission.

Temporarily setting aside reality, this scene is a sheer spectacle. Hunt effortlessly leaps from one cliff to another, smoothly sliding off ledges against the breathtaking backdrop of the amazing scenery. The visuals are so captivating that even a casual viewer might overlook the plausibility of the physical feat, which, let's be honest, is impossible.

To delve deeper into the feasibility of the scene, GQ invited an expert to provide an assessment. His professional opinion was that Hunt undoubtedly looks cool, but that his wounds suggest he was not particularly skilled at rock climbing. He also noted that some of his moves appear unrealistic and downright outrageous. Nevertheless, the expert did acknowledge the authenticity of Hunt's form. In reality, these unnecessary acrobatics while free climbing would probably be fatal.

In the fourth installment, "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," Ethan Hunt emerges as a more refined character and agent. From this point onward, Tom Cruise takes on the daring stunts himself, and the movies strive to depict them as realistically as possible. The line between possibility and impossibility becomes razor-thin, and the fact that Cruise is performing the stunts makes it even more thrilling. 

One stunt that garnered significant attention was the climb of the Burj Khalifa. The mission entails infiltrating a meeting between Marius Wistrom (Samuli Edelmann) and Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux) to foil their nefarious plans of igniting nuclear war. To reach the targeted room, Hunt must scale 11 stories of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.

GQ once again enlisted their expert to assess this thrilling scene, and he revealed that the specialized magnetic gloves depicted were not real. Now, that's to be expected in a spy movie where imaginative gadgets are par for the course. However, in this particular installment, the director took a different approach — depicting gadgets that constantly fail. Consequently, the gloves eventually malfunction, forcing Hunt to rely on his free-climbing skills to conquer the Burj Khalifa. The expert — who has climbed the Burj Khalifa himself — noted that the way Hunt clings to the chrome beams would be impossible. Furthermore, even a minor misstep at such dizzying heights could lead to certain death.

In "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," some of the most pivotal events take place in Dubai, where Ethan Hunt confronts not only his adversaries but also the unique challenges posed by the weather. During his mission to scale the Burj Khalifa and infiltrate a meeting, Hunt believes he is on the path to success. However, his cover is blown, and one of the IMF's targets attempts to flee. Hunt embarks on a chase but encounters an additional obstacle: a relentless sandstorm.

The sandstorm severely limits visibility, and Hunt relies on a tracker to guide him in the general direction of his target. However, he soon realizes that the target is not merely attempting to escape on foot. Instead, the target is in a car charging directly at him at full speed. In a last-ditch effort, Hunt leaps onto the car and desperately tries to throw it off course, sustaining minimal injuries. Unfortunately, he fails, and the car escapes his grip.

When faced head-on with a speeding car, no amount of agency training can guarantee survival. It's also worth noting that all it takes for a car to kill a person is a speed of 35mph, and this car was going considerably quicker than this. Internal bleeding and broken bones would undoubtedly bring an end to Ethan Hunt's days as a super spy.

By the time "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" rolls around, Ethan Hunt has assembled a dependable team of allies, allowing him to accomplish virtually anything he sets his mind to. And this film starts with a bang as Hunt breaks into a moving Airbus A400M as it hurtles down the runway, preparing for takeoff.

As the plane roars to life and begins taxiing, Hunt fearlessly jumps onto the wing and races across its surface, desperately urging his bewildered teammate Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) to open the aircraft's door. Dunn is left both amazed by the audaciousness of Hunt's actions and perplexed by the Russian text on his hacking device. Interestingly, this scene was performed in real life, with minimal digital effects used.

Ironically, with the plane's takeoff speed surpassing 170mph, it somewhat validates certain aspects of Hunt's daring heroism atop the TGV train in "Mission: Impossible" — albeit in a more spectacular fashion because it's practically performed. This commitment to real-life stunts enhances the impact of each film in the series. However, it should be noted that the few digital effects employed in this scene were primarily used to erase the wires that Tom Cruise utilized for safety. Ethan Hunt, on the other hand, had no such luxuries, making it highly improbable that he would survive this hair-raising feat.

For Ethan Hunt, life is a relentless cycle of preventing disasters. This time, his mission takes him to Paris, where he collaborates with yet another double agent, August Walker (Henry Cavill). When their getaway truck becomes trapped in a narrow Parisian street, they are forced to break out through the windshield and flee on foot. Fortunately, they stumble upon two motorcycles, and the madness ensues.

