Major Mission Impossible 8 Story Detail Has Already Been Spoiled In An Unexpected Way

Tom Cruise has unintentionally revealed a major spoiler for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two‘s story. The franchise star returned as Ethan Hunt for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which acts as the first of two movies telling one larger story. Mission: Impossible 7 introduced a new AI threat known as The Entity and Esai Morales’ villain Gabriel, who is connected to Ethan’s past, making both critical to the franchise’s future. Since the movies have a two-part title structure, it was always known that Mission: Impossible 7 would set the stage for Mission: Impossible 8‘s story.

Most of the major storylines for Dead Reckoning Part 2 have already been teased, such as Grace joining Kittridge, Luther going off on his own, Gabriel losing The Key, and Ethan and Benji continuing to work together. However, Mission: Impossible 7‘s ending does leave some mystery about how all these storylines will come together in the sequel, not to mention how the various new characters and stunts factor in. The spy franchise is known for its secretive and constantly evolving plots, but Tom Cruise’s hair can now be seen as a Mission: Impossible 8 spoiler based on its implications.

Tom Cruise’s Hair Spoils Mission: Impossible 8 Has A Time Jump

As seen throughout the filming of Mission: Impossible 8 and during the press tour for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, Tom Cruise’s hair is much longer for the second part than during the first. Director Christopher McQuarrie even confirmed that he had to wear a wig for Mission: Impossible 7 reshoots because his hair is so much longer for Mission: Impossible 8. The length of Tom Cruise’s hair changes throughout the Mission: Impossible movies, but the difference between Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Part 2 is worth noting. This is because it implies that there will be a time jump to start Mission: Impossible 8.

Due to the two-part titles for Mission: Impossible 7 & 8, it was widely believed that the second movie would pick up directly after the first. This is commonly how two-part movies in franchises operate, as they leave audiences on a cliffhanger and then immediately continue the story from there. The fact that Tom Cruise’s hair is so long in Mission: Impossible 8 means that some type of time jump is happening. It is unclear if months or years will have passed for Ethan Hunt and company, but it should now be expected that viewers will not see the story continue from exactly where Dead Reckoning Part 1 leaves it.

Why Mission: Impossible 8’s Time Jump Is Better For The Story

A Mission: Impossible 8 time jump should be better for the movie’s story than having to pick up directly after Mission: Impossible 7. This means that the characters and various plot threads will be allowed to evolve between the sequels. So instead of Grace just starting to work for Kittridge or Luther just beginning his offline Entity research, these storylines and more can already be in a very different place. This will also help make Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two feel more like its own story, as The Entity’s threat can grow during that time and characters can return to Ethan’s life.