James Bond Villains Ranked

27-Aristotle Kristatos-For Your Eyes Only

My problems with Kristatos are mainly we don't get enough of him (which trust me you'll be hearing a lot of) and I get that's kind of the point with twist villains, but Kristatos isn't even that good of a twist I figured out he was the villain pretty much instantly, mainly because he's played by Julian Glover, who I've only seen as a villain take General Veers from Star Wars and Donovan from Last Crusade. And when he's revealed to be a villain, he has like one good moment: when he's going to drag Bond and Melina through the water cutting them on coral, so sharks eat them, something lifted straight from the original Ian Fleming novel Live and Let Die, the reason it works in LaLD is because it's villain, Mr. Big dies doing this, Bond defeats him. Kristatos doesn't die here I think if he did it would work better. His plot sell a missile controlling device to the Soviets is pretty interesting, but what if instead of it being Kristatos, the Soviets sent out Erich Kriegler to get the ATAC which in the movie is what they do, they just make Kriegler work with Kristatos.

26-Rosa Klebb-From Russia with Love

Rosa Klebb has a similar problem to Kristatos, that being lack of screen time. Klebb is better in than Kristatos for a couple things: Lotte Lenya does a great job playing a no-nonsense colonel but who also fears for her life when she's near Blofeld. Something that intrigues me to Klebb is that she's one of few villains to actually go out into the field and confront Bond personally which ultimately leads to her death which I have to say I really love, I'm usually not the biggest fan of the "they got shot" villain deaths but for Klebb I don't think anything else would've worked, if she got stabbed by her shoe blade, she'd be repeating Kronsteen's death. The only way was for her to get shot, which is interesting considering she DOESN'T die in the book.

25-Hugo Drax-Moonraker

Hugo Drax is an interesting case for me because in concept I really like him, I think he's a step up from his book counterpart ever so slightly, but when watching the movie, I feel a little let down by him. In a movie as bombastic and crazy as Moonraker, I'd have preferred a villain who matched the crazy of the movie.

24-Brad Whitaker-The Living Daylights

Brad Whitaker is really interesting for me, on one hand, I think he's really interesting with a fine gimmick, of... playing with toy soldiers doing historical battles but how he'd have done it. But also, he's barely in the movie which happens a lot with double villain movies. I personally think he's more interesting than Koskov but since Whitaker is barely in the movie, I have to knock him for it.

23-General Koskov-The Living Daylights

General Koskov is interesting up to a point. When he's revealed to be a villain his plan makes no sense. His plan is to fake a defection so he can escape the USSR and then have his henchman Necros "kidnap" him and take him back to Russia so he can make Bond think the real villain is Koskov's rival General Pushkin. Then Necros will kill Pushkin and Koskov can keep selling Soviet weapons. Which may be the dumbest plan in the history of James Bond. Why not just have Necros kill Pushkin without having to fake a defection and kidnapping because when you're kidnapped, someone is going to come looking for you. Otherwise, he's not that interesting of a villain.

22-Franz Oberhauser-Spectre

Franz Oberhauser is a villain that I think could work but the writers drop the ball. During the film, it's revealed that Bond is Oberhauser's adopted brother, which I think could work. The reason he doesn't work is that two seconds after he's revealed to be his brother, he reveals himself to be Blofeld. He says he made a new name, using his mother's maiden name, the name he made was Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Which is a huge mistake, the reason Blofeld was Bond's archenemy in the original timeline was twofold 1: Blofeld could never seem to kill Bond and Bond could never seem to kill Blofeld. And 2: Bond starts out as a minor annoyance to Blofeld and becomes a larger threat as he defeats villain after villain. He it makes a connection that was never and never needed to be there. Making Blofeld related to Bond makes Blofeld seem less interesting and more like a sibling rivalry. Something I think would benefit the movie is having two main villains: Oberhauser and Blofeld. Other than that, I think Oberhauser is a fine villain nothing much.

21-Kamal Khan-Octopussy

This may bother some people but let's get this straight, I don't dislike Kamal Khan, I just like other villains more. Kamal Khan is one of the main villains of Octopussy and the favored villain for that movie, for me in each double villain movie there's one villain that's favored over another Klebb over Kronsteen, Koskov over Whitaker Elektra King over Renard and Kamal Khan over Orlov. To me, Kamal Khan does nothing wrong, but his henchman and other main villain completely overshadow him. His henchman Gobinda is what I call: Oddjob 2.0, he even mimics Oddjob crushing the golfball. And General Orlov -the other main villain- Is just incredibly over the top crazy.

20-Lyutsifer Safin-No Time to Die

This may come as a shock to many people who saw the movie. The reason I like him is that I think he's built up decently well and his reveal to Madeliene is just great. Then he starts to lose me a little, for me when they introduce a villain, they shouldn't not show them for 30 minutes (something you'll see in a minute) When he has Mathilde held hostage and is talking with Bond, I though he worked well. And then he gets into a fight with Bond and dies. His plot to me is very confusing and I wasn't really sure what he wanted, it seemed like he accomplished his goal and wiped-out SPECTRE, but then he kept going.

