Bond's friendliest, most agreeable villain?

Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,489MI6 Agent
in The James Bond Films
It's the time of goodwill towards all men, and nemesi.

So I wondered, who is the villain Bond gets on with best, in terms of good personal relations, hanging out, shared screen time and so on? Some are positively charming to Bond, I mean, I like my boss but he's never invited me round for dinner... (Scaramanga et al) saved my life (Red Grant at the gypsy camp) or shagged me rotten baby (Elektra King).

Least of all, of course... would be Klebb, Kronsteen, Kristatos... well, they are the 'KKK'! :))
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

Roger Moore 1927-2017
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Comments

  • ThundernutsThundernuts Harlow, Essex, England UKPosts: 57MI6 Agent
    I think I'd go for a toss-up between Largo or Drax.....
  • JohnMastersonJohnMasterson MinnesotaPosts: 326MI6 Agent
    Well, 006 was actually Bond's FRIEND before he ultimately turned on him so...
    "Goodbye, my son. Our hopes and dreams travel with you." Jor-El ~ Man of Steel (2013)
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    That would be Franz Sanchez until he discovered Bond was just funning him!
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    I'd have to go with Francisco Scaramanga---quite the gracious host. He even personally handled the changing of Bond's travel arrangements from the island! -{
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • GaddGeneGaddGaddGeneGadd Posts: 189MI6 Agent
    Bond was awful chummy with Charles Grays Blofeld in DAF. Another reason I think so many purists hammer DAF. The dude killed your wife for crying out loud, they get on like they are bridge partners or something. :v
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,489MI6 Agent
    Loeffelholz wrote:
    I'd have to go with Francisco Scaramanga---quite the gracious host. He even personally handled the changing of Bond's travel arrangements from the island! -{

    Scaramanga is a good choice, not least because for the most of the movie, he isn't even after Bond, who has been led astray by Andrea's gold bullet. So no reason for them to fall out really. Scary is one of the last to wine and dine Bond (Kamal Khan did in OP, and Largo would have done in NSNA but the scene was cut).

    006 may have been a friend in the past, but in terms of the film itself, he isn't exactly friendly and they don't share too much screen time.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Yourb Friend With A CatYourb Friend With A Cat Utrecht, NetherlandsPosts: 26MI6 Agent
    Goldfinger, such an "huge" villian. and friend, i would say felix leiter
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I have to agree with all those who said, Francisco Scaramanga. He's charming and polite to Bond throughout, and Only wants to kill him as an experiment to settle who is the Best with a gun. He also has one of the most beautiful Hide-outs of any Bond Villain.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BodieBodie Posts: 211MI6 Agent
    I'd go with Georgi Koskov. More like your drinking buddie than a villian.
  • GaddGeneGaddGaddGeneGadd Posts: 189MI6 Agent
    Thunderpussy wrote:
    I have to agree with all those who said, Francisco Scaramanga. He's charming and polite to Bond throughout, and Only wants to kill him as an experiment to settle who is the Best with a gun. He also has one of the most beautiful Hide-outs of any Bond Villain.

    Funny pussy, that is how I always pictured your living environment. :))
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    No way, Mine is more of a Hollowed out Volcano :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • GaddGeneGaddGaddGeneGadd Posts: 189MI6 Agent
    Merry Christmas TP ;)
  • hegottheboothegottheboot USAPosts: 327MI6 Agent
    Scarmanga-the only villain you don't want killed.
    Dr. Kananga-who can so effortlessly brush off Bond's destruction of his scheme.
    Blofeld v.3-"I do so hate marshal music."

    But most agreeable certainly has to be Georgi. "James! (hugs) Bond! (kisses) I will (kiss) never (kiss) forget what you did for me!"
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,489MI6 Agent
    Okay, but Georgi is being insincere when he does all that.

