There are few stars in Hollywood who command attention quite like Tom Cruise. Over four decades, he has built a reputation as a cinematic powerhouse, redefining what it means to be a leading man in modern action films. But among his many achievements, nothing looms larger—or more dangerous—than his relentless pursuit of realism in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

Cruise doesn’t just play Ethan Hunt, the globe-trotting spy who defies the odds and gravity. He becomes him. With each new installment of the franchise, the stunts become bigger, the stakes higher, and the risks deadlier. It’s a high-wire act in every sense—one where the line between actor and daredevil fades, and where even Cruise himself has admitted: “I thought I was going to die.”

A History of Defying Death

Tom Cruise has never shied away from danger. From the very first “Mission: Impossible” film in 1996, he insisted on performing his own stunts. That included dangling from the ceiling in a laser-protected vault, climbing cliffs without ropes, and outrunning explosions. But the stunts only escalated with each new entry.

In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Cruise scaled the Burj Khalifa—the tallest building in the world—with nothing but a harness and suction gloves. High above the Dubai skyline, one misstep would have been fatal. But Cruise didn’t flinch. Not publicly, at least.

“I remember looking down,” he later recalled in interviews, “and for a moment, I thought—what if this is it?”

That moment was just one of many where the actor brushed shoulders with death.

In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Cruise clung to the side of a military cargo plane as it took off—for real. No green screen. No stunt double. Just Cruise strapped to the side of an aircraft ascending thousands of feet into the air, with his eyes watering and his skin stinging from the wind. The shot was repeated multiple times.

A Broken Ankle, A Delayed Film

But perhaps the most well-known brush with death came during the filming of Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). While jumping between two rooftops in London, Cruise misjudged the distance slightly. His foot slammed into the wall, snapping his ankle instantly. The impact was captured on camera—and used in the final film.

Despite the pain, Cruise finished the take. He hobbled away on a broken foot to stay in character before finally collapsing offscreen. Production halted for weeks while he healed.

“It was the first time I truly thought: maybe this is it,” Cruise later said to close confidants. “Maybe I can’t keep doing this.”

But six months later, he was back—this time learning how to fly a helicopter for real so he could perform high-speed chases through mountain valleys without a double.

A Pattern of Risk, a Cycle of Obsession

There’s something almost ritualistic about Cruise’s devotion to danger. With every new Mission: Impossible film, audiences wonder, what will he do next? And Cruise doesn’t disappoint.

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), he executed what is arguably the most dangerous stunt of his career: riding a motorcycle off a cliff, letting go mid-air, and deploying a parachute—all in one take. The sequence was rehearsed hundreds of times, with Cruise reportedly skydiving more than 500 times and completing 13,000 motocross jumps to prepare.

And yet, before the stunt, he admitted privately, “This might be the one that ends me.”

It didn’t. But the fear was real. Even for a man who seems superhuman on screen, mortality is never far from the frame.

Why Does He Keep Doing It?

This is the question that lingers: Why would a man in his sixties repeatedly put himself in mortal danger when he could easily hand off the stunts or retire in glory?

The answer seems to lie in Cruise’s deeply held belief that audiences deserve authenticity. For him, cinema is sacred. The thrill should be real, the danger palpable. If that means risking his life to give the audience a visceral experience, so be it.

But there may be more beneath the surface. Cruise, by many accounts, is driven by perfectionism, control, and a constant desire to push boundaries—not just for the audience, but for himself. The stunts are not just a performance; they’re a test. A proving ground. A way to silence doubts, both internal and external.

When he dangles from planes, cliffs, or buildings, he isn’t just playing Ethan Hunt. He’s proving that he’s still Tom Cruise.

Facing the Fear of Death—And Doing It Anyway

What makes Cruise different isn’t just that he flirts with death. It’s that he acknowledges it.

He has admitted to moments of fear—moments when he truly believed he might die. But rather than retreat, he steps forward. For him, it seems, fear is not a stop sign. It’s a challenge. One he’s willing to meet, again and again.

“I thought about death,” he has said. “But everything turned out fine.”

And so, the cycle continues.

The Future of Mission: Impossible—and Cruise’s Legacy

As the franchise moves forward, questions remain. How far is too far? How long can Cruise keep performing these stunts? Will there come a day when the next stunt really is the last?

Cruise doesn’t seem to think so. At least, not yet.

Production is already underway for the next installment, and rumors suggest even more ambitious stunts—underwater sequences, high-altitude balloon drops, and perhaps even a trip to space.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from watching Cruise over the past decades, it’s this: nothing is off the table. And as long as he’s able, he’ll keep pushing the limits of what’s possible—and what’s survivable.

Because for Tom Cruise, impossible isn’t just a word. It’s a dare.