Tom Hardy has established himself as a Hollywood star with some memorable movie franchises. Hardy started his screen acting career with notable roles in star-studded casts like Black Hawk Down and Band of Brothers. Hardy’s performance in Bronson announced his talents, with many high-profile movies to come, including several collaborations with Christopher Nolan.

Hardy’s best performances include several standalone movies, but his franchise work is impressive. Hardy has appeared as both DC and Marvel characters, taken on an iconic action hero role, and been part of a beloved sci-fi franchise. Of course, while these were all key to Hardy’s career, some of his franchises are better than others.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Only a year after Tom Hardy made his feature film debut in Black Hawk Down, he had a prominent role in the Star Trek universe. Unfortunately, it was one of the sci-fi franchise’s lesser entries. Star Trek: Nemesis follows the Enterprise crew facing off with a Romulan threat led by Shinzon (Hardy), a clone of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart).

While this might have been Hardy’s big break in Hollywood, Star Trek: Nemesis was a critical and commercial failure, becoming the lowest-grossing Star Trek movie to date. It also ended the era of the Enterprise crew leading the films, and tanked the entire franchise for seven years before J.J. Abrams rebooted it.

Hardy is a bright spot in the movie, playing a slimy villain while also taking on qualities of Stewart’s performance as Picard. Their first scene together is the best moment in the entire film. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is less engaging, with lackluster action, a grim tone, and too many moments borrowed from superior Star Trek movies.

Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Tom Hardy was able to bring the Venom trilogy to a close while starring in the main role throughout all three movies. It is a rare feat for an actor, so it’s a shame that the final movie wasn’t more fitting for this farewell. Venom: The Last Dance finds Eddie Brock (Hardy) and Venom facing aliens from the symbiote homeworld.

As with all of the other entries in this franchise, it is the relationship between Eddie and Venom that is the highlight here. It is especially effective as the duo face some greater hardships together while also finding a kinship more than ever before. Hardy continues to fully commit with an entertaining and funny performance.

The issue is that the storyline does nothing to help out the lead performance and that central relationship. It is a mess of new characters and a growing mythology that leaves too many plot holes and bewildering motivations, bringing the trilogy to an end that is not befitting the potential of the characters.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

The second Venom movie delivered the live-action debut of one of Marvel’s most beloved villains, which fans had been waiting for decades to see. The film sees Eddie Brock crossing paths with notorious killer Cletus Cᴀssidy (Woody Harrelson) and allowing the criminal to bond with a symbiote, becoming Carnage and wreaking havoc that even Venom is intimidated by.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage recognizes what worked with the relationship between Eddie and Venom in the first movie and leans into it even more. The film takes on a rom-com vibe, including a memorable section in which Eddie and Venom “break up.” However, the rest of the story is still lacking in big ways.

Harrelson is a fun villain, but Carnage never lives up to the legacy of the character in the comics, often feeling like a meaner and less entertaining Venom. The post-credit scene also proved that the Sony Spider-Man movies don’t quite understand their role in the big cinematic universe.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Inception provided a strong breakthrough role for Tom Hardy, which led to him reuniting with director Christopher Nolan on an even bigger project. The Dark Knight Rises marked the final installment of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, ending in epic fashion with Batman coming out of retirement to take on the villainous Bane (Hardy).

Nolan wanted to end things with a bang, which is both good and bad for the movie. There is a thrilling epic feel to The Dark Knight Rises, but its scale seems so big at times that it no longer feels like a Batman movie.

However, it is also hard not to get swept up in the excitement of it all as the grand story comes to an end. Nolan ups his game as an action director, including the show-stopping opening sequence. Hardy is also one of the highlights of the movie, delivering a chilling and compelling performance in the role of Bane.

Looking back on the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is the weakest of the installments. Its overly ambitious plot and abundance of plot holes become more obvious with each rewatch. However, that is certainly not to say it is a bad movie by any means. It is thrilling, emotional, and leaves the franchise with a satisfying conclusion.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Fans have been hoping to one day see Tom Hardy’s Venom cross paths with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Spider-Man: No Way Home may be the closest we will ever come to this. The third MCU Spider-Man movie makes good on the cliffhanger to Spider-Man: Far From Home, with Spider-Man’s true idenтιтy being revealed to the world.

The movie weaves in the multiverse storyline as Spider-Man’s attempts to set things back to normal end up bringing in heroes and villains from across different universes. This leads to the crowd-pleasing team-up of Holland’s Spider-Man alongside Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Rather than being some easy fan service, the appearance of the other Spider-Man characters is made a big part of the story and gives each of them something fun to do. Willem Dafoe’s return as Green Goblin is another highlight. While Hardy only appears in a post-credit scene, it is a fun little addition to his multiverse story.

Spider-Man: No Way Home ranks as the best of Holland’s solo MCU movies as well as a high point of the post-Avengers: Endgame run of the MCU, making the best use of this multiverse story. It is a must-see for any Spider-Man fan.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

It had been 30 years since the last Mad Max movie when Mad Max: Fury Road came along, and it was also the first time the franchise would have another actor other than Mel Gibson in that main role. Fury Road sees Max becoming the reluctant hero again, teaming with a general who betrays her warlord to free imprisoned women.

It is certainly daunting for an actor to step into such an iconic role, but Tom Hardy becomes Mad Max almost immediately, while also giving his own spin on the character. A man of few words, Max is a determined survivor built out of this lawless wasteland, and Hardy fits that role perfectly.

As great as Hardy is, Fury Road actually belongs more to Charlize Theron’s Furiosa as the true hero of the story. She is a brave and powerful warrior who represents a glimmer of good in this bleak, violent world. She and Max make for a strong duo, ʙuттing heads initially and then becoming allies.

Most impressive of all, George Miller returns as director of the franchise and takes the action to amazing new heights. There are some truly mind-blowing sequences in this movie that mesmerize viewers no matter how many times you see it. Mad Max: Fury Road is not just a great sequel, but one of the best action movies of all time.