The Top 10 Toughest Bond Girls

With Wonder Woman’s success at the box office, we’re reminded that many “Bond girls” have been anything but damsels in distress. Some have demonstrated considerable grit and courage, rivaling James Bond in the toughness category.

So, who are the top ten toughest Bond girls? Let’s start with numbers 7-10.

10. Agent XXX (Barbara Bach, The Spy Who Loved Me)

Because she is a KGB agent, one has to assume that Agent XXX can hold her own when the going gets tough. Problem is, she doesn’t demonstrate much physical prowess in The Spy Who Loved Me, and this is most unfortunate. But we do get a glimpse: when Bond accidentally bumps into her at the Temple of Karnak, she spins and assumes a kung fu position. One more step, and Bond might have been toast.

9. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi, Thunderball)

Volpe is not only comfortable riding a motorcycle at high speeds. She can also shoot missiles from one, as she does in assassinating Count Lippe. She might rank higher on this list if she hadn’t fallen for Bond so hard–and so quickly.

8. Magda (Kristina Wayborn, Octopussy)

All beauty and grace? Think again. Magda’s mastery of acrobatics comes in quite handy when she takes out some of Khan’s armed guards.

7. Pam Bouvier (Carrie Lowell, Licence to Kill)

Bouvier is a CIA agent and pilot who has flown secret missions into Central America. That alone puts her on the list. But as if that’s not enough, Bouvier also knows how to handle a shotgun in a crowded Florida dive bar.

6. Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet, For Your Eyes Only)

Any woman who can shoot a crossbow scores points here. But Melina Havelock is much more than a good shot; she is ruthless in pursuit of those responsible for her parents’ assassination. And when Kristatos attempts to kill her and Bond, by dragging them through the shark-infested waters, she hangs on–both literally and figuratively.

5. Jinx (Halle Berry, Die Another Day)

The backward dive into the bay is enough to conclude that Jinx isn’t a woman to mess with. But also check out her epic sword fight with Miranda Frost.

4. Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh, Tomorrow Never Dies)

A Chinese spy, Wai Lin is fearless, whether jumping from a skyscraper, while handcuffed to Bond, or taking out Elliot Carver’s men by firing a machine gun from each arm.

On to our top Three…

3. May Day (Grace Jones, A View to a Kill)

Assassin. Base jumper. Martial arts expert. May Day fits all three. And she is a woman of few words, as demonstrated when sending a Zorin foe to his death, on board a dirigible. May Day isn’t just an assassin; she is an assassin with style.

2. Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko, Quantum of Solace)

Of all agents with whom James Bond has teamed, none has been tougher than Camille. The Bolivian agent is street smart (watch how she handles Bond, when she thinks he has been hired to kill her). She infiltrates Dominic Greene’s operation and, like many Bond girls, has revenge on her mind. But when the time comes to assassinate Medrano, we see Camille’s real nastiness. She isn’t afraid to take a bite out of him.

1.  Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen, Goldeneye)

What can be said about a Russian assassin who gets her kicks (and sexual pleasure) from killing? In their final encounter, she physically matches Bond, only to be outsmarted. Hers is one of the most memorable deaths for a henchman (or, henchwoman) in Bond movie history.

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