While Walker manages to escape before the pursuing cops catch up, Hunt encounters a setback: his motorcycle refuses to start. He barely manages to get it running, with the police hot on his heels. In a daring display, Hunt races through the streets of Paris at full speed, tilting his head back instead of using the side mirror, narrowly avoiding collisions with oncoming traffic.

However, upon reaching the iconic Arc de Triomphe landmark, Hunt decides to turn into the traffic instead of following its flow. This risky move is an attempt to lose the pursuing cops, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where he avoids a catastrophic accident. Even if he miraculously survives that ordeal, Hunt crashes into a car at high speed, catapulting off his motorcycle without a helmet. There's a very slim chance he makes it out of that unscathed.

In "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," Ethan Hunt exhibits a more cautious approach due to his age and prioritizes safety and the well-being of his friends. The team welcomes a new member, August Walker, and despite his challenging nature, Hunt tries to work with him and keep him protected. One notable situation arises when they are required to skydive to a party in Paris.

Hunt provides Walker with instructions on how to execute the skydive and ensure his oxygen supply remains intact. However, Hunt notices a thunderstorm approaching when he checks the horizon and tries to warn Walker about the inadvisability of the jump. Unfortunately, the headstrong Walker ignores the advice and jumps anyway. Although he is struck by lightning during the thunderstorm, it only renders him unconscious.

This scene is undeniably ludicrous. In reality, diving into a storm would expose an individual to reduced control over their parachute due to moisture, strong winds could disrupt their ability to stay on course, and lightning strikes pose a far greater danger than depicted in the movie. All of these factors could have resulted in the death of both Ethan Hunt and August Walker.

When the IMF discovers that August Walker is actually John Lark, the mastermind behind the plan to trigger nuclear warfare, Ethan Hunt pursues him in a helicopter chase. As the chase unfolds, Hunt's helicopter begins to malfunction, leading him to make a daring decision. He chooses to ram Walker's helicopter, intending to bring them both down together.

This situation is incredibly precarious. The collision of two helicopters poses a significant danger that could potentially be fatal, and the outcome depends on the specifics of how the helicopters collide – something that would be impossible to predict accurately. In the scene, the rotor blades of Hunt's helicopter penetrate its cabin and cockpit. In reality, when rotor blades enter the cabin and cockpit of a helicopter, the consequences are likely to be much more severe. It is highly improbable that Ethan Hunt could have emerged from this unscathed, and the impact and potential damage caused by such a collision would make survival nearly impossible for both parties.

In "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," Ethan Hunt — still reeling from the loss of a loved one – is determined to halt the devastating pattern. Tasked with thwarting his newest adversary, an AI machine named The Entity, Hunt encounters a skilled pickpocket named Grace (Hayley Atwell). Persuading her to assist him in a mission aboard a train, he assures her that he will find a way to join her.

True to the series' tradition of unforeseen complications, Ethan's arrival on the train is delayed. By the time he catches up, the train has been intercepted and becomes a runaway. Faced with the perilous situation, Hunt and his team prioritize the safety of innocent passengers over capturing Gabriel (Esai Morales). But it turns out that Gabriel has planted a bomb on a bridge just ahead of the train.

Hunt and Grace spring into action, and together with their team they manage to stop the runaway train. However, the first two carriages prove unstable and begin to tilt. With a harrowing display of agility, Hunt and Grace navigate their way across sliding carriages and even through a completely vertical carriage. The intensity of the scene is palpable, but it is crucial to recognize that the odds of survival for both of them would be slim.

The runaway train sequence is undoubtedly thrilling — and a great reference to the first installment in the franchise — but the real draw of "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" is the moment when Ethan Hunt rides a motorcycle off a cliff. It is an image that has dominated the marketing campaign, and fans were eager to find out why and how he pulled it off.

The "why" is quite simple: Hunt has no other choice but to jump off the cliff in order to get onto the train after being sabotaged by Gabriel, who seemed to know his every move with the help of the AI. Hunt also made a promise to Grace, so he is determined to do whatever it takes to keep his word.

However, the "how" was no easy feat. Ethan simply rode off onto the uneven terrain and took a leap of faith, hoping for the best. Direct Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise revealed the extensive preparations that went into this stunt. Cruise practiced motocross jumps and performed over 500 skydives, while the crew built a huge ramp to ensure a smooth takeoff surface. Even with a parachute, this death-defying leap has far too many risk factors, and perhaps it proves that the only person more impressive than Ethan Hunt is in fact, Tom Cruise.