The history of the James Bond movies has seen 007 cross paths with quite a few dangerous characters throughout his career. With colorful names and even more notable schemes and characteristics, here are some of the most notable foes of Commander Bond’s fight to keep the world safe.
Dr. No – Crushing Hands Of Steel
The first James Bond villain in the official EON Productions run of films, Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) was known for trying to disrupt the American space program. He ran his efforts with literal iron fists that could crush with their touch.
Red Grant – Blowing His Cover Through A Wine Order
Red Grant (Robert Shaw) was a pretty solid nemesis to Sean Connery’s Bond in 1963’s From Russia With Love. Posing as a fellow MI6 agent, the man did a pretty good job of hiding himself… until he ordered the wrong wine with his fish dinner.
Oddjob – A Deadly Hat Trick
Though Goldfinger has a major villain giving his name to the film’s title, it’s his henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata) that’s probably better remembered. With a hat that could literally kill, all it took was a flick of his wrist to take someone out.
Emilio Largo – Hijacking Nuclear Weapons
For a man who always runs while others walk, and acts while other men just talk, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) pulled a pretty bold scheme in Thunderball. Orchestrating the theft and ransom of nuclear weapons, he was part of SPECTRE’s proper introduction to Sean Connery’s James Bond.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld – James Bond’s Arch-nemesis
Perhaps the most notable James Bond villain of all time, Ernst Stavro Blofeld has been played by multiple actors across six films. Originated by Donald Pleasance in You Only Live Twice, would also be known as the man who used his own hired muscle to kill James Bond’s wife.
Irma Bunt – Killing James Bond’s Wife
Played by Ilse Steppat in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Irma Bunt ran a tight ship at Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s “allergy clinic.” She’s also the person who, literally, pulled the trigger that killed Tracy Bond (Diana Rigg) moments after she married 007. What’s worse, she actually got away with it, as we never saw Ms. Bunt again.
Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd – A Couple Of Henchmen
The pair of Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith) in Diamonds Are Forever are not only a deadly duo, but they’re a loving pair. Their relationship is heavily implied throughout their dastardly efforts to assist Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Charles Grey) and his scheme to hold the world hostage with a diamond powered satellite.
Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big – A Master Of Disguise
Yaphet Kotto got to play not only one villain, but two, in 1973’s Live and Let Die. As political animal Dr. Kananga also doubled as the drug pushing Mr. Big, the man ran an empire of two fronts for quite some time. He also happens to be one of the most charming Bond villains on record.
Francisco Scaramanga – His Infamous Golden Gun
Movie fans and Goldeneye 64 players alike understand why Christopher Lee’s Francisco Scaramanga is best remembered in The Man With The Golden Gun. One shot with that mythical pistol is all that was needed to dispatch of whomever he was hired to take care of. Scaramanga also carried the distinction of having a third nipple, which made this iconic killer easy to identify on a beach.
Jaws – A Killer Bite
“His name is Jaws, he kills people.” That’s how Richard Kiel’s iconic metal toothed henchman is introduced when he returned in Moonraker. One of the only henchmen to return in the Bond series, his introduction in the previous film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) went over quite well. Then again, when your henchman can subdue a shark with jaws of his own, people are going to recognize that sort of threat.
Hugo Drax – A Deadly Plan For Utopia
Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) is most notable for having a plan to reimagine the world in his own image. Though his Moonraker plot is easily foiled by Commander Bond, outfoxing the man who wanted to play God. One small step into an airlock became one giant leap towards defeat.
Aristotle Kristatos – A Charming Traitor
Aristotle Kristatos (Julian Glover) is quite the charmer when we first meet him in For Your Eyes Only. It doesn’t take long for the act to wear out though, as we eventually find out he’s working for the KGB by trying to recover a top secret encoding device. You can guess what happened to this man pretty easily, even if you’re not a James Bond fan.
Making her second appearance in Roger Moore’s James Bond movies, Maud Adams, played the titular antagonist of Octopussy. A jewel smuggler who also happens to run a cult, she unwittingly is too good at her job, as some of her associates smuggle a nuclear bomb into West Germany. While she’s not exactly a hero, it’s the devious Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) and General Orlov (Steven Berkoff) who are the real baddies.
Max Zorin – A Madman With An Earthquake
The product of a Nazi experiment, Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) tried to destroy Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in A View To A Kill. It’s a pretty big plan, but to be fair, it would have put him way ahead of the competition if it worked. Instead, Max and James Bond engage in a memorable battle on the Golden Gate Bridge, with Mr. Zorin falling as fast as his ambitions.
Necros – The Milkman With A Walkman
The Living Daylights is another James Bond adventure where the henchman kind of outshines the true masterminds. Necros (Andreas Wisniewski) is that man, and he managed to do so by being able to weaponize the headphones of a Walkman while infiltrating an MI6 safe house. And he did it all disguised as a milkman.
Franz Sanchez – Attacking Felix Leiter And Murdering His Wife
When the danger hits too close to home, 007 has been known to go rogue. That’s exactly what drug kingpin Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) faces in Licence To Kill, as trying to enact revenge against Felix Leiter (David Hedison). Felix survives, but his wife Della perishes, which opens an old wound for Timothy Dalton’s James Bond.
