For every new adventure that agent 007 goes on, there is always a villain that tries to thwart him. Villains are the ultimate staple in James Bond films, along with fast cars and lots of action. The villains act as perfect reflections of the movie itself. For example, Alec Trevelyan is the perfect villain in GoldenEye, what is a nearly perfect Bond film.
On the opposite end of the spectrum: the worse the movie, the worse the villain. And there have been some poor villains over the almost 60 years of Bond. There are also the villains that get overshadowed by the classics, like Goldfinger and Alec Trevelyan, who don't get as much recognition as they deserve.
Terrible: Hugo Drax
The Roger Moore era was very hit and miss and this is represented in its villains. Hugo Drax was the villain of Moonraker and he is so cliche that he is often nothing more than a twirling-mustache baddie.
Moonraker is already a wonky film, to begin with, but at least the sci-fi goofiness can be enjoyable. Hugo Drax, on the other hand, is the bland kind of bad that many critics feel makes him forgettable.
Underrated: Mr. Hinx
It had been a long time since there was a gimmicky henchman. Mr. Hinx was a nice throwback to characters like Jaws without rehashing him. Played by another Drax, Dave Bautista's Mr. Hinx wields metal fingertips and is one of the saving graces of Spectre.
Bautista is featured in one of the best action sequences in the film: Daniel Craig versus Dave Bautista across a train with some really nasty blows. The only drawback is that Hinx is killed off too quickly when the fight ends.
Terrible: Brad Whitaker
While Timothy Dalton shined in The Living Daylights, the same could not be said for the first villain of his tenure. Joe Don Baker plays Brad Whitaker, an arms dealer who was expelled from West Point. Other than being played by Joe Don Baker, what can one remember about the character?
Nothing about the villain's story, personality, or big evil scheme is even slightly memorable. Joe Don Baker, thankfully, would get to play a much better character with Jack Wade in the Pierce Brosnan era.
Underrated: Franz Sanchez
An immediate improvement on The Living Daylights is Franz Sanchez in Licence To Kill. In fact, a big reason why Licence To Kill is Dalton's best film is because of this delightfully hateful villain. Typically, Bond villains are just the adversary in the mission that James Bond happens to be on.
With Sanchez, it's more of a personal story, due to the connection to Felix Leiter. Robert Davi plays the character perfectly: slimy and twisted but never over the top. He's a much more grounded villain that fits the more grounded tone of Dalton's era.
Terrible: Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz)
Typically, it is best to avoid trying to reboot classic villains, but fans were excited to see Blofeld return. After Skyfall, fans were hyped to see Blofeld return and be played by A-list actor Christoph Waltz. What could go wrong?
Well, in a twist that practically killed the movie: Blofeld and Bond are brothers through adoption. Many fans did not agree with this twist on the lore at all. To make it worse, fans were expected to believe that Blofeld was somehow behind all three previous Daniel Craig movies. All because Blofeld's father preferred Bond? For a Bond movie, even Spectre flew too close to the sun.
Underrated: Elliot Carver
Tomorrow Never Dies is mostly considered an okay Bond film at best and terrible at its worst. This was the result of major league production issues that plagued it. But one thing that remains praised is Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver. Of course, it's Jonathan Pryce, so no matter what, it's going to be a stellar performance.
Carver's plot is actually a great one. Using his wealth and power as a mogul, Carver creates a headline and arranges it so that the headline comes true. This makes his news outlet the most powerful and, in a way, it controls the world - a rather realistic plot if one thinks about it.
Terrible: Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Charles Grey)
Poor Blofeld, it would seem that the character has bad luck. In Diamonds Are Forever, the last Sean Connery Bond film made by Eon, Charles Grey took on the iconic villain. Unfortunately, this incarnation of Blofeld was less of a genius mastermind and more of a bumbling fool.
When Blofeld has to escape James Bond and authorities by dressing in drag, that's how one knows that Blofeld has fallen from grace. It's a shame that the character became a parody of itself.
Underrated: Francisco Scaramanga
Much like with Tomorrow Never Dies, The Man With The Golden Gun is far from the best Bond film. However, when Christopher Lee is behind a character, it's going to be enjoyable to watch - the man was Count Dracula, Count Dooku, Saruman, and Sherlock Holmes.
Scaramanga is the world's most expensive hitman assigned to kill Bond. Everything from Scaramanga's lair, his titular weapon, and his personality are worth viewing the movie for.
Terrible: Dominic Greene
Many fans feel that Dominic Greene is the perfect representation of Quantum Of Solace: convoluted, boring, and very disappointing. At least with Whitaker, In Living Daylights was enjoyable enough to watch. With Quantum Of Solace, many felt taht the villain and his plot are so boring that it ruins the movie.
There are even some fans who can't recall the face of Greene. That's a testament to just how poor both Dominic Greene and Quantum Of Solace are. This was something that would be completely improved with Silva in Skyfall.
Underrated: Elektra King
While there have been henchwomen throughout Bond's history, Elektra was the first woman to be the main antagonist. In The World Is Not Enough, Elektra deceives Bond into believing she is the victim, in the final act of the film, her true self emerges as a villain commanding the terrorist Renard.
Elektra makes a more personal battle for Bond, which really showcases Pierce Brosnan's range. The torture chair sequence is easily one of the better traps in the series. Sophia Marceau portrays the character perfectly and helped elevate The World Is Not Enough.