Spanning back to the 1960s and boasting 25 films thus far, Eon Productions’s handling of theJames Bondfranchise has become a central pillar of cinematic entertainment and one of the most famous brands in film. While many of the saga’s staples have had to evolve over time, one thing that has always been prevalent is the need to give 007 a great enemy to go up against.
Typically boasting a flourish of stylistic extravagance,Bond villains have become nothing short of iconicwith their excessive natures and their dastardly schemes. Ranging from merciless agents of Spectre to treacherous MI6 spies, criminal masterminds, and ruthless terrorists, James Bond has faced many foes in his time. But who among them is the best? It’s not easy to determine, especially with so many worthy candidates. And while a few are undeniably forgettable,some Bond villains have become as legendary as 007 himself.
22General Orlov and Prince Kamal Khan
‘Octopussy’ (1983)
It probably won’t come as a surprise to many that a lot of 007’s weakest villains come in some ofBond’s least rewatchable and outright worst movies. General Orlov (Steven Berkoff) and Prince Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) proved to be about as memorable as the anachronistic film they appeared in. A maniacal soviet general and an exiled Afghan prince, their rather forgettable mission is to set off a nuclear bomb at an American Air Force base in West Germany to disarm the world’s nuclear arsenal. Had they accomplished that successfully, the Soviets then would have invaded Europe with little resistance.
Despite being steeped in Cold War paranoia,Octopussywas too absurd to have any impact beyond the shallow entertainment of crude parody. The villains were an extension of this—albeit not as preposterous as Bond in a sad clown costume.Orlov and Khan struggled to have any effect on the story, becoming as infamous as the film itself.
A jewel-encrusted Fabergé egg surfaces at a London auction, catching the attention of MI6. James Bond is dispatched to investigate its origins, leading him to the mysterious and opulent world of exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his accomplice, the enigmatic and resourceful circus leader, Octopussy.
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21Gustav Graves
‘Die Another Day’ (2002)
Another case of a bad Bond movie equaling a bad villain,Die AnotherDaywasthe final Bond film to starPierce Brosnanand sawToby Stephens’Gustav Graves serve as the major antagonist. Introduced as a charismatic diamond magnate, Graves is revealed to actually be Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee), a rogue military officer from North Korea who cheated death in the film’s opening sequence.
With his grand Icelandic ice palace, bizarre costume, and doomsday satellite,Graves' over-the-top camp was grating more so than endearing, especially with the gene manipulation technology twist, which took the character beyond a state of ridiculousness. That said, his fencing duel with Bond was a fun treat in an otherwise dismal Bond movie.
Die Another Day
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20General Georgi Koskov
‘The Living Daylights’ (1987)
The first ofTimothy Dalton’s takes on 007,The Living Daylights,is far from the worst Bond movie ever made, but it relies more on its serious tone and espionage tension than a scene-stealing villain. As such,General Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) didn’t fill the villainous mold with a great deal of gravitas or stylish flair. The film focuses on his apparent defection to the British government, which is revealed to be a ploy to get MI6 to assassinate his main political rival.
Coupled with an equally underwhelming off-sider in American arms dealer Brad Whitaker (Joe Don Baker),The Living Daylightswas a serviceable Bond filmin spite of its villains, more so than because of them. While it could be argued that they were an appropriate fit for the film’s back-to-basics approach, neither made a great impression, which is disappointing considering Koskov’s revelation is central to the story.
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights: British secret agent James Bond is tasked with aiding a Soviet general’s defection to the West, but a complex web of deception soon leads him into a global conspiracy involving arms deals and assassinations. Amidst political intrigue and high-stakes espionage, Bond relies on his skills to unravel the truth.
19Emilio Largo
‘Thunderball’ (1965)
There is a certain air of villainous stature that surrounds Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), but it’s difficult to discern what about him makes him so great other than the fact that he’ssparring off againstSean Connery’s007. In essence, there is actually very little about him that is compelling beyond his dastardly eye patch and the way in which he so wickedly sweats bullets while losing in his own casino.
Cast amid the great rogues gallery of Connery’s Bond era,Largo struggles to be little more than a minor precursor to the teased criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who plots and plans and pats his Persian cat in the shadows. However,Thunderballisn’t completely bereft of a brilliant villainous presence, withLuciana Paluzzi’sSpectre assassin Fiona Vulpe one of the more noteworthy women in the franchise, particularly during its early years.
Thunderball
James Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.