Alec Trevalyan – Betraying MI6 As A Petty Bank Thief
Alec Trevalyan (Sean Bean) had a score to settle with England in Goldeneye, and he went as far as to become best friends with its top agent. Of course, the James Bond movies of Pierce Brosnan saw his entry into the series derailing this scheme to steal quite a bit of cash in a rather explosive manner.
Elliot Carver – Using The News To Spark World War III
Media mogul and madman Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) tried to provoke World War III with some shenanigans involving a GPS encoder and the Chinese/British fleets. Pushing things along with his headlines in Tomorrow Never Dies, Commander Bond breaks that story by sending Carver to his end.
Elektra King – A Hostile Takeover Of The Family Business
Another villain hiding in plain sight in the 007 adventures, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) orchestrates her father’s death to send a message to M (Dame Judi Dench). At the same time, her literal hostile takeover of her family’s business includes a nuclear bomb, meant corner the market in her favor.
Zao – A Face Full Of Diamonds
Loyal henchman to Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), Zao (Rick Yune) literally outshines his boss in Die Another Day. With a face full of diamonds helping him stand out, this Bond baddie doesn’t know the meaning of “low profile,” thanks to the Commander being responsible for this facial feature.
Le Chiffre – James Bond’s Unique Torturer
How does a villain make a name for himself in the James Bond saga? Well, if you’re Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, you double as a financial terrorist and unique torturer. And to think, Casino Royale’s wild torture scene was almost more brutal than what we saw.
Dominic Greene – A Water-ful Scheme
Say what you will about Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) and his plans to corner the market in water during the events of Quantum of Solace. But he technically succeeded, even if he didn’t get to enjoy the result for very long.
Raoul Silva – Killing M
The most formidible foe in the Daniel Craig James Bond era, Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva had a massive axe to grind, and he succeeded. Just when the world thought M was safe in Skyfall, we learned all too well that Silva’s plan to eliminate her succeeded. It’s still a tearjerker to this day.
Hinx – The Silent Killer
If Hinx (Dave Bautista) had a motto, it’d probably be “actions speak louder than words.” Save for one word he’s given before his demise in Spectre, the man really doesn’t say anything; allowing for his brute force to show people what he’s made of.
Lyutsifer Safin – The Man Who Beat Bond
Technically No Time To Die’s Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) is the only villain to beat James Bond. Infecting 007 with the Project Heracles bioweapon ensured that Bond could never be reunited with his beloved Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) and their daughter.
Rosa Klebb – A Deadly Kick
One of SPECTRE’s most loyal lieutenants, Rosa Klebb (Lotta Lenye) not only runs operatives intending to kill or woo James Bond in From Russia With Love, she takes a stab at the man herself. Possessing her iconic shoe with a poison tipped blade, she unfortunately falls out of step, and fails at this task.
May Day – The Henchwoman Supreme
One of the few henchwomen in the James Bond franchise, Grace Jones’s May Day didn’t need any special gadgets or prosthetics to do the bidding of Max Zorin. Capable with a number of weapons, or just her bare hands, May Day was just as iconic as her boss in A View To A Kill, right down to a last minute face turn that saw her sacrifice herself for Silicon Valley.
Boris Grishenko – The Techno Terrorist Troll
Always ready with a dirty riddle and the computer savvy to operate the Goldeneye satellites, Boris Grishenko (Alan Cumming) is a henchman who uses a keyboard to aid villain Alec Trevalyan. However, his “invinsible” spirit was no match for a cascade of liquid nitrogen, which froze him in his memorable victory stance.
Baron Samedi – The Only Supernatural Bond Villain
The Bond series has always been pretty grounded in reality, but Live and Let Die managed to sneak in what is the series’ only supernatural villain. Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) is an actual figure from the lore of Haitian Vodou; so it’s unsurprising that he’s seen very much alive at the end of the picture, laughing maniacally.
Gustav Graves – His Diamond Based Weaponry
One of the many dark reflections of James Bond, Toby Stephens’s Gustav Graves has some diamond ambitions in Die Another Day. Namely, he has weaponry such as satellites and lasers that are powered by those sparkling gems, which he uses to try and allow North Korea a safe path to invade the south.
Mr. White – The Key To Spectre
The main link between the legacies of Quantum and Spectre, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) first appeared in Casino Royale. Returning for both Quantum of Solace and Spectre, his character was used to fold an iconic James Bond rights issue into the Daniel Craig continuity.
General Anatoly Gogol – Iconic Frenemy To MI6
Recurring in six different James Bond movies, General Anatoly Gogol (Walter Gotell) rose through the ranks of the KGB. Appearing in The Spy Who Loved Me straight through to The Living Daylights, the supposed Soviet version of M was seen as an occasional ally, when the circumstances required.
James Bond’s legacy is something that’s been around for an impressive run, and it looks like that history is only going to continue. Just as the good Commander will return to the silver screen, there will always be someone with a reason to conquer the world, and a particular set of skills to use in the process.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