    For me, it's Auric. He and Bond share an awful lot of screentime, from Miami v early in the film, to the very last scene. It's true to say he and Bond go on a journey together. :)

    He doesn't entertain Bond for dinner, but they seem to warm to each other a lot, and doesn't kill Bond for no particularly good reason, except he should stick around. Of course, Oddjob provides the silent menace. It would be good to have a deadlier outcome, he doesn't really need Bond to be chained to the bomb, does he? But a more sinister payoff might have made it more plausible, in the sense of setting Bond up.

    GF kills the Masterton sisters, but one sour quip later and he and Bond are alright again.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • JADE66JADE66 Posts: 238MI6 Agent
    Elektra King gets my vote. She is truly the leading lady of TWINE, not Christmas Jones, whose role in the story is much smaller. Bond actually learns to care for her and genuinely regrets killing her. This is the first and so far only time Bond has killed his leading lady. It's a powerful moment and one that stands out. Plus, Elektra has a great deal more humanity than previous supervillains who want to destroy or take over the whole world. Her motivations are clearer and it is evident that she is damaged. Megalomaniacs like Stromberg and Drax and their ilk have no essential humanity to make them more compelling charcters. We know what makes Elektra tick and the fact that Bond actually learns to care about this person makes her the most sympathetic of the villains. Definitely, In my honest opinion, it has to be Elektra.
  • jeffchjeffch Posts: 163MI6 Agent
    Loeffelholz wrote:
    I'd have to go with Francisco Scaramanga---quite the gracious host. He even personally handled the changing of Bond's travel arrangements from the island! -{

    Definitely Scaramanga, he seemed to be the only villain who treated Bond as an equal. Pretty much all the others just looked at him as some little fly getting in the way of their great genius plans
  • Le SamouraiLe Samourai Honolulu, HIPosts: 573MI6 Agent
    JADE66 wrote:
    Elektra King gets my vote. She is truly the leading lady of TWINE, not Christmas Jones, whose role in the story is much smaller. Bond actually learns to care for her and genuinely regrets killing her. This is the first and so far only time Bond has killed his leading lady. It's a powerful moment and one that stands out. Plus, Elektra has a great deal more humanity than previous supervillains who want to destroy or take over the whole world. Her motivations are clearer and it is evident that she is damaged. Megalomaniacs like Stromberg and Drax and their ilk have no essential humanity to make them more compelling charcters. We know what makes Elektra tick and the fact that Bond actually learns to care about this person makes her the most sympathetic of the villains. Definitely, In my honest opinion, it has to be Elektra.

    You bring up some excellent points, and ones I fully agree with. Elektra is perhaps the only Bond villain I actually felt some sympathy for. I even felt a little sympathy for Renard. The complexity of those two characters is one of the reasons TWINE rates pretty high on my Bond movie list, though I fully acknowledge that my love of this particular film is not shared by many.
    —Le Samourai

    A Gent in Training.... A blog about my continuing efforts to be improve myself, be a better person, and lead a good life. It incorporates such far flung topics as fitness, self defense, music, style, food and drink, and personal philosophy.
    Agent In Training
  • GaddGeneGaddGaddGeneGadd Posts: 189MI6 Agent
    If not for the performance of Denise Richards TWINE would be extremely high on my list as well. She just killed the movie for me, but I thought it was Pierce's best overall performance as Bond. Even my ex wife thought Christmas Jones killed the film. She was like "that was a great movie until she showed up and ruined it". :))

    Electra is indeed one sexy villainess . When she snaps her fingers it is just classic. There is a very human, damaged, quality to her.