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18Lyutsifer Safin
‘No Time to Die’ (2021)
With his mystical backstory, dastardly scheme, awesome introduction, and the fact that he isthe only villain to successfully kill James Bond, Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) should be one of the franchise’s greatest bad guys, but he just isn’t. Still, that isn’t necessarily a terrible thing as it stemmed fromNo Time to Dieprioritizing other aspects of the story to create a rewarding finale toDaniel Craig’sBond era.
Sadly,Safin is largely forgettable, even within the film’s story. Following his striking entrance in the flashback opening sequence, Safin next appears on screen almost 75 minutes into the film, by which point the bulk of the story is already in motion. The filmmakers didn’t even grant him an on-screen death, with Bond executing him before immediately moving on to more important matters. Furthermore, his overall goal saw him stuck between the pointed modernity of Craig’s era and the excessive megalomania of Bond movies from decades ago.
No Time to Die
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17Dominic Greene
‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)
It is easy to make a case for Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) asan underrated James Bond villain. His environmental angle addressed contemporary concerns, while his billionaire smugness and creepy demeanor made him appropriately despicable. As the major antagonist ofQuantum of Solace, Greene’s ploy saw him buying large plots of land in Bolivia, an act which is first thought to be to acquire oil but is revealed to actually be in an effort to monopolize the country’s water supply.
A dastardly scheme combined with monetary gain off of a climate disaster is actually brilliant in theory, butGreene lacked the attention-grabbing edge that made many of the best Bond villains so memorable. This can be attributed to the Writer’s Guild Strike of 07-08, which impacted much of the movie’s production and rendered the picture largely bland and forgettable.
Quantum of Solace
16Dr. Kananga / Mr. Big
‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)
It may seem like a low rating, consideringLive and Let Dieis largely famous for the way in which it blended its antagonists with supernatural and voodoo mystique. However, that stylish punch was mostly reserved for the henchman, Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder). As the major villain, Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) was the dictator of a small Caribbean island while also working under the name Mr. Big as a drug kingpin with plans to expand and monopolize America’s heroin trade.
While he has some great moments,Kananga’s slick demeanor and dual-personality gimmick are ultimately undone by one of the most ridiculous death scenesin the franchise. Baron Samedi, however, cheated death twice and finished the film laughing maniacally, ensuringLive and Let Diestill had a striking villainous flair.
Live and Let Die
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15Hugo Drax
‘Moonraker’ (1979)
PresentingJames Bond at peak silliness,Moonrakeris probably the most polarizing film in the saga as a true love-it-or-hate-it sci-fi adventure. Regardless of what fans think of the movie itself, though, it is difficult to dispute that Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) is the perfect antagonist for the tone of the story.
As the head of the aerospace company Drax Industries, the billionaire industrialist plots to wipe out all of humanity and repopulate the world with his own “super race.” With his desperate little god complex, ridiculously advanced technology, and his small army of gold-suited gunmen,Hugo Drax’s excess was nothing if not entertaining. He also proved to be so dastardly that the famous henchman Jaws (Richard Kiel) switched sides to fight alongside Bond to thwart the villain’s evil scheme.
14Aristotle Kristatos
‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981)
The follow-up film toMookraker,For Your Eyes Onlywas a complete backflip for Bond, looking to escape the camp goofiness that had come to define the franchise and pivot back to more grounded espionage thrills. The villain embodied that tonal shift, with Aristotle Kristatos (Julian Glover) using deception for much of the film as he poses as one of Bond’s contacts under the guise of being a Greek business magnate and informant.
In actual fact, Kristatos is working for the KGB and using Bond to gain intel as to the whereabouts of ATAC, a communication device for England’s nuclear submarines. The character’s understated, sly cunning resulted in him not being strikingly memorable like other villains in the saga. Even so,Kristatos remains an effective antagonist that suited the more grounded, Cold War-focusedFor Your Eyes Onlyto a tee.
For Your Eyes Only
13Dr. Julius No
‘Dr. No’ (1962)
The very first Bond villain, Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman), set up many of the eccentric trademarks that came to define the franchise’s bad guys for decades. While he remains unseen for much of the first half of the film, his evil presence and master plan permeate throughout the story asBond investigates the murder of a British Secret Service agentand his secretary in Jamaica.
When Dr. No is finally revealed, he certainly doesn’t underwhelm. His metallic, imposingly strong hands, unchecked cruelty, underwater lair, and sophisticated yet deranged manner made him a striking villain. With his plot to sabotage Project Mercury, an American spaceflight,Dr. No set an appropriately grandiose platform for the brand of villain the franchise would specialize in.
A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
