The Bond Villains: Ernst Stavro Blofeld

ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD

In the Bond universe, his name is associated with the most memorable personification of evil. His ingenious plots and devious actions have made him the ultimate arch-enemy for agent 007. Often referred to as “No.1”, Blofeld is the head of SPECTRE, the criminal organization that was ever present in the early Bond films between 1962-1971.

Blofeld was not fully visible in the second Bond film and remained hidden behind blinds in the fourth, but he was eventually given a legendary entrance in ‘YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE’ in 1967. Bald and with a nasty deep dueling scar stretching from his forehead down to the chin, the criminal mastermind finally had a face that perfectly underlined his evilness. But as if a scarred face was not enough, Blofeld needed to come across as the ultimate villain – a larger than life megalomaniac. A gigantic underground lair and rocket base in a Japanese volcano did the trick. It was from here that Blofeld tried to stir up a war between superpowers by extortion. But there was one more distinct accessoire of evil: a white Turkish Angora cat with blue eyes. Seen in every film that featured Blofeld, it has become a distinguishing characteristic that barely ever leaves his masters side.

“In a few short hours, the United Nations will receive a Yultide greeting. The information that I now possess the scientific means to control, or to destroy, the economy of the whole world.” – Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Although his volcano lair was destroyed at the end of ‘YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE’, it remained unclear if Blofeld had survived. Two years later, Bond encountered Blofeld again in ‘ON HER MAJESTY´S SECRET SERVICE’ (1969). This time around, Blofeld was operating from Piz Gloria, a neat alpine hideout in the Swiss Alps that has since become one of the most iconic and most visited Bond locations of all time. His master plan: to extort world powers with the threat of releasing an infertility virus. Blofeld can once again escape death after a fierce battle and bobsled chase and returns to kill Bond´s wife Tracy a few days later. A traumatising event in the career of 007.

“SPECTRE is a dedicated fraternity whose strength lies in the absolute integrity of its members.” – Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Since Blofeld was portrayed by three different actors in three consecutive Bond films, his appearance naturally changed every time. While Donald Pleasance had the famous scar, his successor Telly Savalas didn´t but was also bald. Charles Gray looked totally different and delivered a more comical performance in ‘DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’ (1971), the last film to feature Blofeld and SPECTRE as the main antagonists. In his final masterplan, the cat-stroking villain aims to destroy the nuclear arsenals of countries refusing extortion. His method: a satellite turned into an industrial laser which is amplified by diamonds. Bond can avert the worst but Blofeld´s fate is left unclear again.

The character of Blofeld left a significant mark on the James Bond franchise as well as on popular culture. No other villain of the series has ever possessed a greater dominance. In the Hall of Fame of Bond villains, Ernst Stavro Blofeld can thereby safely be called the most influential one. Not only due to his reappearances in the film series but also because his persona delivered a whole arsenal of clichés to be used for supervillains in similar spy films and parodies.

When the title of the 24th James Bond film was revealed as ‘SPECTRE’, every Bond fan had one and the same question in mind: Is Blofeld going to return?

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