Chaos follows James Bond wherever he goes. The star MI6 agent is always guaranteed to leave plenty of bodies in his wake but his employers don't mind because he gets the job done. Out of all the Bonds, Pierce Brosnan's version has been the most violent, followed by those portrayed by Daniel Craig and Sir Roger Moore.
Even though 007 is normally eager to take lives, he is only responsible for less than half of the kill statistics. The majority of the deaths are a result of the brutality of the villains and their henchmen. So, which Bond movies have been the most violent? The best way to tell is by looking at the number of known characters that have died in each movie.
Quantum Of Solace (2008) - 10
A less-convincing villain in Robert Greene was one of the reasons why Quantum Of Solace wasn't rated highly by fans and critics. Daniel Craig's second outing as Bond received bad views but it still had plenty of action to keep viewers entertained.
Bond was also quite reserved in the movie. Out of all the deaths, he was only responsible for 3. The most notable death was that of Bond girl Strawberry Fields. Her body was found in bed, covered in oil. This was a nod to the death of Jill Masterson in Goldfinger, whose body was also found in bed, but covered in gold.
The World Is Not Enough (1999) - 11
It was one of the few movies in the franchise where the Bond girl was later revealed to be the primary antagonist. The title was taken from part of Bond's dialogue in the movie. When Elektra King told Bond "I could have given you the world," he cleverly responded with "The world is not enough."
Most deaths in the movie involved someone getting shot. The two that stood out were those of henchman Renard getting impaled by Bond using a nuclear rod and Giulietta Da Vinci aka The Cigar Girl bowing up her hot air balloon.
Thunderball (1965) - 11
Thunderball was meant to be the first movie in the Bond franchise but copyright issues over the screenplay led to its delay. It thus became the fourth movie to be released. According to Box Office Mojo, it's also the highest-grossing Bond movie when ticket prices are adjusted to inflation.
The movie was unique because it didn't have the standard shoot-em-up trope. Characters were killed in different ways. For example, the henchman Quist was thrown into a pool of sharks for failing to kill Bond, and NATO pilot François Derval was killed using nerve gas. The villain Emilio Largo wasn't even killed by Bond by the sister of someone he had killed.
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - 11
Unlike other Bond movies, For Your Eyes Only wasn't adapted from Ian Fleming's books but from two of his short stories titled Risico and Title Story. The movie also settled for a realistic approach after the science-fiction-styled Moonraker was panned by critics.
For Your Eyes Only is best remembered for having one of the best villain deaths in the franchise. To make him pay for killing his wife Tracy, Bond dropped Blofeld down an industrial smokestack. This was also the only movie in the franchise where the overarching villain got killed.
A View To Kill (1985) - 13
A View To Kill incorporated much more modern themes, with billionaire Max Zorin seeking to flood Silicon Valley in order to have a monopoly over the chip market. The movie's script also wasn't based on any of Ian Fleming's books.
While most Bond movies have opted for henchmen, A View To Kill had a very capable henchwoman named May Day. She almost overshadowed Bond, managing a higher kill count than the MI6 agent. Her most iconic kill involved defenestrating a hesitant investor into the San Francisco Bay.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - 13
Along the way, Sean Connery got Bond-fatigue and chose to not return for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Audiences missed him so the producers convinced him to suit up again as 007 for Diamonds Are Forever.
There's always more havoc when baddies come in pairs, like "The Cousins" in Breaking Bad. In the 7th Bond movie, there was Mr. Kidd & Mr. Wint, who enjoyed holding hands, completing each other's sentences, and murdering people in creative ways. They dropped a scorpion down a scientist's shirt and locked Bond in a coffin in order to cremate him alive.
Casino Royale (2006) - 13
After the poor reception to Pierce Brosnan's movies, this reboot proved to be a good idea. Fans were initially skeptical about the casting of Daniel Craig as Bond but he proved that he was born for the role.
Craig's Bond was quite the killing machine. So far, Casino Royale is also the only Bond movie where the MI6 agent was responsible for more than half of the total kill count. He killed 7 people. His best kill? Shooting QUANTUM operative Adolph Gettler with a dart in the eye.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 16
Though it took its title from Ian Fleming's 1962 novel, the movie totally ignored the novel's plot. That's because the novel's story was told from the perspective of Bond girl Vivienne Michel.
The villain Karl Stormberg had an army of henchmen hence the deaths kept coming. Chief among them was the iconic Jaws whose homicides happened to be the most entertaining. The towering baddie preferred to bite his victims with his iron teeth like a shark rather than opting for weapons.
License To Kill (1989) - 17
License to Kill was the first Bond movie to not have a single scene shot in the UK. It was also the first Bond movie to not use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. Released during the height of Pablo Escobar's reign, License to Kill chose to go with a drug lord as the villain.
True to its title, plenty of people were sent to the afterlife. There was no shortage of interesting deaths either. Bond forced a baddie into a compartment full of maggots, Dario cut someone's heart out and Colonel Heller was impaled by a forklift. Bond also shoved Dario into a cocaine crusher and lit the villain Sanchez on fire.
Goldfinger (1964) - 21
It's considered by some as the greatest Bond movie of all time. Violence aside, Goldfinger introduced many elements that went on to be used in almost every future James Bond movie. This includes an extensive pre-credits sequence, unique gadgets, and Bond's penchant for globe-trotting.
Among the many memorable deaths was that of Auric Goldfinger's employee Jill Masterson who asphyxiated after being covered in gold paint. Her crime? Betraying Goldfinger and sleeping with Bond. The movie's high death count is also due to the fact that Goldfinger murdered 11 mobsters at once by suffocating them in toxic gas.