James Bond Season on ITV: Our Top Bond Villains and Henchmen
You can’t hide from James Bond – his enemies will testify to that. The iconic MI6 spy is everywhere right now and in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, the 25th instalment of the franchise will be released in the UK in November this year. ‘No Time to Die’ will be the final explosive outing from Daniel Craig, as he prepares to hand over his Walther PPK to the next actor (or actress?).
To see Daniel off in style, ITV1 has been recently airing each of the actor’s Bond films. And in homage to the British institution that is 007, they’ll be showing every single one of the Bond films from start to finish.
On Saturday night, viewers will be treated to enjoy the 2nd ever Bond film in the 1964 ‘From Russia With Love’ following Dr No which aired last Saturday. This instalment sees our hero chasing a cold war decoding machine, and it’s here where we’re first introduced to the deadly SPECTRE organisation and the evil Blofeld (more about his cat later). Rosa Klebb features as SPECTRE number 3 in this smash hit and is the first Bond villainess from the film series.
Bond Geek Fact: Both Daniel Craig and Sean Connery list ‘From Russia With Love’ as their all-time favourite Bond film.
This got us thinking about the other Bond villains – the evil arch enemies of the casino loving spy. Some critics claim that a Bond film is only as good as its leading villain. But with over 100 villains throughout the films, who are the most iconic baddies?
- Ernst Blofeld
The deadliest of Bond’s enemies, it was this balding villain who dealt the most damage to 007 by murdering his wife in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. And having a part to play in the suicide of Bonds lover Vesper Lynd in ‘Casino Royale’.
Blofeld is the head of the global crime organisation SPECTRE and is set to make a dramatic comeback in the soon-to-be-released ‘No Time to Die’. Perhaps this 007 terror figure is best remembered for his white Persian cat, which later went on to influence Mike Myers’ film portrayal of ‘Dr Evil’.
Bond Geek Fact: Due to a legal issue, the filmmakers couldn’t bring Blofeld back into the films until the 2015 ‘Spectre’ film.
- Le Chiffre
This crying blood villain pops up in ‘Casino Royale’, the very first Bond book to be written by Ian Fleming in 1953. He’s played by the intimidating Mads Mikkelsen in the 2006 film adaptation, but Le Chiffre hits our top 4 because he was the first Bond villain – ever. And he’s probably the scariest one too. Le Chiffre plays against 007 in a high-stakes Texas Hold ‘Em poker game at the iconic Casino Royale in Montenegro, where Daniel Craig donned his very first dinner jacket.
You could have your own 007 casino experience without having to put on a dinner jacket or face any villains. www.playfrank.com/en-gb market themselves as the UK online casino that James Bond himself would play at where you can try out many games without leaving the comfort of your own house.
Bond Geek Fact: Baccarat is Bonds favourite game in the original Fleming book, and not Poker.
https://youtu.be/giRO_ppHMLY
- Jaws
How could we not list this giant metal toothed assassin? A man of few words but huge actions, he appeared in 2 Bond films: ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and ‘Moonraker’. The latter saw him change sides and help 007 to defeat the villain Hugo Drax, before eventually running off into the cosmos with his girlfriend Dolly. Who can forget the iconic scene with Jaws biting through the metal wire, halfway up the mountain cable car?
Bond Geek Fact: It was so painful for actor Richard Kiel who played Jaws to wear his metal teeth, that he could only stand it for a few minutes at a time.
- Scaramanga
This Bond villain was a good guy gone bad, starting his career of treachery as a circus marksmen act. He then turned to the KGB for his kicks before becoming a hired assassin, with his own private island. Luring Roger Moore across the sea, in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, Scaramanga makes our top list not just for his third nipple, but for his sinister and sadistic killing skills.
Bond Geek Fact: The late Christopher Lee who played Scaramanga was a step-cousin of Bond creator, Ian Fleming.
Who can say at this stage how Rami Malek will fare as the villain in the upcoming Bond film? He may well hit the top list with his character ‘Safin’, who fans are tipping to be revealed as Dr No. The character’s hands were absent from the films’ trailer, which could be due to the fact they were chopped off by a Chinese crime syndicate ‘Tongs’ in the Dr No novel from 1958. Whatever happens, we will have to wait and see.
When it comes to any of the Bond villains, we’re sure you’ll agree that these are a mean bunch of baddies, that no one wants to bump into on a dark night!
‘From Russia With Love’ will air on ITV1, this Saturday 11th July at 9 pm.
