9 Unfairly Underrated Movie Villains From The 21st Century

When compared to the infinitely more memorable fiends of yesteryear, contemporary antagonists really are an underwhelming bunch. Of course, you've likely heard this complaint before, as it has been echoed a thousand different times by a thousand different voices. Indeed, seemingly everyone and their nan has already made the trite observation that modern baddies are habitually lame and nondescript.

But why is this exactly? After all, evildoers are traditionally thought of as the most enjoyable characters in all of fiction. In theory, they are the ones who are supposed to be the most active, the most alluring, the most compelling to watch. It's the protagonists who are meant to be boring!

Alas, villains simply aren’t a priority for studios anymore, especially not in today’s climate of desperate franchise hopefuls and nebulous cinematic universes. The problem is that producers are clearly far more preoccupied with their heroes, as they’re the ones who can be developed further and used to launch a cavalcade of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs.

Think about it, an executive can easily envision a healthy (and lucrative) future for the likes of Tony Stark or Peter Parker, but their accompanying villains are frankly disposable, serving only to be defeated and then promptly forgotten about.

Yet with so many antagonists now feeling obligatory and throwaway, you’d think that audiences would be more appreciative of the rare few who do put in some effort. That's obviously not the case however, as evidenced by these criminally overlooked reprobates, who all deserve renewed attention.

For no discernible reason whatsoever, Mission: Impossible III is often disregarded as a damp squib. Which is kind of baffling, given that (until very recently) it was the only entry in the franchise to feature any palpable jeopardy or peril, serving as the first time that the IMF were truly outmatched by their foe.

The scourge responsible for this dynamic shift is Owen Davian, a commanding arms dealer who is supplied ample gravitas by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Although some people will tout Davian as the definitive villain in the series (which is a total no-brainer), this is usually implied to be a rather low bar to clear. And that's fair enough because, generally speaking, the Mission: Impossible antagonists have never been as esteemed as their Bond counterparts.

Yet Davian should be celebrated as more than just ''the best of a bad bunch'', as he could successfully hold his own against any member of 007's rogues gallery. This is partly down to his icy demeanour - which is accentuated by a permanently vacant gaze and eerily aloof speech - as well as his avoidance of cliche theatrics. As a matter of fact, he is oddly unassuming, with no fighting prowess, no eccentric behaviours and a conspicuous lack of verbose monologues.

Instead, he simply projects the idea that he's above all that and looks chillingly disinterested for the majority of the film. That's because Owen is too reserved and self-possessed to ever betray a sign of emotion or weakness. You soon realise that it's hard not to fear a man with that kind of poise.