Mission: Impossibleand its hero, Ethan Hunt, were designed to rival the James Bond movies when it debuted in 1996. That said, it was based on a TV show from the 60s, but it was its own thing that soon spawned a franchise. It took a whilebefore Tom Cruisetook creative control of the franchise, but when he did, there was a throughline that made these movies sing.
Now, decades later, there is a lot of Ethan Hunt content that can help fans determine whether or not he is a better spy than James Bond. Does his latest adventure,Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, prove that? Let’s dive into how Ethan Hunt redefined spies everywhere.
6His Team
Forming Strong Bonds
Ethan isa capable spyon his own, and most movies have him go through a rollercoaster of missions testing his stamina. Ethan would not be the agent he is without his team, though, which is something that the Bond movies haven’t demonstrated well. Bond has coworkers, of course, like M, Q, Moneypenny, and so on, who brief him on missions or give him gear.
They help Bond with setups, but rarely is Bond aided on missions, or at least not as much as Ethan is in theMission: Impossibleseries. More so than that, Ethan’s teammates are their own characters with thoughts and feelings, and aren’t just NPCs who serve Ethan from Luther to Benji. Kudos go to Ethan for knowing how to pick the best teams for the job.
5A Selfless Hero
No Man/Woman Left Behind
Ethan is a hero who is constantly plagued by not being perfect. When a mission goes awry, he blames himself, especially when his teammates get hurt, like in the first movie. His overall goal is to stop evil and to save the world, which is cliche, but more so than that, Ethan has flaws and will, it seems, jeopardize missions to save the ones he loves.
When his wife gets captured inMission: Impossible 3, Ethan aids the villain, Owen Davian, to get her back. This is a selfish act, but Ethan always has a plan to double-cross villains. He just gives them an inch to save his friends whenever the need arises and often puts himself in more danger. While Bond can be seen doing selfish acts as well, it’s more in the Daniel Craig era, meaning that Bond is mostly depicted as a girl-hungry man in it to win it for himself.
4Behaves Like A Human
Beyond Charisma
Bond is smooth and charming, which often gets him what he wants: women. There’s always a smirk on his face as if he’s using Jedi Mind Tricks, knowing that his charm will win anyone over. It can be fun to see Bond be a bit cheeky in his movies, but Ethan is a more well-rounded and personable human. He talks to men and women the same be it in urgency or in a caring manner.
If someone is trying to kill him or his friends, Ethan shows anger, adding to the human category even more. To reiterate, Ethan messes up as well, having flaws like caving into villainous demands because love is a powerful thing. TheDaniel Craig versions of Bondtouch on this more humanistic side, but it doesn’t change Bond as a character on the whole.
3The Stunts
A Born Daredevil
Bond, until the Daniel Craig era, wasn’t really known for wild stunts. He has gone to space, which is pretty wild, but it’s not like Bond was ever riding a rocket on the outside and flying to the moon. That’s something only Ethan would do, which is to say it’s something only Tom Cruise would do to entertain his audience.TheMission: Impossiblestuntsare legendary thanks to their mix of practical effects and CG assists.
There are too many to list, from the climbing of the Burj Khalifa inMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocolto the vault entry in the first movie. Cruise is still wowing audiences in the latest film,Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, from the plane stunt, which is spectacular, to his deep-sea dive. The stunts are one of the most iconic things about this series and Ethan as a character, which is another sign that he is willing to put his life on the line one wild stunt at a time.
2The Gadgets
Masking Danger
Bond has had a ton of gadgetsin the movies, and they are all fun, especially when Q demonstrates how to use them. From communicator watches to pen cameras, there is tons to love in the franchise, and theMission: Impossibleseries has its fair share of gadgets like that too. However, there is nothing more iconic than the face mask technology, and Bond would seemingly love to get his hands on it.
Every time Ethan has a face mask reveal in the movies, it gives a jolt of energy to the audience. The technology is almost too good, which was criticized by some fans untilMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which played with the idea in a fun way by damaging the mask. This started a trend of missions not always going according to plan, leading to some improvisation, which Ethan is always good at.
1Ethan Hunt’s Longevity
One Man, One Franchise
Ethan’s greatest strength is the actor portraying him: Tom Cruise.Mission: Impossiblebegan in 1996, and even though it has been almost three decades, the character hasn’t changed much thanks to Cruise sticking to the brand. The only exception could beMission: Impossible 2,but fans often like to forget that one exists. Also, there have only been eight movies in total, meaning that Cruise has had less time to get sick of portraying the same character.
Imagine a worldwhere Sean Conneryplayed Bond in every film until now. It wouldn’t be as charming and not from an age point of view. Connery would probably not love the idea of always being Bond, which may be one reason why he was replaced by other actors in the series. Fans can theorize that every Bond who appears in the movies is a different agent taking on the codename of 007, with the only exception being the Daniel Craig movies, which exist in another reality. Ethan Hunt will always be Tom Cruise, as there is simply no replacing him, and hopefully, he never will be, as it would destroy this argument.
