Mission Impossible Villains Ranked

Mission Impossible Villains Ranked

Over the course of seven movies and 27 years, the Mission Impossible franchise has given us some great villains. So today I’m going to stop and raking all 7 Mission Impossible villains. Let’s get started!

NOTE: This will contain SPOILERS for the franchise, some of these villains are twist reveal villains that I don’t to be spoiled for you. So if you haven’t seen all of the films, mainly the original film and Fallout, don’t read this blog post!

7. Sean Ambrose (Mission Impossible II): Like most things Mission Impossible II, it’s not very good and the villain is also not very good. He’s played by Dougary Scott and he does a good job, he’s the most memorable aspect about him as a character. And there’s kind of a funny story surrounding Dougary Scott as the villain. Where he auditioned for the role of Wolverine in X-Men, but turned it down to be the villain of this movie. If he picked Wolverine, we wouldn’t have gotten Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Anyways, back to the villain there’s some interesting ideas here with him as to what his plan is, his ties to Ethan. All of that is interesting and it’s a different type of villain for this franchise. But it’s just not super memorable and he’s not a great villain overall. So I hate to keep on crapping on the film in my Mission Impossible rankings, but the movie and pieces of the movie aren’t very good. 

6. Jim Phelps (Mission Impossible): This is an interesting villain because their originally was a Mission Impossible tv show back in the 60s, and Jim Phelps was the lead character. Not this version of the character, but in their version of the character he was the lead. I find it interesting that they took the hero in the original tv show and made him the villain of this film. It provides a nice twist and reveal that you don’t see coming, it’s a truly shocking twist that makes you rethink that happened up to this point in time. Jon Voight has a great screen presences about him that can make him intimidating and a threat towards Ethan. So there’s a lot in here that makes him very cool, I think a few things that hold him back. First up, the way the reveal happens and the scene that follows is pretty weird. When the twist happens Jim gives Ethan information about what he’s been up to. At the same time this is happening, we see what Ethan is thinking. But what Jim is saying and Ethan is thinking don’t match up and are two different things. I know some people take issue and find it gross that they did the twist they did, it doesn’t bother me. I think it’s a good and surprising twist but I can see where people are coming from. 

5. Gabriel (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1): This is a villain that can go either up or down depending on how good he’s portrayed in the next film. And that’s how I feel about Dead Reckoning Part 1, my thoughts on the film could change drastically depending on the next one. Right off the bat, I think the actor does a great job here. I know he’s been in stuff for years, but to the best of my knowledge this is the first film I’ve seen him in. I thought he had a villainous presents about him that worked for me, through his performance I bought him as a threat. And then I liked how he’s a villain that is AI, that’s a very interesting and different type of villain for Ethan and his team to go up against. And I think the movie used AI in some very clever ways, with tricking the audience and the characters with what they do. But I feel like he was underdeveloped in the film, with Dead Reckoning Part 2 they could flesh him out a lot more. But as of now he’s a pretty one note villain that does have connections into Ethan’s past. They show flashbacks to him killing Ethan’s romantic partner, that is interesting. But I don’t feel like the movie did enough to make him a great villain. If I update this ranking after Dead Reckoning Part 2 comes out, he could move up…or move down. 

4. Kurt Hendricks (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol): Now one of the big criticisms of the film is the villain isn’t super memorable, and I’ve never had that issue. He’s right there in the middle as a really solid villain. He fits the movie he’s in really well and provides a great threat towards Ethan and his team. Like all of the villains on the list they got a great actor to play him with Michael Nyqvist who was the villain in the original John Wick. And he’s great in this movie as this antagonist towards Ethan and his team. He does also very much pose a physical threat towards Ethan. I love the final between the two of them in the car garage, it’s a really memorable sequence. He’s a physical threat towards Ethan but he’s also very smart with his plan. He uses his brain to start a war between the US and Russia. He’s a very interesting villain for this franchise and is used really well in the movie he’s in. 

3. August Walker (Mission Impossible: Fallout): I feel like this character had all of the right potential to be the best villain of the franchise. But what I think the biggest problem with Fallout is the twist of him being the villain was predictable. They showed it in the marketing and even if they didn’t it was very clear he was John Lark. I think if they restructed things and made it clear from the beginning he was the villain, but he was also on Ethan’s team. Have this tension of him working with the good guys, but we know as the audience he’s the villain that could have worked. But he’s number 3, so obviously I think he’s a rock solid. I think the best part about the character is Henry Cavill, he was great in this role. He has this energy about him that makes him a very fun addition to the film. He plays well off of Simon Pegg’s sense of humor in some fun ways. Since Cavill is this massive guy he’s opposing in action scenes, mainly the bathroom brawl where he commands the screen and is an actual threat towards the people he’s fighting. And then in the finale, he’s able to go toe to toe with Tom Cruise (probably because he’s a foot taller then Tom Cruise). But he goes in fist fighting matches with Tom Cruise and is able to hold his own in there. So this is a great villain that has a lot of things helping him out. But I do think he could have been number 1 if the twist with him being the villain wasn’t so predictable. 

2. Solomon Lang (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Fallout): I thought the way he was used in this franchise was interesting, because he was the main villain in Rogue Nation and the got demoted to the secondary villain in Fallout. He was creepy and interesting in both films but in sort of two different ways. In Rogue Nation he’s the mastermind that is Ilsa’s boss that is the face of the Syndicate, the very thing Ethan is trying to stop. They stop him in that film that sets up his role in Fallout where he’s still the mastermind, he’s still manipulating everything. But he’s a prisoner in that film and giving off a more Hannibal Lecter vibe. Sean Harris, the actor for the character is great at playing villains, he’s so creepy with the way he talks. His darker and more scratchy voices I think fits the character so well. So this is another rock solid villain that has a lot in his performance and characterization to make one of the more memorable villains on the list. 

1. Owen Davian (Mission Impossible III): Mission Impossible III isn’t my favorite of the franchise, it’s still really good. But I think the movie features the best villain of the franchise with Owen Davian. And I feel like he’s not talked about enough as being a great villain, because the third film is not one of the more beloved films. But there’s a lot of layers to him that I makes him in my opinion the best villain of the franchise. First up, Phillip Seymour Hoffman nails this performance and is probably the most intimidating villain on the list. He doesn’t have a lot of emotions to him, he talks very monotone but in a way that makes him threatening. Second, his villainous actions are personal to Ethan, where he kidnaps Ethan’s wife. So it makes for a villain that you want to see Ethan take out and defeated by the end of the film. Third, I thought the film did a great job of making him look like imposing. Hoffman is only 5’10, so he’s not that big of a guy. But when in action scenes they make him look imposing and dangerous. So I think that easily Owen Davian is the best villain of the franchise.