10 Reasons Why Mission: Impossible Is The Best Film Franchise Ever

7. The Villains

Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Paramount

Ethan Hunt may not have as iron-cast a gallery of rogues as Batman, nor a singularly fiendish overarching foe like James Bond or Harry Potter - but his own motley collection of nemeses are still wonderfully realised creations without the brand-name appeal to match.

From the controversy of Jon Voight's Jim Phelps - the original Mission: Impossible protagonist-turned-tailcoat - in the original film, through to Philip Seymour Hoffman's sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian and alighting on Michael Nyqvist's nuclear loon Kurt Hendricks, there's been no shortage of despicable and dangerous foes to fight.

The surprise one-two for Sean Harris as Solomon Lane - softly spoken in Rogue Nation, wild-eyed and Old Testament in Fallout - is the nearest the franchise has come to an arc villain, but even with his whispering turn the first time out, he managed to deliver a genuinely frightening role superior to most franchise single-use-only villains.

Coupled with Henry Cavill and Henry Cavill's moustache as August Walker in the latter, it's easy to see that M:I knows how to match brain with brawn to enduring effect in their roster of baddies.

Contributor

Something of a culture vulture, Mr Steel can historically be found in three places; the local cinema, the local stadium or the local chip shop. He is an avowed fan of franchise films, amateur cricket and power-chords.