History Characters / MissionImpossibleFilmSeriesVillains

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: When he brings up killing Farris, he matter of factly tells Ethan "That was nothing. That was... [[ForTheEvulz fun]]." It's implied that Davian really doesn't view it as anything out of the ordinary, and genuinely doesn't see it as anything significant.

* CombatPragmatist: Davian never directly engages Ethan - who is much fitter and younger than him - in a fight until he's weakened from Davian implanting a bomb in his head. Davian takes the time to subject him to a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until Ethan regains his strength through HeroicWillpower.

** Davian also contrasts with Jim Phelps as well. Jim was [[TheMole a mole]] who had pulled a FaceHeelTurn just before the first film, and was Ethan's trusted mentor before betraying him. Davian is already an open enemy of the IMF and establishes a firm rivalry with Ethan almost immediately. And while both of them hurt and in some cases kill the people Ethan cares about, Jim does it out of ruthless pragmatism while Davian does it out of pure sadism.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Davian is a rare example played for horror. Even when in extreme danger, he speaks in a drawling monotone and he comes off as utterly disconnected from reality at times. During Hunt's interrogation of him, he barely takes it seriously and goes off on a rambling speech about how he'll make him suffer, even describing his murder of Farris as [[{{Sadist}} fun]].

* FauxAffablyEvil: Downplayed. Davian isn't particularly personable and charismatic, nor does he make an effort to be nice, but he's rather casual and laid-back while outlining to Ethan that [[IHaveYourWife he has Julia captive]].

* GeniusBruiser: While not exactly trained, he's strong enough to fight Ethan in hand-to-hand combat on an even keel and he's quite intelligent to boot.

* TheHeavy: [[spoiler:Musgrave]] is the architect behind their EvilPlan, but Davian provides the resources and money to see it through. And since [[spoiler:Musgrave]] is keeping his identity a secret, Davian serves as the operation's public face as well.

* IGaveMyWord: Davian doesn't make a point of it, but Davian always does his best to keep his word. He does his damnedest to live up to his promise of torturing and murdering Ethan and Julia, and he never actually promises to let Julia go in exchange for the Rabbit's Foot; [[ExactWords sure enough, he has every intention of killing them.]] It's subverted in the climax, where he abruptly decides not to kill Ethan in front of Julia instead of doing it the other way around.

* VillainousValor: Davian is a sadistic monster, but he's surprisingly brave. He's perfectly calm even when he's being interrogated by [[HighAltitudeInterrogation being dangled out of a plane]], and not only refuses to give Ethan information but continues to threaten him. Even when Ethan nearly kills him, he never panics. He also proves perfectly willing to brawl with an admittedly weakened Ethan hand-to-hand.

* BigBad: Of the third film. [[spoiler:He turns out to be in a BigBadDuumvirate with Musgrave.]]
* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:He's formed one with Musgrave. The two are carrying out Musgrave's plan to escalate the War on Terror, but Davian's resources and manpower are the reason they get so close to pulling it off.]]

%%* OhCrap:

* TheHeavy: He serves the Entity, but is the main foe Ethan and the IMF have to contend with on the ground.

* HateSink: He's easily the most loathsome new villain in the film, being a smug bureaucrat whose arrogance created the Entity to start with and now believes he can control it as he sees fit. Cary Elwes really does great work as making the audience hate Denlinger and making every word he utters drip with unearned smugness that makes it hard not to cheer when Gabriel [[SlashedThroat puts him in his place]].

* BreakTheHaughty: Dead Reckoning takes her down a peg or two and has her intimidated by Gabriel and the Entity and later knocked out on the train by Grace.

* BigBad: Of the second film.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: PlayedWith. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. It's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in ''Part One'' solely revolve around getting the [[MacGuffin cruciform key to the Sevastopol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will ''kill'' it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptivly protect itself from harm.

* BigBad: Of ''Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two''.

* EvilCounterpart: To Ethan (and the IMF), in that both are really good at deceiving and manipulating people. But the Entity is a planner, while Ethan often ends up improvising.

* FatalFlaw: His fanatical desire to be the Entity's unthinking slave and deterministic faith in his master's ability to predict all possible outcomes. [[spoiler: It's implied that trying to kill Paris in case [[AndroclesLion she decided to betray them to Ethan for sparing her life]] [[SelfFulfillingProphecy drives her to do exactly that]]. And when Hunt outmaneuvers them both in the climax he's left screaming and impotent, unable to improvise a clever solution like his enemy.]]