19-Karl Stromberg-The Spy Who Loved Me

I really like Karl Stromberg I think everything about him is interesting. What brings him down is he's barley in the movie. Something that's really unique to him is that nothing besides death would stop him because unlike every other villain who are trying to extort governments Karl Stromberg well, I'll let him tell you what he thinks "I'm not interested in extortion I intend to change the face of history" He also has one of the most destructive plots in all of James Bond: destroy the entire world to start a new one under the sea, that's some pretty megalomaniac stuff.

18-General Orlov-Octopussy

General Orlov is the second main villain of Octopussy and in my opinion, the more interesting one. A USSR general hellbent on conquering Europe is scary already but when his plan is revealed it's -to my knowledge- the only time Bond showed any actual fear towards a villain's plan. Orlov planned to kill countless innocents just in an attempt to gain control of Europe for the Soviet Union. Again, my only gripe is how little screen time he gets. He shows up in the beginning, disappears, shows up in the middle of the film and dies.

17-Dr. Kananga-Live and Let Die

I like Dr. Kananga. I think that a high-class man masquerading as a lowly drug dealer is an interesting concept. The Mr. Big mask does look a little stupid, but I can look past it. He has two of the best henchmen in the series: Tee Hee and Baron Samedi. And his death is... something. But what holds him back is his overall demeaner, which is calm and collected, I'd have liked to see that snap a little more than it did in the movie, there it only happens when he and Bond fight and then he dies. It doesn't help that he was robbed of some of his best moments from the book. Examples would be the boat torture later used in For Your Eyes Only and Felix Leiter's torture by shark later used in Licence to Kill.

16-Dr. No-Dr. No

Here we are, the one who started it all Dr. Julius No. And wow is he a great start to an awesome series. Despite barely showing up in the movie, he's built up as a force that has complete control of Crab Key and its inhabitance. When he is revealed, it feels like a great payoff, finally getting to see the man behind everything that's been going on. During the dinner scene, in every close-up, Dr. No never blinks, a trick later used by Donald Pleasence as Blofeld. When Bond starts disrupting No's plans, he gets into a fight with Bond and very nearly kills him only for Bond to get the upper hand and sink Dr. No in radioactive water.

15-Elektra King-The World Is Not Enough

Elektra King took every criticism I had with Kristatos and made everything work. She's a twist villain but when she's revealed to be evil, she goes all out not any of this "I'm kind of evil" stuff we got with Kristatos. As a Bond girl I though she worked quite well, but that only helps add to her villainy, that she was able to trick Bond but gain his complete trust until Renard screws it up for her. Again since she's a twist villain she doesn't get as much screen time as I'd like as at that point in the movie it was divided into Bond, Christmas Jones and Zukovsky, another plot with M, one with Elektra and last one with Renard. I do think that hurts her in the ranking, but she is a great villain.

14-Dominic Greene-Quantum of Solace

This might be a bit of a shock considering Greene's less than perfect reception amongst fans, but I think he works quite well for what Mathieu Almaric was trying to do which was to make a "pitiful" character which I think he does. But that's also what holds him back, I never got a true sense of menace with this guy, he just felt like Bond could take him out in one punch.

13-Elliot Carver-Tomorrow Never Dies

Elliot Carver, at least to me, is a perfect example of the over-the top-style Bond villains and that's a style I really like. Unlike Greene, I did feel some menace when he had his own wife killed. His plot is a little nonsensical, but I could care less. I think he's one of the best villains of the Brosnan Era of Bond.

12-Ernst Stavro Blofeld-You Only Live Twice-On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Diamonds Are Forever

Now, I know this is a little surprising seeing Blofeld ranked at number12, but this is looking at each appearance (where he's the main villain) and that's what brings him down, let's be honest he was never going to be number one. (despite what his title may say) When he's first revealed in You Only Live Twice, it felt like an amazing payoff similar to Dr. No. Donald Pleasence gives an amazing performance, and everything about him is iconic, but to me it felt like a little bit of a letdown, The Blofeld I'd imagined just didn't look like Pleasence. Telly Savalas' Blofeld is definitely a weird one. He's the most hands on of the Blofelds and that's what holds him back, Blofeld shouldn't be someone who goes after Bond whilst skiing, he should be someone who sits in a chair stroking his cat. Which is something Charles Gray brings back to Blofeld, while he definitely looks the least like the typical depiction of Blofeld. But I think he's really good as Blofeld. It's slightly confusing how I believe he's supposed to have died but later is killed in For Your Eyes Only.

