James Bond is one of the longest-running movie franchises of all time, with the series starting in 1962 with Dr. No and the most recent movie, No Time to Die, set to be released this year in 2020. Aside from the typical action, high tech gadgets, and exotic locations we’ve come to associate with the Bond franchise, there is also the usual presence of an evil, scheming, and maniacal villain that Bond must defeat in order to save the world from whatever scheme the villain is planning.
That being said, not every villain is equally intelligent. Some villains have strange, bizarre plans that make no sense while others have a complex web of terrifying schemes. This article will rank the 10 most intelligent Bond villains.
Mr. White
Mr. White was one of the ever-presents in the Daniel Craig Bond movies, with the character being shown to work for both Quantum and Spectre in his time, while also orchestrating the death of Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. He is mysterious and enigmatic, operating from the shadows to further his illegal plans.
Mr. White is not only intelligent but also very ruthless, not shying away from killing his own men if they fail in their missions or if they dampen the reputation of Quantum.
Le Chiffre
Le Chiffre was the main villain in Casino Royale, not only revealing himself to be a difficult foe in the game of poker, but also a very dangerous and intelligent man outside the game. Like Mr. White, Le Chiffre was ruthless and would murder anyone that stood in his way.
That being said, his overconfidence would be his downfall. He would go on to underestimate Bond in the poker game at Casino Royale, losing the money he needed to repay his bosses.
Hugo Drax
Hugo Drax is the billionaire owner of Drax Industries, a company that builds spacecraft. Drax is a cultured and accomplished billionaire who was capable of initiating a plan to exterminate humanity except for a select few humans with which he would use to repopulate the Earth.
While his plan would ultimately fail, it showed his intelligence that he was not only able to build Drax Industries, but also shield its genocidal aims for so long.
Elektra King
Elektra King may be one of the most underrated Bond villains of all time. The daughter of a wealthy oil tycoon, Elektra King was kidnapped by Renard but ultimately fell in love with her captor, convincing him to follow her will in the process.
King is a master manipulator who was not only able to manipulate James Bond and Renard, but the whole of MI6 through her connections with M. The ability to manipulate your enemies clearly makes you an intelligent and dangerous adversary, so Elektra King easily deserves a place on this list.
Raoul Silva
Raoul Silva was the main antagonist in Skyfall and was locked in a personal vendetta against M. As a former MI6 operative, Silva was abandoned by M during a mission and presumed dead, but Silva was captured and, after his cyanide capsule failed to kill him, left disfigured by the ordeal.
In Skyfall Silva is the head of an international cyber terrorism corporation that is capable of bringing nations to its knees with its expertise. Silva is clearly an intelligent and ruthless character who deserves a place on this list.
Auric Goldfinger
While Auric Goldfinger may not be the first villain that comes to mind when one thinks of intelligent Bond villains, he really ought to be. The wealthy tycoon not only built his own gold business, but also hatched a plan to ransack the United States’ gold reserve at Fort Knox.
Famously, Fort Knox is highly guarded and fortified due to the fact it holds the United States’ gold reserves, so for Goldfinger to successfully hatch a plan to steal from Fort Knox is impressive, even more so when one remembers that it would have been successful if Bond wasn’t there.
Alec Trevelyan
Alec Trevelyan, otherwise known as Janus, was a former MI6 agent who was injured after a mission with James Bond, resulting in Trevelyan receiving facial scarring and a thirst for revenge. In order to attain this revenge, Trevelyan planned to bankrupt the UK after stealing all the money from the Bank of England.
In order to achieve his plans, Trevelyan stole access to the Goldeneye satellite that would be capable of blasting an EMP pulse at the UK, rendering its technology obsolete. This characters intelligence can be seen both in his well thought out revenge plan and his history as an MI6 agent.
Dr. Julius No
Dr. Julius No was a former nuclear scientist and member of SPECTRE who attempted to sabotage a US missile launch for the villainous organization. The first Bond villain on film, Dr. No left a memorable imprint upon the Bond audience, highlighting himself as a formidable foe in the process.
The intelligence of the character can be seen, not only in the fact that he has a doctorate in nuclear science, but also by the fact that he was a high ranking member of the villainous organization, SPECTRE.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
The classic Bond villain, Ernst Stravro Blofeld is one of the most notorious and intelligent Bond villains of all time, with his evil and dastardly plans being thwarted by the British secret agent time and again. Perhaps his most dastardly plan was in the film You Only Live Twice, where Blofeld, from his volcano base, tried to trigger a nuclear conflict between the US and the USSR.
The fact that Blofeld is the head of an international, mysterious criminal organization and is capable of running it through fear and intimidation makes him, not only a highly intelligent villain, but also a ruthless and scary one.
Max Zorin
This one may be slightly controversial, but it is entirely justified when one examines the backstory and character behind Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin. It is a shame that Zorin appeared in a View to a Kill because, even though the film wasn’t well received, Walken’s performance as the character was almost universally praised.
Max Zorin was a former KGB officer and the subject of a Nazi experiment that left the character extraordinarily intelligent, but incredibly psychopathic and ruthless. It is due to this science-fiction level experiment that Zorin tops this list.
