"Man's completing side quests" Internet reacts to Tom Cruise getting Knight of the Legion of Honor in France

France's Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati inducted Tom Cruise as Knight of the Legion of Honor in Paris on July 26. Dati took to X on July 27 to post a picture of them saying,

"Congratulations to @TomCruise who is named a Knight of Arts and Letters by the Republic! His filming of "Mission Impossible" in Paris in 2017 beautifully showcased our capital. His passionate defense of cinemas inspires all lovers of the big screen. @MinistereCC" -Translated from French

As Dati's post on X went viral, fans were quick to react. One user wrote,

While another user remarked that Tom in the picture looked as though he had been accepted into Hogwarts,

"He looks like he just got accepted in to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Slytherin."

Another user disapproved of his knighthood and was of the opinion that Tom Cruise "didn't earn it",

"Politicians shouldn’t be giving national honors and titles to celebrities or anyone that didn’t earn it. Adult pretenders aren’t national heroes. They get paid millions and are treated better than most people, which needs to change."

Some netizens were left feeling confused about France's decision to honor the actor with a knighthood while some added humor to the situation.

"So basically France's culture minister Rachida Dati wanted her photo taken with Tom Cruise 😀" - another user commented

"In France??? Huh? Love Tom though just seems odd it's in France." commented one user.

"Bros doing anything and everything" - another user commented

His induction ceremony was held hours before the start of the Olympics' opening ceremony. Cruise is yet to comment on the ceremony.

Why was Tom Cruise inducted Knight of the Legion of Honor?

The Knight of the Legion of Honor or Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, is France's highest civilian award, recognizing exceptional achievements and services to the nation.

As per Rachida Dati's X post, Tom Cruise was inducted Knight of Arts and Letter for his movie, Mission: Impossible-Fallout and for his immense contribution to cinema. As per Dati, Cruise's movie showcased the capital city of Paris in a beautiful light.

"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (Photo by James Gourley/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

The film series has multiple scenes shot in France's capital city, Paris. One scene includes a helicopter fight over the Eiffel Tower showcasing a bird's eye view of the Seine. In another scene, Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill land on the Grand Palais in the middle of a huge party.

Several beautiful sites in Paris are highlighted throughout the movie, for instance, we see the Arc de Triomphe when Tom and Ethan Hunt take a wrong turn and in another scene we see a speed boat chase through the underground tunnels of the Canal Saint-Martin offering views of Bastille and the Basin of Villette.