** Gabriel blindly follows the Entity's orders, while Ethan is famous for being a RogueAgent. And while both men are spies who love a complicated heist-style infiltration plan while often relying on others to come up with them, Ethan is creative, filling in the holes with quick thinking when things go wrong, Gabriel is slavishly loyal to the letter of his master's plans, timing them down to the second on his wrist-watch and cannot improvise when something [[NotAsPlanned goes awry]].

* BigBad: Of ''Dead Reckoning'' parts one and two.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Denlinger's idea of brokering an alliance with the Entity is to reveal to its [[TheDragon top agent]] that only he knows where to find the Entity's sole weak spot. Gabriel listens carefully to everything Denlinger has to say... then, after confirming [[HaveYouToldAnyoneElse that he's kept this knowledge to himself]], slashes his throat; Denlinger didn't consider that the Entity and it's most loyal agent might prefer to eliminate the only knowledge of it's weakness rather than indulge his desire for personal power, or that he can offer it nothing that it can't seize directly through conquest.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Denlinger's idea of brokering an alliance with the Entity is to reveal to it's [[TheDragon top agent]] that only he knows where to find the Entity's sole weak spot. Gabriel listens carefully to everything Denlinger has to say... then, after confirming [[HaveYouToldAnyoneElse that he's kept this knowledge to himself]], slashes his throat; Denlinger didn't consider that the Entity and it's most loyal agent might prefer to eliminate the only knowledge of it's weakness rather than indulge his desire for personal power, or that he can offer it nothing that it can't seize directly through conquest.

[[folder: The Fog]]

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler:The Entity's source code, located in a vault aboard the ''Sevastopol'', is it's only weak spot, which is why the Entity sank the sub and why it's so desperate to retrieve the vault's key, so as to keep that weakness far, far away from anyone who might want to control or destroy the Entity.]]

* AmbiguouslyEvil: {{PlayedWith}}. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. it's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in Part 1 solely revolve around getting the [[{{Macguffin}} cruciform key to the Sevastopol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will ''kill'' it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptivly protect itself from harm.

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler:The Entity's source code, located in a vault aboard the ''Sevastapol'', is it's only weak spot, which is why the Entity sank the sub and why it's so desperate to retrieve the vault's key, so as to keep that weakness far, far away from anyone who might want to control or destroy the Entity.]]

* ArchEnemy: An {{Inverted|Trope}} case, as despite being unaware of its existence until the film's start, it had already calculated Ethan was going to be this for it, its predictive capabilities allowing it to construct a future scenario where he proves to be the one person resourceful, determined and above all else, ''willing'' to destroy it. For this reason, it selected its [[TheDragon main enforcer]] to be Gabriel, solely because of [[ItsPersonalWithTheDragon his past personal history with Hunt]], aware that his presence would psychologically affect Ethan and leave him off his game when trying to thwart it. [[spoiler:Luther even deduces that it manipulated events to have Gabriel kill another woman Ethan cared about solely to have his TraumaButton firmly pushed down when next facing him, theorising that the Entity is perfectly content with Ethan killing Gabriel if it means that he dies taking the location of the ''Sevastapol'' with him, ensuring Ethan can never use the key against it properly even if he possesses it]].
* AmbiguouslyEvil: {{PlayedWith}}. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. it's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in Part 1 solely revolve around getting the [[{{Macguffin}} cruciform key to the Sevastapol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will ''kill'' it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptivly protect itself from harm.

* HybridPower: Part of what makes the Entity so terrifying is the fact that it was born from a fusion of two already-powerful programs: a Russian adaptive learning defense & stealth system potent enough to let the ''Sevastapol'' covertly approach just about any any navy in the world undetected and [[spoiler:an American infiltration and intelligence gathering program strong enough to find a backdoor into ''any'' digital system.]] Put those two programs together, and you've got a nigh-unstoppable, ever-evolving threat.
* InstantAIJustAddWater: Whatever was in the secret chamber of the ''Sevastapol'', it was enough to turn the Entity from a piece of hacking software into a sentient and rapidly evolving AI. Justified to a degree, considering the ''Sevastapol's'' captain mentioning that their defense system was of the adaptive learning variety.

