If Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One's trailer previews a film that does not debut until July 2023, but there is already plenty of attention on Mission: Impossible 8 due to reports that it will be Tom Cruise's final movie in the franchise.
The idea that Ethan Hunt's story will end in Mission: Impossible 8 is not too surprising. Tom Cruise is now in his 60s and has played Ethan Hunt since 1996. While director Christopher McQuarrie has attempted to dismiss the notion of Cruise's exit, the mounting evidence suggests otherwise. Paramount seemingly tipped its hand at possibly ending the Mission: Impossible movie franchise and Hunt's story with the two sequel announcement. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is busy lining up multiple new projects and potential franchises that will keep him incredibly busy after Mission: Impossible 8. Those plans are arguably the best evidence yet that Ethan Hunt's story is about to wrap up.
Of course, Tom Cruise leaving Mission: Impossible raises one significant question: how will Ethan Hunt's story end? There are almost no story details known about Mission: Impossible 8, and the direction of the narrative will largely depend on Mission: Impossible 7's cliffhanger ending. That is not stopping speculation from running rampant about how Mission: Impossible 8 will end Ethan Hunt's story, resulting in some big theories about what the future holds for Tom Cruise's iconic character.
Mission: Impossible 8 Could Kill Ethan Hunt
One option for how Mission: Impossible 8 will end Ethan Hunt's story is by killing him. This would be one of the most surprising ways for Tom Cruise's run with the franchise to end. The star has said in the past that he does not want to have Ethan Hunt die in a Mission: Impossible movie. Killing the IMF agent in the eighth film would go against Cruise's wishes, but perhaps he changed his tune after talking through a potential story with McQuarrie and realized it was the right way for Ethan's arc to conclude. After all of his years of service and saving the world, it would be somewhat fitting that Ethan would die in his final mission and make the ultimate sacrifice if it meant completing the task at hand. This would mean that Tom Cruise could never return to the role again, but Mission: Impossible 8 killing Ethan Hunt does make some sense.
Mission: Impossible 8 Will Make Ethan Hunt IMF's New Boss
There is also a theory that Mission: Impossible 8's ending will see Ethan Hunt become the IMF's new boss. For as stable as Ethan's job has been with the Impossible Mission Force, his boss has been a rotating door of characters. Whether it was Euguene Kittridge, Theodore Bassell, or Alan Hundley, the Mission: Impossible movies have repeatedly put new characters in charge of IMF. It does not appear that anyone is quite cut out for the job long term for one reason or another. Depending on what happens in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible 8, it could make sense for Hunt to take the reins of the organization. This would allow him to get out of active duty but still serve the world and be part of the spy game. His loyalty to IMF and experience in the field would also surely help him elevate the group's place in the spy world.
Mission: Impossible 8 Will Let Ethan Retire (For Good)
Another option for how Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust. Furthermore, retirement would leave the door slightly open for Tom Cruise to return to the Mission: Impossible franchise at a later date if his post-Mission: Impossible 8 plans do not prove to be as successful.