11-Alec Trevelyan-GoldenEye

Alec Trevelyan is a great villain; this is one of the few times I think the lack of screen time benefits the villain. His plot is grea,t and his henchmen are all amazing: Xenia Onatopp, Boris Grishenko and General Ourumov are all fantastic, but his henchmen are a double-edged sword here, Xenia and Boris completely overshadow Trevelyan and that's what knocks him down.

10-Renard-The World Is Not Enough

Alright top 10, so this is a bit of a controversial opinion as many believe Renard to be a henchman but if you go to jamesbond.fandom it lists him as a main villain. Renard may have the best gimmick of all the villains. For those who don't know most Bond villains have a distinct feature: Blofeld has his scar, Largo has his eyepatch, Le Chiffre's scar, and for Renard it's the complete inability to feel. M also mentions that he gets stronger every single day until he dies. That is partially what motivates him, he believes that the final thing he will do is help finish Elektra's plan. In his own words "I'm already dead".

09-Gustav Graves-Die Another Day

From a controversial pick to arguably a more controversial pick, Gustav Graves to me is a pretty good villain. He acts like a smarmy asshole but one that also is slightly crazy. The fact that he's a Korean colonel pretending to be this English celebrity adds a layer of intrigue to the man, you kind of think "that's really smart". He also has one of the best deaths.

08-Le Chiffre-Casino Royale

Mads Mikkelsen is one of (in my opinion) the three best people to play a Bond villain. In every scene he's in his playing an absolutely fantastic performance. But for most of the scenes I don't feel he's the main focus, when he's playing cards with Bond, the focus seems to be set on Bond. When he's confronted by Steven Obanno, the focus is on Obanno. I think Le Chiffre really shines when he's torturing Bond. In that scene ALL the focus is put on Le Chiffre. It's a shame that the scene is so short, in the book it goes on for quite a while, I would've liked it to last just a minute longer.

07-Raoul Silva-Skyfall

Raoul Silva may have one of the most interesting villain backstories in all of James Bond. A former 00 agent pushed to suicide, only for it not to work and instead horrifically scar him and later plot a revenge scheme against the woman who made it happen. That is some awesome stuff right there. And Javier Bardem's performance is just excellent, he owns every scene he's in. He is actually one of the only Bond villains to succeed, his goal was to kill M, and he does that (not before dying but he still did it).

06-Tov Kronsteen-From Russia with Love

Despite his limited screen time, I love everything about Kronsteen. His introduction is great, he's called "at once" to meet with Blofeld and still figures out how to win the match and title of Chess Grandmaster. He develops a near flawless plan and what does he get for it? Death because of Rosa Klebb's Failure.

05-Max Zorin-A View to a Kill

Like I said with Mads Mikkelsen, Christopher Walken was born to play a Bond villain, and he does a great job with his time as one. He heard my earlier complaints about a psychopathic villain not going over the edge and said "fine, I'll do it myself" One of my favorite scenes with him is when he's explaining Bond and Stacey's "plan" and how the man he's telling it to goes "but that would mean I'd have to be-" and Zorin interjects with "dead" and shoots him, He's just great.

04-Francisco Scaramanga-The Man with the Golden Gun

Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga likes Mads and Walken just felt right, especially since Lee is related to Ian Fleming. Lee delivers a stellar performance as the titular Man with the Golden Gun. I like how Scaramanga doesn't care about killing those close to him as seen when he kills Andrea Anders. He also has a fantastic henchman in Nick Nack. Something I noticed was that Scaramanga is described as charging $1,000,000, dollars per hit, but the title song says, "he charges a million a shot" This insinuates it only takes one shot for him to kill his target.

03-Auric Goldfinger-Goldfinger

He we are ladies and gents the final 3 and kicking it off we have Auric Goldfinger. Goldfinger is everything a Bond villain should strive to be. His plan is one of the most genius in the whole series. That plan is to set off a nuclear bomb in Fort Knox irradiating the gold supply for, how long was it "57 years 58 to be exact" thanks! he also has the most iconic Bond henchman: Oddjob. and Goldfinger himself is the most iconic Bond villains. There're just two villains I like more than him

02-Franz Sanchez-Licence to Kill

Franz Sanchez is at least to me the best Bond villain. Like I was saying, earlier with villains going over the top, this movie feels like we're slowly watching a coordinated man lose his mind. It also helps that he has one of Mr. Big's best moments: the torture of Felix Leiter. In the film he drops Leiter into a pit of sharks and let them bite his legs off. He also has one of the coolest kills ever: that being Milton Krest's pressure execution.

01-Emilio Largo-Thunderball

I know I said that Sanchez is the best villain, but Emilio Largo is my favorite. His standout scene to me is the killing of Quist. He tosses him into a pool of sharks, and he doesn't even care enough to watch. He also has a major cool factor in his eyepatch. That's mainly why he's my favorite.