Mission: Impossible – The Final ReckoningsetsTop Gun 3up for a challenge I’m not sure even Tom Cruise is up to. As the eighth and final installment in the franchise, the film sees Cruise reprise his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt alongside his team of operatives who must prevent the rogue AI known as the Entity from unleashing global destruction against humanity.The Final Reckoninghas received rave reviewsand has earned over $450 million globally, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2025 and achieving the biggest opening weekend in the franchise’s history.
Now that Cruise is seemingly done with the demandingMission: Impossiblefranchise, he will have much more time to focus on other projects,such asTop Gun 3. ThoughMaverickwas released in 2022 and was a massive critical and commercial success that made nearly $1.5 billion at the box office and earned six Academy Award nominations, the threequel wasn’t officially announced until January 2024, withCruise returning as Maverickalongside Miles Teller as Rooster and Glen Powell as Hangman. Now, withMission: Impossiblebehind him, Cruise can turn his attention toTop Gun 3.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Has The Best Plane Stunt Of Cruise’s Career
He Raised The Bar Once Again
ThoughTop Gunmight be Tom Cruise’s aerial franchise, the biplane stunt inMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, while obviously quite different from the fighter jets flown inTop Gun, isone of the most jaw-dropping things Cruise (or any actor) has ever done. For nearly 30 years, Cruise has performed increasingly daring stunts with eachMission: Impossiblemovie, from scaling the Burj Khalifa to clinging to the side of a moving aircraft.
InThe Final Reckoning, Cruise pushes boundaries once again witha breathtaking sequence featuring Ethan in a midair battle against Gabriel atop a flying biplane. It’s arguably the mostdangerous stunt Cruise has ever done inMission: Impossible, and another testament to his commitment to practical effects and authentic stunt work.
For the stunt, Cruise gripped the wing of a vintage biplaneflying at 140 miles per hour and 8,000 feet above ground. Enduring fierce winds and thin air, Cruise didn’t just hold on; he navigated across the plane’s exterior, climbing from the fuselage to the wings mid-flight.
Can Top Gun 3 Beat The Final Reckoning’s Plane Sequence?
It’s A Massive Challenge To Overcome
AfterThe Final Reckoning’s plane stunt,there will be an expectation for Cruise to top himself once again inTop Gun 3. However, the franchises are quite different in terms of style and the execution of their stunts. Cruise could push the limits in terms of what planes he can fly or how fast he can go, but there are hard limits regarding what he can do.
There is no natural progression for what Cruise can do inTop Gun 3to topThe Final Reckoning’s biplane stunt.
For instance,Cruise wasn’t allowed to fly an F-18 fighter jet inTop Gun: Maverick, given their massive price tag and the extensive training required to handle the aircraft. With these limits in place,there is no natural progression for what Cruise can do inTop Gun 3to topThe Final Reckoning’s biplane stunt and convince audiences that his life is really in danger.
The thrill ofThe Final Reckoning’s biplane stunt comes from the raw danger of Cruise on the exterior of the aircraft. By contrast,Top Gunrelies on military-grade aircraft bound by strict safety regulations,making it harder to replicate that same level of palpable risk. In turn, the biplane sequence may always stand as the peak of Cruise’s aerial stunt career.
Top Gun 3’s Challenge Is Also Why It’s Good Mission: Impossible Is Over
It Becomes Harder & Harder To Keep Raising The Bar
And that’s exactly why it’s goodMission: Impossibleis endinghere. Cruise has pushed the boundaries of practical stunts to near-impossible heights, andThe Final Reckoning’s biplane stunt feels like a fitting crescendo to that legacy. Ending it here means that Cruise won’t be burdened with the expectation of continually raising the stakes and risking his life. Don’t entirely bet against Cruise doing it, of course, but at some point, it’s good to just go out on a high.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Cast
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a formidable AI called the Entity that has compromised global intelligence networks. With new allies and a haunting figure from Hunt’s past in pursuit, they must act quickly to avert a global catastrophe.
Top Gun 3
Top Gun 3 is the latest installment following the success of Top Gun: Maverick. While specific plot details remain undisclosed, the film continues the legacy of high-flying aerial combat and camaraderie among elite pilots in the United States Navy.
