10 Movie Villains Who Unexpectedly Survived Franchises

10. Solomon Lane - Mission: Impossible

The fifth Mission: Impossible film, Rogue Nation, introduced the villain Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), and though most fans surely expected Lane to be another one-off baddie for the series, he actually survived to the end of the film, being gassed and incarcerated by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise).

Lane ended up returning as a supporting villain in sequel Fallout, and considering that Harris had openly begged writer-director Christopher McQuarrie to kill him off in Rogue Nation, it seemed like he'd finally get his wish this time around.

Yet despite Lane almost drowning during one key set-piece, he again survives and is handed over to MI6. 

As such, many fans thought that Lane might return for a cameo appearance in one of the latter two Mission: Impossible movies, but alas, they came and went without him being seen or even mentioned at all.

And so, with the main franchise apparently now concluded, we're left to assume that Solomon Lane is still very much alive, rotting in a cell somewhere and quite probably plotting a way to escape.