Home » Photos » As you wait for Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible 7, here’s a lookback at all villains who made film series so thrilling
As you wait for Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible 7, here’s a lookback at all villains who made film series so thrilling
From Jim Phelps’ resourcefulness to August Walker's nefarious schemes, these antagonists kept the MI film franchise going and made the films more engaging.
Here's a list of the Mission Impossible antagonists:
The Mission: Impossible franchise distinguishes itself from other action franchises by featuring some intelligent villains who compete with Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and the IMF crew. The film series has offered some iconic villains who have remained in audiences' minds for the whole 25-year run of the franchise. With Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Two set to release in 2023 and 2024 respectively, let’s take a look at a list of all the villains and their most cunning strategies. It's fascinating to observe how some secondary antagonists have done better than some major villains, and it also exposes who is the most deceitful of the bunch.
1/10
Jim Phelps in Mission Impossible
Phelps, portrayed by Jon Voight, maybe one of the most cunning Mission: Impossible villains, having deceived his whole crew by framing Ethan as the spy and assassinating the majority of the officers. He was successful in obtaining the identities of the agents he intended to sell to arms traffickers while also faking his death to avoid being accused.
2/10
Solomon Lane in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Mission Impossible: Fallout
Solomon Lane, portrayed by Sean Harris, has been the oppositional rival to Ethan Hunt, a criminal so deviously smart that he was called back a second time with a new plot to carry out. Lane employed government spies like Atlee and August Walker to dupe everyone, while also have a variety of alternative plans in place.
3/10
August Walker in Mission Impossible: Fallout
The sixth film is often regarded as one of Tom Cruise's best action movie because it keeps the audience guessing and a hero’s story often gets important because of the villain. August Walker is no different. Portrayed by Henry Cavill, he acquired the character of John Lark and fooled,
4/10
Owen Davian in Mission Impossible III
Davian, portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, wasn't the mastermind behind the conflict in Mission: Impossible III, but he was the main antagonist because he directly confronted Ethan. Davian, unlike other villains, had backup plans, as he made sure to flee after being apprehended by Ethan, abducting his wife, and implanting the explosive device in Ethan.
5/10
John Musgrave in Mission Impossible III
As he wasn't touted as a villain, many fans don't recall John Musgrave, portrayed by Billy Crudup, but he turned out to be the mastermind behind the entire plan in the third film. Musgrave used his authority in the IMF to pass on information to Owen Davian and mislead Ethan into believing Julia was murdered while slyly getting someone to replace her.
6/10
Kurt Hendricks- Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
Hendricks, portrayed by Michael Nyqvist, had a simple plan to cause a conflict between the US and Russia by exploiting Sabine's nuclear launch codes, but he went about it in a clever way. He attacked the Kremlin to cover up his theft of the launch control equipment, which resulted in Ethan and his crew being discredited.
7/10
Sean Ambrose- Mission Impossible II
Ambrose, portrayed by Dougray Scott, was a classic antagonist who primarily counted on his henchmen to complete his tasks. Ambrose wasn't smart enough to see that Nyah was playing him by enlisting his ranks, and his plan to use the Chimera virus to kill her was all in vain.
8/10
Sabine Moreau in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
It is safe to say The Mission: Impossible series made a mistake by killing off Sabine since she had the potential to be a major villain. Sabine, portrayed by Léa Seydoux, was shrewd enough to fight Trevor Hanaway even after he had killed countless foes, allowing her to claim the nuclear launch codes that set the plot in motion.
9/10
Claire Phelps in Mission Impossible
Despite the fact that Claire, portrayed by Emmanuelle Béart, was merely carrying out her husband's orders throughout the first film's conflict, she may be the most heinous villain ever. After all, she was holding Ethan Hunt up the entire time by accidentally carrying out Jim Phelps' plan by using his affections for her.
10/10
Atlee in Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Atlee, portrayed by Simon McBurney, first appears as Ilsa Fault's MI6 handler, only to be exposed as one of the Syndicate's founders. Furthermore, he was able to question Ethan Hunt, who was forced to abduct the Prime Minister while impersonating as Atlee in order to disclose the character's true intent.