James Bond may survive in the end, but these bad guys always leave 007 shaken and stirred.
The many wicked adversaries of the superspy are as synonymous with the British spy films as high-tech gadgets, Aston Martin cars and sexcapades with alluring women.
4. Dr. No: As the central villain in the first Bond movie, Dr. Julius No deserves credit for providing a compelling opponent for Sean Connery’s 007. Played by Joseph Wiseman, Dr. No was a brilliant scientist with a Napoleon complex who proclaims: “I do not like failure.”
Dr. No helped set the tone for a series filled with power-hungry villains with grandiose schemes.
3. Ernst Stavro Blofeld: Like Bond, Blofeld has undergone numerous iterations.
Initially introduced in the 1960s as the mysterious leader of the evil SPECTRE organization, the character has had a major role over the years as one of Bond’s greatest foes.
The actors who have portrayed Blofeld include Donald Pleasance, Telly Savalas and, most recently, Christoph Waltz, who returns in “No Time to Die.”
2. Jaws: The massive minion of other antagonists, Jaws sinks his teeth into our top four as one of the most-unique movie villains ever.
He was played by the 7-foot-2 Richard Keil in two Bond movies: 1977’s Roger Moore-led “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker” (1979).
Jaws is as imposing a bad guy as they come. And he’s indestructible. Throughout the movies, he survives being tossed out of a moving train, falling several thousand feet after accidentally disabling his parachute and even an underwater battle where he dispatches a shark with his jaws.
1. Goldfinger: The insatiable greed of Auric Goldfinger mixed with his willingness to go to extremes to gratify it made him a worthy enemy in one of the franchise’s most-beloved films.
Gert Frobe embodied the titular gold smuggler in 1964’s “Goldfinger,” while Michael Collins provided the voice.
The character provided a particularly unforgettable moment when Bond, strapped to a table with a laser bearing down on him, asked if he was expected to talk, to which, Goldfinger replied: “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.”
