Having been around for more than half a century, the James Bond franchise has a pretty well-established formula. There’s an opening action set piece followed by an extravagant title sequence set to a theme song by a popular contemporary artist. Bond spends the movie falling for a one-off love interest and chasing a megalomaniacal villain.
The latter element is perhaps the best-known part of the movies. Even audiences who are unfamiliar with the Bond movies know about 007’s enemies bent on world domination. Arguably the greatest Bond villain is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, but there are plenty of other great ones to choose from.
Blofeld Is The Best: He Had A Multi-Movie Arc
While most Bond villains only appear in one movie, with Bond (or some ironic twist of fate) killing them off in the same story that introduces them, Blofeld had a multi-movie arc.
Blofeld is essentially James Bond’s Thanos, teased in post-credits scenes before making his full-blown debut. He had plenty of time to develop across multiple movies.
Alternative: Dr. No
The first villain that Bond ever faced is still one of the best. Moviegoers were introduced to 007 back in 1962 when Sean Connery starred in Dr. No. Throughout the movie, Bond infiltrates Dr. No’s secret island.
The titular villain has an unforgettable appearance, mostly thanks to his metal hands, which eventually become his ironic downfall.
Blofeld Is The Best: He’s Instantly Recognizable
Blofeld has become synonymous with the trope of the evil mastermind. Even to people who don’t know who Blofeld is, he’s the most common image of such a character.
Whenever somebody conjures up an image of a criminal mastermind in their head, there’s a safe bet that they’re picturing a bald lunatic with a scar across his eye and a gray Nehru jacket, stroking a white Persian cat.
Alternative: Raoul Silva
Although his evil plan didn’t make sense, reusing the same “getting caught was part of the plan” trope seen in The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and Star Trek Into Darkness, Raoul Silva made for a truly memorable villain in Skyfall.
Javier Bardem’s mesmerizing performance makes up for the overly convoluted storytelling. It was also fascinating to see a villain with a personal connection to M.
Blofeld Is The Best: Several Great Actors Have Put Their Stamp On The Role
Most Bond villains are only ever played by one actor. The Scaramanga has only ever been played by Christopher Lee, Alec Trevelyan has only ever been played by Sean Bean, etc. But several great actors have been given the chance to put their own stamp on the Blofeld character.
After Halloween’s Donald Pleasence made the antagonist an icon, screen legends ranging from Max von Sydow to Christoph Waltz have presented audiences with their own take on Blofeld.
Alternative: Le Chiffre
Nearly 40 years after Orson Welles played the role of Le Chiffre in a parodic version of Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen brought a much more sinister edge to the character in a straightforward adaptation of the Ian Fleming classic.
In keeping with the gritty, realistic tone that Martin Campbell brought to the movie, Mikkelsen played Le Chiffre as a genuinely chilling sadist.
Blofeld Is The Best: He’s The Head Of SPECTRE
Blofeld is the best Bond villain because he’s the boss of most of the other Bond villains. He’s the head of SPECTRE, the shady worldwide criminal organization that employs most of the enemies 007 has faced over the years.
As the leader of the organization, Blofeld is referred to as “Number 1,” which was later parodied in the Austin Powers movies, as Dr. Evil’s second-in-command is called “Number 2.”
Alternative: Jaws
The megalomaniacs aren’t the only memorable Bond villains — some of their henchmen are memorable, too. While Oddjob is a beloved icon, the most memorable henchman in the James Bond universe is easily Jaws, played by Richard Kiel.
Jaws was only ever supposed to appear in one movie, but the fan response to the character was so positive that the producers ended up bringing him back.
Blofeld Is The Best: He’s 007’s Arch-Nemesis
Blofeld is James Bond’s greatest adversary purely because he’s his arch-nemesis. Just like the Joker is Batman’s arch-nemesis and Moriarty is Sherlock Holmes’ arch-nemesis, Blofeld is Bond’s ultimate elusive enemy who keeps slipping out of his grasp at every turn.
As a criminal genius with designs on world domination, Blofeld is the pinnacle of Bond villains. All the other villains are basically just retooled versions of Blofeld.
Alternative: Goldfinger
The third James Bond movie, 1964’s Goldfinger, perfected the formula. This included a perfect opening action scene, a perfect climactic set piece, and a perfect megalomaniacal villain with an eccentric quirk (in the case of the classic Gert Fröbe character, it’s an infatuation with gold).
Just like every subsequent Bond theme has been judged against the iconic benchmark of Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger theme, every subsequent Bond villain has been judged against the iconic benchmark of the movie’s titular gold-hoarding baddie.