No hero would be truly great if he did not have great villains. There’s a reason Batman and Spider-Man are heads above other superheroes in terms of popularity. James Bond also boasts one of the best rogues gallery ever. In over 20 films whole mobs of villains have given him ample threats to deal with. I plan to do two rankings related to his villains. This one focuses on the primary villain of each movie (in a couple cases I had to choose one of two main antagonists).
Of course they’ll be ranked based on how much of a challenge they pose, their character, and the actors’ performances. Being a fun character is also usually a requirement for being a good Bond antagonist. There are a couple that aren’t really “fun” but nevertheless win higher spots due to their presence or the way they challenge Bond. Looking at my ranking I realize I actually love almost everybody on here. I get to the really awesome ones rather quickly. There will be plenty of spoilers, especially regarding death scenes and the plot twist characters. If you haven’t seen the movies and don’t want any massive spoilers, avoid this list. Even a cursory glance at the names might expose one or two shocks.
The Criminally Bad
#25: Lyutsifer Safin (No Time to Die)
Played by: Rami Malek
I already had a bad feeling about No Time to Die before I saw it, but I expected Rami Malek to be a high point. A victim of Spectre with a scarred face and white mask, Safin actually targeted Bond love Madeleine Swann and her family, thanks to her father’s involvement with Spectre. He ended up saving her instead and buggered off to create his own nefarious organization. His scheme is to use a virus that can target specific strains of human DNA. This means people can unwittingly transmit the virus until finally it reaches the intended target or targets.
Despite one of the more unique death weapons and his key role in the film’s controversial ending, Safin was a shockingly dull villain. He gets barely any screen time in the longest Bond movie no less) and his performance, while sinister, is one-note. The main problem is that his reason for wiping out potentially millions with his virus is just not there. Towards the end he gives some spiel about how people really desire control and a bunch of other generic villain talking points. Safin is unmemorable, uninteresting, and gets no cool scenes. And this is the guy who finally got James Bond to die!
#24: Dominic Greene (Quantum of Solace)
Played by: Mathieu Amalric
Greene works for Quantum, an expy for Spectre when Eon Productions didn’t have the rights to the well-known criminal terrorist organization. His public persona is of a committed environmentalist, but he’s really using wealth, blackmail, and terrorism to create economic policies that will favor Quantum. His scheme is to install General Medrano over Bolivia and then take control of the country’s water supply. Continue reading