Bond: 7 Bond villains who got close to beating 007

The charismatic MI6 agent with a license to kill has confronted a number of bad guys over the years. Although Bond's track record remains pretty impressive, it has certainly had its fair share of near misses.

From cunning masterminds to cold-blooded hitmen, there are a few villains who came dangerously close to vanquishing our favorite spy. We're talking enemies who truly pushed Bond to the edge, making him depend on his intelligence, sharp instincts, and even a dash of luck. And it is in these moments that we thought that it was the end for 007. But that is not possible, is it?

After all, it is “Bond. James Bond.” Here are the top 7 villains in the James Bond series who got really close to beating 007.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

Le Chiffre in Casino Royale (2006)

Le Chiffre was no ordinary bad guy, he remains one of the select few to have actually gotten under Bond’s skin. He was one of the two major villains (the other one being Mr. White) in Martin Campbell’s 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, adapted from Ian Fleming’s eponymous novel written in 1953. Mad Mikkelsen did an exceptionally marvelous job in the role of Le Chiffre against the ever-charming Daniel Craig as James Bond. The man works as a private banker funding worldwide terrorism and likes to boast about his profound wits by raising money through games of chance and odds, like poker. Bond was on a mission to outsmart Chiffre at his own game, but it would not be as easy as he thought.

The atmosphere between them became increasingly tense as the poker match progressed. Bond found himself hopelessly caught in the web of Chiffre’s manipulation schemes, almost unable to beat him. In a shocking turn of events, Le Chiffre held Bond captive and tortured him relentlessly, in a desperate attempt to force him to give up the password to the poker winnings. It is in this moment, we not only witness a vulnerable side of Bond, a sight very rare in the other series, but also catch a glimpse of Le Chiffre's incredible capabilities as one of the most intimidating antagonists. However, Le Chiffre does not meet his end at Bond's hands, but he is killed by his own team when he fails to retrieve the money back to Mr. White. Despite his end, Le Chiffre left a deep impact on Bond and was very close to defeating him.

Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Portrayed by Curt Jürgens, Karl Stromberg is an extremely shrewd and influential villain in the 1977 film, The Spy Who Loved Me, by Lewis Gilbert. Roger Moore starred as James Bond in this 1962 adaptation of Ian Fleming's ninth novel of the same name. As an affluent businessman who’s enchanted by the waters, Karl Stromberg doesn't just want to take over the world; he wants to drag it under. His ultimate plan of action is cataclysmic, including starting off a nuclear war between the U.S. and the USSR, thereby wiping out most of humanity and building a new world below the ocean in his submerged city, Atlantis.

It was a highly daring gambit that, if he had managed to succeed, would have resulted in mass destruction, making him the supreme master of the underworld. Atlantis was Stromberg’s fortress, equipped with shark tanks, missile launchers, and other dangerous gadgets that made him one of the most formidable villains Bond ever had to face. During a particularly intense dinner scene, Stromberg tried to kill Bond with a torpedo gun hidden under the table, but fortunately and ingeniously enough, Bond foresaw the attack and managed to shoot Stromberg instead. Although Stromberg is defeated in the end, it is a reminder of how close he was to eliminating the unshakeable 007.

Raoul Silva in Skyfall (2012)

Sam Mendes’ 2012 Bond film, Skyfall, starred Daniel Craig as the phenomenal MI6 agent James Bond, and Javier Bardem as a villain of sheer menace and unparalleled dread named Raoul Silva. Previously, Silva was a MI6 agent himself, but then he went rogue, becoming a cyberterrorist with a bitter vendetta against his former boss, M, portrayed by Judi Dench. Silva’s hatred towards M was so strong that he persistently orchestrated a series of attacks to kill her. He was not like the other megalomaniac antagonists, his motives were deeply personal. Plus, his connection with M added a completely unexpected emotional twist to the whole narrative.

He tried to intentionally surrender himself before the MI6 unit as a clever strategy to gain access to their headquarters and then ambush M and extract his revenge. As Silva was almost successful with carrying out his plan on one of M’s public hearing days, James intervened and blew his entire operation. After a surprising turn of events, Silva chases Bond and M to Bond's childhood home in Scotland, and it leads to one of the most dramatic confrontations among all the movies of the series. Silva's men fatally wound M, and in a chapel, Silva begs her to free them both from their miserable fate by killing him. Bond enters just in time and stabs Silva with a knife in the back. That may have been the end of Silva, but before his death, he managed to indirectly fulfill his primary aim of getting M eliminated as she succumbs to an accidental gunshot by Bond. It became a really rare moment for the first time in history, a Bond villain had somewhat accomplished his goal.

Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Widely popular for his pure gold revolver, Francisco Scaramanga was one of the oldest villains who truly posed a threat to Bond. Francisco was portrayed by the legendary Christopher Lee in Guy Hamilton’s 1974 film, The Man with the Golden Gun, loosely based on Ian Fleming’s 1965 novel of the same title. Coming from a circus family, Scaramanga was a natural with guns, mastering the craft from a very young age. The golden gun was his signature weapon that he would clearly stash amidst items used in day-to-day life, like a lighter, a pen, and a cufflink.

By the time Bond, played by Roger Moore, came into the picture, Scaramanga had become a skilled assassin, charging about a million dollars for every hit. It was not just Scaramanga’s expertise with firearms that made him such a daunting opponent; his alertness and wit also set him apart. As a result, Bond and Scaramanga found themselves caught up in a non-stop game of cat and mouse that ultimately led to a deadly duel on Scaramanga’s private island. And even though Bond eventually outwitted Scaramanga, like he had done with so many other villains before, it almost cost him everything.

Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough (1999)

A lady of lethal charm, Elektra King remains one of the most devious of villains in the James Bond franchise. In the 1999 Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, directed by Michael Apted, the character of Elektra King is played by actress Sophie Marceau, and that of James Bond by Pierce Brosnan. As the only child of Sir Robert King, an influential figure in the Scottish oil industry, Elektra grew up not only to turn against her father but also against MI6, owing to her abduction in the past by the terrorist Victor "Renard" Zokas. After her father refused to pay the ransom on MI6's advice, she was left feeling utterly betrayed.

As a consequence, she joined forces with her former captor, Renard, and started plotting a nuclear blast in Istanbul to take over the oil market. Seeming as a victim at first, to emerging as a powerful enemy, Elektra skillfully deceived everyone. Her intimacy with Bond served as a mask, specifically hiding her true intentions and creating a diversion to prevent MI6 from interfering with her plans. In the climactic scene, we see Bond under Elektra’s capture, being tortured through a device called a garrote. After a string of twists, Elektra, held at gunpoint by Bond, tells him, "You wouldn't kill me, you'd miss me.” But Bond, the fierce hero that he is, replies, “I never miss,” and fires a bullet through her.

Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger (1964)

Auric Goldfinger is the criminal mastermind in Guy Hamilton’s 1964 film Goldfinger, based on Ian Fleming's 1959 eponymous novel. The movie is the third installment in the James Bond saga, starring Sean Connery as 007 and Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger. Being a business tycoon, gold is Auric’s one true love. He was as perfectly poised as he was dangerous, almost beating Bond in a way that had audiences gasping. His plan was not just to steal gold, but to make all the gold at Fort Knox unusable so that the price of his stock went incredibly high. We have to admit that, albeit evil, it was an ingenious scheme.

However, it was that infamous laser scene that truly revealed Goldfinger’s malicious nature. Tying Bond to a table, he had activated a laser, slowly inching it closer to a very sensitive area. And it is in that moment that Goldfinger delivers the most iconic line, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” when Bond asks what lies ahead for him. This increased the tension in an already tense scene. Goldfinger's close brush with victory over Bond was more than a pivotal moment in the movie, it was an epitome of villainy at its finest.

Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye (1995)

Portrayed by Sean Bean, Alec Trevelyan was one of the most compelling villains in the James Bond series. He was featured in Martin Campbell's 1995 film, GoldenEye, against Pierce Brosnan as 007. Trevelyan formerly served in MI6 as Agent 006, but then he adopted the title, Janus, leading a crime syndicate to exact revenge on the British Government. His hatred had stemmed from a deep-seated betrayal his family endured during the Second World War. During a mission in Arkhangelsk, Russia, where he was assigned alongside Bond to destroy a chemical weapons facility, Trevelyan tried to fake his own death with the help of Colonel Arkady Ourumov and go off the radar. Unaware of Trevelyan’s plan, Bond triggers an early blast during the mission that disfigures Trevelyan. This event further fuels Trevelyan's resentment towards MI6.

Later in the film, Trevelyan orchestrated a dangerous scheme that involved the theft of the GoldenEye satellite system, with which he would trigger an electromagnetic pulse over London to seize millions of pounds from the Bank of England, and then erase all financial records. As he was about to execute his plan with precision, Bond intervenes and throws his entire operation into chaos. In the final scene, Bond and Trevelyan engage in a ruthless, hand-to-hand battle on top of a gigantic satellite dish in Cuba. Despite being on the verge of overpowering Bond, Trevelyan meets his end when Bond releases him from the great height. It was his familiarity with the protocols of MI6 and his formerly close companionship with Bond that made him one of the deadliest opponents in the franchise.