10 Movie Villain Twists Everyone Hated

In the summer of 1996, fans were excited to see Brian DePalma and Tom Cruise's take on the classic TV show Mission Impossible. DePalma had proven himself able to not only revitalize TV properties with The Untouchables, but also make a great and even Oscar worthy movie.

The cast was stocked with John Voight taking on the role of Jim Phelps, the leader of the IMF that fans had loved over the series' many iterations. Phelps, played by Peter Graves was the one constant in a revolving door of super spies.

DePalma's trademark twists were apparent from the first reel. The IMF team featuring Emilio Estevez, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuel Beart and Jim Phelps himself were all killed in cold blood, setting up Cruise's Ethan Hunt for a thrilling cat and mouse adventure. We had a villain set up in Vanessa Redgrave's Max and even the reveal of Beart's Clare being alive seemed OK.

Then, it went horribly wrong. In perhaps one of the lamest decisions in movie history, rather than leave Phelps dead, murdered by his wife and her lover or by Max... they made him the mastermind of the evil plot!

Why would he betray his team and country? Because they only pay him $60k a year... Fans of the show cried foul as their beloved hero was exposed and killed off in disgrace.

Of course there were reasons for this. This was now Cruise's franchise and there was no room for Jim Phelps in it.

While the twist ruined an otherwise excellent first installment for many, Ethan Hunt is still going strong, with installments 7 and 8 due to film back to back and billions in box office.