** Ethan very nearly [[spoiler:gives into his anger and [[StrikeMeDownWiithAllOfYourHatred kills Gabriel]]]] atop the train, which is exactly what the Entity wants. However, Gabriel [[spoiler:tries to save himself by reminding Ethan he's the only one who can tell him what the key unlocks]], which stalls Ethan long enough to realize his mistake. Thus Gabriel himself (possibly unwittingly, as the Entity likely calculated that [[spoiler:he was unwilling to outright sacrifice himself for the cause]]) thwarts one of the Entity's chances of victory and keeps the chance to destroy it alive.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:If Gabriel had not stabbed and betrayed Paris, there is a very good chance she would not have saved Ethan, which would have led to a victory for the Entity.]]

* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: While the Entity is generally coldly rational, it has a rather morbid sense of humor. It twice makes a pun with Benji's surname ("You are Dunn / done."), and its message on the fake bomb reads a mocking "Good luck." [[spoiler:While taunting Ethan with Benji's voice, the Entity repeats the joke, admitting that it isn't Benji, but that Ethan is [[{{Pun}} done]].]]

* AmbiguouslyEvil: {{PlayedWith}}. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. it's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in Part 1 solely revolve around getting the [[{{Maguffin}} cruciform key to the Sevastapol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will ''kill'' it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptivly protect itself from harm.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: {{PlayedWith}}. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. it's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in Part 1 solely revolve around getting the [[Maguffin cruciform key to the Sevastapol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will destroy it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptily protect itself from harm.

* AmbigiouslyEvil: {{PlayedWith|Trope}}. It's ''definetly'' antagonistic towards Ethan, displays a level of sadism and mockery towards him and his allies, and psychologically manipulates events to mentally break him or leave him in as poor a state as possible when facing it. it's also very callous and uncaring towards human life in general, being fine with Gabriel killing whomever he needs to in order to enact its will, [[spoiler:even Paris]]. However, despite that and the fact it already possesses the capability for untold destruction through digital warfare on an unseen scale, the Entity has not expressed any schemes or plans for what it intends to ''do'' with all that potential. Other villains were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s willing to enact devastating terrorist attacks for a greater cause, but despite having more ability to enact that then they they could ever dream of, the Entity's plans in Part 1 solely revolve around getting the [[Maguffin cruciform key to the Sevastapol]], [[spoiler:or ensuring nobody can find the sunken submarine]]. As Luther theorises that Gabriel was selected to be its main enforcer solely because of his past history with Ethan, it showcases that the Entity is ''afraid'' of Ethan, having predicted a scenario wherein he successfully finds and destroys it. Seen from that perspective, its antagonism of Ethan is because it's dealing with somebody who will destroy it, and the Entity's actions throughout the film are callous attempts to pre-emptily protect itself from harm.

* ArchEnemy: Besides Gabriel, the Entity serves as this to Ethan Hunt and his team, especially after it [[spoiler: lure Ethan into a trap, leading to Gabriel on successfully killing Ilsa. Because of this act, Ethan has a strong hatred towards the AI, as much as he does towards Gabriel.]]

* SavedByCanon: [[spoiler:Luther specifically warns Ethan not to kill Gabriel as he is the only lead to the lock. And also, since this is only Part One, he has to survive until Part Two.]]

* TheBrute: Though we never get to see such brute.

* InstantAIJustAddWater: Whatever was in the secret chamber of the ''Sevastapol'', it was enough to turn the Entity from a piece of hacking software into a sentient and rapidly evolving AI.

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Frederick Schmidt

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alanawhitewidow.png]]

The White Widow's brother, who also serves as the top enforcer of her organization.

* FatalFlaw: His fanatical desire to the the Entity's unthinking slave and deterministic faith in his master's ability to predict all possible outcomes. [[spoiler: It's implied that trying to kill Paris in case [[AndroclesLion she decided to betray them to Ethan for sparing her life]] [[SelfFulfillingProphecy drives her to do exactly that]]. And when Hunt outmaneuvers them both in the climax he's left screaming and impotent, unable to improvise a clever solution like his enemy.]]

** Gabriel blindly follows the Entity's orders, while Ethan is famous for being a RogueAgent.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Denlinger's idea of brokering an alliance with the Entity is to reveal to it's [[TheDragon top agent]] that only he knows where to find the Entity's sole weak spot. Gabriel listens carefully to everything Denlinger has to say... then, after confirming [[HaveYouToldAnyoneElse that he's kept this knowledge to himself]], slashes his throat; Denlinger didn't consider that the Entity and it's most loyal agent might prefer to eliminate the only knowledge of it's weakness rather than indulge his desire for personal power.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He wants to control the Entity supposedly for peace but it's clear he just wants it for his own interests and wants anyone who doesn't share his vision or could stop him eliminated.