Agent 007 has had to face off against all kinds of villains in the James Bond franchise and while most of them have been formidable, only a select few can be considered brave. The rest have played it safe by either relying on henchmen to do all the work or coming up with plans that aren't risky enough to put them in danger.
The brave ones have impressed fans since their courage has led to more entertaining plots. Whether it's choosing to live in space or showing up in luxury hotels with machetes, there have been a couple of daring Bond villains who were willing to risk everything to get what they wanted.
Hugo Drax - Moonraker
The Drax Industries owner's intention is to wipe out most of humanity using nerve gas. Meanwhile, he and his chosen few will be safe at his space base.
Drax's plan to launch synthesized never gas into the earth's atmosphere is one of the most ridiculous Bond villain plots but choosing to set up a colony in space is a very gutsy move. There are certainly numerous risks that come with living outside Earth, but Drax is more than willing to handle them so long as he gets to see most of the world's population vanish.
Rosa Klebb - From Russia With Love
As SPECTRE's third-in-command, also known as Number 3, Klebb is eager to get revenge for Dr, No's death. She thus assigns Red Grant the task of killing Bond.
But Klebb isn't content with just delegating tasks. Despite having hired one of the world's best assassins, she doesn't hesitate to participate in the mission too. Her job description requires her to sit in an office all day, but she doesn't mind assisting the assassin in tailing Bond. Her thirst for adventure also sees her sneak into Bond and Tatian's room in order to record them. When Grant fails, Klebb personally tries to kill Bond by posing as a hotel maid.
General Steven Obanno - Casino Royale
Lord's Resistance Army warlord Steven Obanno seeks Le Chiffre's assistance in banking $101,206,000 which he has acquired illegally. When Le Chiffre loses the money, Obanno comes for him but finds himself having to face Agent 007.
Since he is a military commander, the possibility of Obanno being a cowardly villain is immediately ruled out. He isn't risk-averse either and that's why he trusts Le Chiffre with so much of his money. Additionally, Obanno is ever ready to do the dirty work himself and this is why he heads over to the Montenegro hotel that Le Chiffre had booked in order to personally make him pay.
Karl Stromberg - The Spy Who Loved Me
Like Drax, Stromberg is also keen on eliminating most of the population so that the chosen few can live on his ocean base known as Atlantis. The difference is, Stromberg plans to accomplish this by causing a nuclear war.
As one of the wealthiest Bond villains, Stromberg can afford any luxury villa in the world but he still prefers to live inside an underwater base that has pools full of sharks. Though he normally uses the sharks to punish enemies, any minor slip would make him a victim too. He shows no panic when confronted by Bond, even attempting to kill him. The uncertain future of life after the nuclear war doesn't scare him either.
Gustav Graves (Colonel Tan-Sun Moon) - Die Another Day
General Moon makes plans to unite the two Koreas by starting a war. When that fails, he undergoes gene replacement therapy and becomes a man of British descent known as Sir Gustav Graves.
Graves is quite the valiant character. During his time as a Koren general, he is often spotted at the heart of battles. He actively fires missiles at Bond with a tanker during the early part of the movie. He is willing to die in order to prove a point too, and that's why as Sir Gustav Graves, he proposes they use real swords during a mock fight. Most importantly, his decision to take on a new identity is indeed an intrepid one.
Alec Trevelyan - GoldenEye
Formerly serving as Agent 006 in MI6, Trevelyan fakes his own death and starts a crime syndicate. He now seeks to hijack a dangerous Soviet weapon and use it to damage Britain's economy.
Like Bond, Trevelyan has a track record that proves he is no coward, as he has gone on several missions before. His plan to ruin the Bank of England is also a brazen one as it means he not only gets to pit himself against the government but the whole population too because everyone will be affected by the recession. Trevelyan doesn't back down from a fight and he is easily seen defeating Bond during one of their duels.
Lyutsifer Safin - No Time To Die
Born into a family of chemists that supply SPECTRE with chemicals, Safin becomes disgruntled after Mr. White kills his parents. When he grows up, he not only kills Mr. White's wife but also forms his own organization, aiming to bring down SPECTRE.
That Safin heads over to Mr. White's home by himself despite knowing that the criminal mastermind probably has security measures in place shows just how gutsy he is. He also understands that there might be further retaliation when he kills Mr. White's wife but he trusts himself enough to handle it. Safin comes off as even more daring when he kidnaps Madeleine and her daughter, knowing very well that this will trigger Bond's ire.
Fransisco Scaramanga - The Man With The Golden Gun
Introduced as the world's highest-paid assassin, Scaramanga makes plans to auction a unique solar energy system to the most generous bidder. Unfortunately for him, Bond stands in his way.
As an assassin, Scaramanga is said to have infiltrated the most dangerous of places in order to conduct his kills. This put him in danger on many occasions. And while most people would prefer training exercises that are safe, Scaramanga often orders Nick Nack, one of the best ever Bond henchmen, to use live ammunition on him so that he can know how good he really is at dodging bullets.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Several Films
As the overarching villain of the franchise, Blofeld has been the head of SPECTRE for years. He has also puppeteered some of the franchise's best villains.
Blofeld is never afraid to come up with some of the most dangerous schemes to either hurt Bond or achieve world domination. He has boldly pitted his organization against various world governments and their spy agencies too, confident that he will be victorious. And he usually comes out on top, except for the few moments when he has been defeated by Bond.
Raoul Silva - Skyfall
Angry at being betrayed by the organization he once worked for, former MI6/SIS agent Raoul Silva conducts a series of terrorist attacks in the UK. His major goal is to discredit M and eventually murder her.
Silva demonstrates his bravery many times during the movie. He proves that being outnumbered doesn't scare him when he walks into a courthouse full of police officers and MI6 agents, where he frantically fires at M. Moreover, most villains also like to avoid situations where they'd be taken into custody but Silva doesn't mind getting captured by SIS just so he can get revenge on M for betraying him. His well-orchestrated attack at the Skyfall Lodge in the middle of a dark night also shows how daring he can be.