    TWINE is like FYEO to me. I can't stand Bill Conti's score ( I still can't believe he was nominated for an oscar for the score ) It sounds like a early 80's tv show like "C.H.I.P.S." or "the Fallguy" and it just kills the film for me. :s I always thought if John Berry had scored FYEO it would be in the same league as OHMSS or FRWL
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    Interesting choice, Jade. I like it!
    JADE66 wrote:
    Elektra King gets my vote. She is truly the leading lady of TWINE, not Christmas Jones, whose role in the story is much smaller. Bond actually learns to care for her and genuinely regrets killing her. This is the first and so far only time Bond has killed his leading lady. It's a powerful moment and one that stands out. Plus, Elektra has a great deal more humanity than previous supervillains who want to destroy or take over the whole world. Her motivations are clearer and it is evident that she is damaged. Megalomaniacs like Stromberg and Drax and their ilk have no essential humanity to make them more compelling charcters. We know what makes Elektra tick and the fact that Bond actually learns to care about this person makes her the most sympathetic of the villains. Definitely, In my honest opinion, it has to be Elektra.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • JADE66JADE66 Posts: 238MI6 Agent
    TWINE also marks the first time 'M' becomes directly involved in the action and her relationship with both Bond and Elektra is a highlight of the film for me. She cares deeply for Elektra and she relies on Bond. When Bond crosses the line and sleeps with the woman he is supposed to protect, 'M' is clearly angered. When Elektra betrays 'M,' the older woman becomes enraged and when Elektra is killed the look of grief on 'M's face is stunning and Judi Dench gives a remarkable performance. Clearly, her heart is broken by Elektra's betrayal and that makes both women all the more accessible as characters.
    Thanks to Le Samourai, GaddGeneGadd and Blackleiter for the kind responses. -{
  • Blood_StoneBlood_Stone Posts: 184MI6 Agent
    Definitely Scaramanga. He was a man of honor and not so much of a villain, just a guy doing his job since he was the world's greatest assassin.

    The only thing that ruined the movie (aside from the return of the idiot sheriff and Mary Goodnight being turned into a dumbsh*t blonde) was The Man With The Golden Gun uncharacteristically going after the Solex Agitator, but that's sh*tty writing for you.
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,912Chief of Staff
    Hugo Drax: he clearly likes to live well, and he's a villain whose one-liners are as good as--or even better than--Bond's!
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,871MI6 Agent
    Francisco Scaramanga all the way - he even allowed James Bond the chance of walking away unscathed, for heaven's sake! The gentleman assassin - remind you of anyone? Me neither. :))
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Nick37Nick37 Posts: 270MI6 Agent
    I'd agree with Scaramanga. Despite the fact he'd love to duel Bond, he really wants nothing to do with him and does indeed walk away. Dr. Kananga and Aristotle Kristatos are also charming and urbane around Bond, especially the latter. Kananga not so much until he thinks he's got Bond dead to rights.
    "I've had a few...Optional extras installed."
  • LastRatStandingLastRatStanding ScotlandPosts: 296MI6 Agent
    I think I like Scaramanga MORE than Bond in TMWTGG he's that nice a guy!
    Now, they only eat rat.
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,871MI6 Agent
    LastRatStanding wrote:
    I think I like Scaramanga MORE than Bond in TMWTGG he's that nice a guy!

    Yes, that's what I just read today in The Essential Bond - they said that we're almost willing on Scaramanga as played by Christopher Lee to win!

    Not far wrong given the grumpy presentation of all of the regular characters from Bond and M to Moneypenny and Q. Strange old film that TMWTGG. 8-)
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,489MI6 Agent
    Calvin Dyson, famous Bond youtube reviewer and increasingly a self-parody of himself (?) it must be said, says the same thing.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,871MI6 Agent
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    Calvin Dyson, famous Bond youtube reviewer and increasingly a self-parody of himself (?) it must be said, says the same thing.

    Then there's safety in numbers, I guess. :)
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ZorinIndustriesZorinIndustries United StatesPosts: 837MI6 Agent
    Scaramamga and Dr. No seem to admire Bond. I think Scaramanga comes across as Darth Vader trying to turn Luke Skywalker, our hero, to the dark side hahaha
    "Better luck next time... slugheads!"

    1. GoldenEye 2. Goldfinger 3. Skyfall 4. OHMSS 5. TWINE
  • Hold CommandHold Command LondonPosts: 376MI6 Agent
    Well, Silva and Bond get a little 'friendly' in SF, they even sip a lil' whisky together on the shooting range. :))
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