Best Bond Villains

Photo credit Francois Durand

In his many years beating up baddies for MI6, James Bond has faced quite a few intimidating adversaries, but a few villains across the 24 films truly stand out for their dastardly feats. Whether they’re megalomaniacal super villains seeking to take over the world or henchmen simply out to destroy Bond, these are the all-time great bad guys of the Bond movies.

Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman)

The O.G. villain of the Bond films, Dr. No represents all we love in a Bond baddie: a physical deformity that delivers superhuman destructive abilities, a penchant for wining and dining his MI6 rival, a willingness to reveal the convoluted details of his master plot to Sean Connery. Dr. No started the franchise on a perfect note and must be thanked for all the Bond villains to follow.

Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe)

Goooooldfiiiiiinger! Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves. Goldfinger deserves a spot on this list for two reasons: the fact that his name makes a perfect song lyric, and for the line, “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.” End of argument.

Jaws (Richard Kiel)

No enemy more perfectly encapsulates a henchman than Jaws. The steely trapped foe towers over Roger Moore, with massive hands nearly as intimidating as his razor sharp mandibles. Over the course of two films, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, he proves himself a prime physical enemy. Each time Bond seemingly dispatches him, he just dusts himself off and gets back on the horse. You have got to love him for that—and for the fact that he teams up with Bond at the end of Moonraker for an epic space fight.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas)

Like Bond, super villain Blofeld has been played by several actors over the course of the franchise, but Telly Savalas’ interpretation in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is easily the greatest thanks to the final moments of the film. After Bond weds Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), Blowfeld orchestrates a drive-by shooting to interrupt the nuptial bliss, killing Teresa. The credits roll immediately, giving the audience zero time to process this disturbing twist. Now that’s cold blooded.

Silva (Javier Bardem)

Most Bond villains are cute in a cartoonish sort of way, but there’s nothing to laugh at about Javier Bardem’s deranged Silva in Skyfall. Perhaps the only Bond villain to truly scare us, Silva is the highlight of the Daniel Craig era films. The traitorous, former MI6 agent strikes at Bond’s psychological core, throwing his noble mission into doubt and ultimately (spoiler!) killing M (Judi Dench). That scene where Silva reveals his cyanide riddled jaw still gives us the creeps.